Sending Goods Between Cities When You Cannot Travel With Them

A sister in Abuja has a new flat and needs the sofa, the dining table and six boxes that are still in your parents' house in Ibadan. Nobody in the family can take a day off to ride in the truck. So the goods will travel alone, and the whole job comes down to who is standing at each end with a phone.

You can send goods between Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan without going yourself. It works when the handover is planned in detail.

Who is at each end

Name two people before you ask for a vehicle: one at the pickup and one at the drop-off. Both need to be adults you trust, with a working phone, and both need to be reachable on the day.

The person at pickup does the counting and the loading. The person at drop-off does the checking and the offloading. If either of them cannot be there, move the date. A truck that arrives at an empty flat in Abuja or Ibadan is a truck that waits, and that costs you time and goodwill.

Make a list before anything is loaded

Write down every item, with its approximate size, and read the list over the phone to the person at the other end. For boxes, number them one to eight, so everyone knows the count.

Photograph each large item and the stack of boxes. Take the photos in daylight, from two angles, before loading and after. These photos are the record if something is scuffed or missing.

Keep valuables, documents and small electronics out of the truck altogether. Carry them yourself or send them with someone travelling.

Describe both ends to the driver

Drivers decide on an offer using what you write in the request, and the usual things that surprise them are at the two ends of the trip. Tell them:

• the exact pickup address and a landmark
• whether an estate needs a pass or a letter
• stairs, a lift or a long carry at both addresses
• how many people are available to lift
• the name and number of the person at each end

Our guide on getting past the estate gate in Lagos is useful if either address is in a gated estate. For the destination side of a trip, see our guide to moving between central Abuja and satellite towns.

Agree the handover with the driver

Use the chat on Sphere to agree things before you accept an offer:

1. The person at pickup and the person at drop-off, with their phone numbers.
2. Who helps with loading and offloading at each end. Do not assume the driver will carry everything alone.
3. Whether the driver will call before arriving.
4. What happens if the person at the drop-off is not ready.
5. Rough timing for the trip, bearing in mind that a long road trip can change on the day.

Drivers cannot promise a fixed arrival time and Sphere does not guarantee one, so give the receiving person a window rather than an hour.

Ready to move?

Request a truck or van on Sphere

Choose your vehicle, propose your price, and verified drivers in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan accept or send a counter-offer.

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Pick the right vehicle

For a few pieces and some boxes, a pickup van can be enough on a single route, and our guide on intercity moves with a pickup van explains when. A bigger load, or anything tall or heavy, needs a truck. Our guide on requesting a truck for an intercity move lists the questions to settle first.

At the drop-off: check before you sign off

When the truck arrives, the receiving person should:

• count the boxes against the list
• check the large items against the photos
• note any damage in a photo before the vehicle leaves
• tell you on the phone, straight away, if something is wrong

If there is a problem, talk to the driver calmly, with the photos. Our playbook on what to do when a move goes wrong explains how to handle it.

Keep the receiver informed

Send the person at drop-off the driver's name, the vehicle and the expected window. Ask them to be at the gate or the door when the truck arrives. A short message saying "the truck has left Ibadan" is enough, as long as it is sent when it is true.

How to do this on Sphere

1. Open the Sphere app and choose a truck or pickup van for the route.
2. Add the pickup and drop-off, with a landmark and the contact name for each.
3. Describe the items, the box count, stairs and any pass needed.
4. Propose your price. Nearby verified drivers accept it or send counter-offers.
5. Agree loading and offloading help at both ends before you accept an offer.

See our pages for Abuja, Ibadan and Lagos truck hire for more.