Reputable Australian removalists take card. Most ask for a small holding deposit — typically 10–25% of the quoted amount, or a flat $50–$100 credit-card hold — with the balance paid on completion. AFRA members are required by code to issue tax invoices and offer at least one digital payment method. If a removalist insists on cash, refuses cards, or wants 50%+ upfront, walk away. There's no ambiguity here.

The reason it matters: cash with no invoice means you have no proof of service. Goods damaged? They'll deny taking the job. Hostage load demand on the day? You can't dispute a charge that doesn't exist on a card statement. Standard scam pattern is to take the cash, lowball the deposit so you don't worry, then escalate the "extras" once your belongings are in the truck.

This one takes 60 seconds to check. Every legitimate Australian business has an Australian Business Number, and the Australian Business Register is free, public, and instant. Search the company name. If nothing comes up, or the ABN they've sent you is registered to an unrelated entity, or the registration date is two weeks old — that's the answer.

Pair the ABN check with a physical-address check. A real removalist has a depot address — somewhere a 6-tonne truck and three blanket-wrapped lounges can actually live overnight. If the only address on the website is a PO box, a residential unit, or there isn't one at all, that's a problem. Easy Peasy lists our depot at Cheltenham (Melbourne) and our office in Prahran — both are physical, both are visit-able, both are tied to ABN 23 659 634 321 (which you can verify in 30 seconds).

The going rate for a quality two-mover crew with a 4T truck in Melbourne or Sydney in 2026 sits around $140–$180/hr (we charge $160/hr). A quote of $89/hr or $99/hr isn't a deal. It's a bait number designed to win the booking, after which "fuel surcharges", "stairs fees", "lift fees", "weekend rates not previously disclosed", "minimum hour increases" and "fuel levy" appear on the day. The legitimate version of those costs is already in the higher quote — there's no actual saving, only a worse customer experience.

Defence: get three quotes from operators you can verify. The one that's much lower than the other two is the suspect. Read the fine print on what "$X/hr" actually includes — particularly minimum hours, depot-to-depot travel charges, and weekend or after-hours surcharges. Easy Peasy's full pricing page shows the truck rates, the surcharge structure, and the minimum hours up front because that's what an honest quote looks like.

The ACCC has been actively prosecuting fake review schemes in this industry — Sydney removalist Citymove was fined for fabricated testimonials in 2015, and the pattern has only got more sophisticated since. The 2026 version uses AI-generated reviewer photos and language patterns trained to mimic real customer voice. They're harder to spot than the old "John Smith — 5 stars — Great service!!" template.

What to actually look for: a Google profile that's only 5-star and 1-star with nothing in between (real businesses get 3s and 4s mixed in). Reviews posted in tight time clusters — five reviews in one Tuesday is not how organic reviews work. Reviewer profiles with one review only, no profile photo, no other places reviewed. Identical phrasing across reviews ("their team was very professional and on time" appearing eight times in the last 30 days). Cross-check by reading reviews on independent platforms like ProductReview and FindaMover — if Google shows 5.0 with 200 reviews and ProductReview shows 2.1 with eight reviews, trust ProductReview.

This is the difference between "a thing went wrong on a job" and "a thing went wrong on a job, and there's a proper process to deal with it". Legitimate removalists carry public liability insurance and goods-in-transit insurance, and will issue a Certificate of Currency on request. Many strata buildings and offices require one before they'll let a truck onto the loading dock. If the operator can't or won't produce one within a few hours, they don't have it.

Pair this with a written quote and contract that lists hourly rate, minimum hours, surcharge structure, deposit terms, and damage policy. "We'll sort it on the day" is a verbal contract — fine until something goes wrong. We send our terms and Certificate of Currency by email automatically with every quote. If the operator you're talking to can't do the same in 30 minutes, that's the answer.