AnyVan

AnyVan: transport and removals auctions in Ireland

AnyVan is an Irish-founded platform that operates as an auction marketplace for transport services. Its model is based on connecting customers who need to move items with professional carriers, making use of existing journeys and free space in vehicles to reduce the final cost. The company states that this system can save up to 75% compared with hiring a full journey.

Founded in 2009, the company claims to have exceeded 5.1 million job requests and 2.8 million customers. Its activity is built around a network of partner carriers who compete for each job through a quote system.

Removals and transport services

The service catalogue covers a wide variety of transport needs, for both individuals and businesses:

• House removals
• Furniture and bulky item transport
• Car transport
• Motorbike transport
• Piano transport
• Delivery of items bought on eBay
• Man and van service
• European moves
• Specialist items and antiques
• Vehicle parts
• Freight and logistics
• Boats
• Office removals
• Livestock
• Man power only

AnyVan for Business

The company offers a dedicated division for corporate clients, AnyVan for Business, which provides B2B and B2C transport services tailored to projects of any size and complexity. Its stated capabilities include 100% availability, competitive rates and personalised account management. Business services cover multi pick-up and drop-off, office moves and relocations, trade show delivery and assistance, white glove services, and equipment installation and removal with its own staff.

Environmental commitment

AnyVan maintains that its vans are carbon balanced. The company works with World Land Trust to offset the CO2 emissions generated by its vehicles by protecting and restoring threatened tropical forests. Its stated goal is to reduce environmental impact by making use of existing journeys and available free space, thereby minimising empty runs.

Social initiatives

The company mentions that, over its 16 years of activity, it has received requests to help charitable causes and that it offers free moves for good deeds through an initiative called MagicVan.

Track record and expansion

Since its founding in 2009, AnyVan has reached several relevant milestones. In 2010 it offset 3 million kilograms of CO2. In 2011 it surpassed 100,000 completed listings and reached 5,000 registered carriers. In 2012 it signed a partnership agreement with eBay and launched native versions of its website for Germany and Spain. In 2013 it launched its version for the Irish market, reached one million listings and 500,000 registered users, and claimed to have saved its customers £15 million. In 2014 it launched its mobile app for iOS and Android and surpassed one million users.

How the service works

The process has three steps: the customer describes the job they need, receives quotes from different carriers and freely chooses the offer they prefer. The platform offers instant quotes for any date and basic compensation cover on all instant moves. Customer support is available seven days a week.