Have you ever seen a neighbor say goodbye to their furniture as it was being loaded onto a moving truck? That’s a new form of 迷你倉 that makes living in the city a lot easier. Mobile and valet-style tiny storage is a novel twist on the old way of storing things. You don’t have to move boxes and heavy sofas all over town with this solution; the Brilliant Storage Limited storage comes to you. It’s like having someone deliver you stuff.

This is how it works: Storage companies will provide a robust box that won’t get wet to your house. The room may be as big as a big closet or as little as a small garage, depending on how many bikes, lamps, and snowboards you have. You can pack at your own speed, or you can sit back and let the company’s workers do the heavy work. When you’re done, they take everything to their storage space. Want your winter boots back in July? Arrange for a delivery, and your box will come back.

These services are becoming more common in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and even London and Hong Kong. There are MakeSpace, Clutter, and PODS in the US. Gobox is in Australia. Smartbox is in Europe. With regular ministorage, you have to play Tetris in a building that’s far away. With valet-style storage, you can skip the car rental, driving, and confusion in long halls.

The prices are not the same. In 2024, a small container will cost between $75 and $150 a month, plus pickup or delivery fees that can be anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on stairs, elevators, and zip codes. Some places charge for each retrieval, but some let you swap things for free once a season. Check what’s included, because packing help, insurance, or photo cataloging can cost more.

Mobile mini-storage: storage that you don’t have to take along. That’s how simple it is to live in a big city.