compare offers from international moving companies

I’ve sent out requests to 8 different moving companies and the offers are pouring in. They are all roughly around 1500 – 1800 quid (excluding 19% tax!), but I am sure the price will go up as I will probably have underestimated just how much junk I own and can’t/won’t part with.
It looks as if moving all our stuff including washing machine and bikes will be cheaper than buying everything again. So it’s a deal, everything must come along!

I’ve just sent a list of probably to be moved things to moving companies, and it’s hard to imagine my stuff packed up in boxes. I can’t visualise my household in a container, let alone on a ship somewhere between Amsterdam or Rotterdam and Dublin harbour! Just imagine, a storm in British waters, and the containership capsises and my material life just gets washed overboard, like those BMW motorcycles a couple of months back!!!
What a big thing this move will be. Although I’m not moving continents (like Moose, is planning to do), it’s a world away and kinda scary. But if she can move to Japan and my friend iSoph could move to South Africa, I can move to Ireland.

All of them are asking how much stuff I’d be wanting to have shipped. No general quotes, which makes it hard to decide what to bring and what to get rid of (is it cheaper to bring the washing machine or just buy a new one there?).
I’ll have to calculate cubic metres of furniture and clothes and all our small stuff.
How does one even begin to estimate that? (>Denises?)
Tips appreciated.

...move to Ireland this year.
I know this might be a bit early considering that we haven’t even put the apartment up for sale, but when a sale happens, we could be overwhelmed with working while packing quickly, so knowing in advance what moving our goodies from Amsterdam to Ireland will cost might come in handy.