Cross country move.....

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four7s
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Cross country move.....

Post by four7s »

We will be moving in July from Nevada to South Florida and are weighing the alternatives for moving our stuff. PODS get some bad reviews from several years ago but compared to their competitors they may be an alternative to truck hire and driving ourselves. Commercial moving companies are too expensive as we’re downsizing and getting rid of furniture and will likely end up with lots and lots of boxes. My question is if any posters have had any recent experience, good or bad, with PODS. Thanks in advance.
7eight9
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by 7eight9 »

No experience with PODS. That said, I've seen both PODS and ABF's U-Pack https://www.upack.com/?&refnum=google&c ... lsrc=aw.ds in our neighborhood.
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raveon
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by raveon »

I had very good experience with ABF U-Pack moving from PA -> CA a decade ago. It is like the pods concept. They drop a container in your parking lot, you load/lock it, and they come back to pick it up. It took about 5 days transit time with tracking. Nothing broke, etc, as I had secured the boxes with tie downs. Total cost was $3.5 - $4.5K or so if i recall for a ReloCube (6x7x8) at that time. I packed everything myself into standard moving boxes, and loaded it up.
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Quirkz
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Quirkz »

I've used U-Pack three times over the past 20 years, and been fairly happy with them each time. I've looked into Pods, but they either weren't available in my area or didn't win on price, but if they're competitive for your locations they may be okay.

Not having to drive a massive moving truck thousands of miles is a burden I am very happy to avoid, and will gladly pay thousands for. You will want to bring enough you can manage for a few days or a couple of weeks while it's being shipped.
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lthenderson
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by lthenderson »

I hired a full service moving company the last time I moved. I will never do it any other way for the rest of my life. Worth every penny!
supdodo
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by supdodo »

If you have a lot of boxes (clothes, kitchen stuff, etc.) Fedex ground is the best. If you have a lot of books, then USPS media mail is cheap. If you ship your car, you can also fit things in the trunk and backseats.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

Quirkz wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:06 pm I've used U-Pack three times over the past 20 years, and been fairly happy with them each time. I've looked into Pods, but they either weren't available in my area or didn't win on price, but if they're competitive for your locations they may be okay.

Not having to drive a massive moving truck thousands of miles is a burden I am very happy to avoid, and will gladly pay thousands for. You will want to bring enough you can manage for a few days or a couple of weeks while it's being shipped.
How much would they cost if you add loading / unloading? The driving cost of U-Pack seems very reasonable.
genzboglehead
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by genzboglehead »

We’ve used PODS and they work great. If you have too much stuff you can use them for storage too. Done Indy to Scottsdale and back with a full pod, no issues. Just make sure you use ratchet straps to pack.
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

A quick tip for books. Look for apps on your phone that can scan the isbn number and give you a quote. I've been going through lots of my books and find them here and there that'll sell. Easy way to reduce the bulk and bring in some money for the reductions.
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7eight9
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by 7eight9 »

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:32 pm A quick tip for books. Look for apps on your phone that can scan the isbn number and give you a quote. I've been going through lots of my books and find them here and there that'll sell. Easy way to reduce the bulk and bring in some money for the reductions.
Or ship your books Media Mail.
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tennisplyr
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by tennisplyr »

This might be a useful forum for you.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/
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Quirkz
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Quirkz »

Marseille07 wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:32 pm
How much would they cost if you add loading / unloading? The driving cost of U-Pack seems very reasonable.
I don't think U-Pack has any loading services. You'd have to separately hire movers to do that part for you. On the last move I did most everything myself, but we hired some movers to bring in the 10-15 heaviest pieces of furniture, and that seemed worth it. I think ours were $125 for two hours, but rates are probably going to vary a lot by locality.
tomsense76
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by tomsense76 »

lthenderson wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:22 pm I hired a full service moving company the last time I moved. I will never do it any other way for the rest of my life. Worth every penny!
+100 This

Though I also needed storage for an indefinite period of time, which they also handled. It was fantastic! Best money I ever spent. When I relocated earlier last year, they put it on a truck and sent it cross country. Merely gave them an address. They showed up and unloaded it all. One guy literally carried my mattress on his back by himself. Quite impressive!
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Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

Quirkz wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 6:03 pm
Marseille07 wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:32 pm
How much would they cost if you add loading / unloading? The driving cost of U-Pack seems very reasonable.
I don't think U-Pack has any loading services. You'd have to separately hire movers to do that part for you. On the last move I did most everything myself, but we hired some movers to bring in the 10-15 heaviest pieces of furniture, and that seemed worth it. I think ours were $125 for two hours, but rates are probably going to vary a lot by locality.
You're right, they sort of help finding movers for you but generally not included in the package: https://www.upack.com/moving-resources/moving-labor
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birdog
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by birdog »

supdodo wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:31 pm If you have a lot of boxes (clothes, kitchen stuff, etc.) Fedex ground is the best. If you have a lot of books, then USPS media mail is cheap. If you ship your car, you can also fit things in the trunk and backseats.
Hmmm...not sure that’s gonna work. :oops:
forgeblast
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by forgeblast »

four7s wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 3:07 pm We will be moving in July from Nevada to South Florida and are weighing the alternatives for moving our stuff. PODS get some bad reviews from several years ago but compared to their competitors they may be an alternative to truck hire and driving ourselves. Commercial moving companies are too expensive as we’re downsizing and getting rid of furniture and will likely end up with lots and lots of boxes. My question is if any posters have had any recent experience, good or bad, with PODS. Thanks in advance.
ABF-Upack. we went from NC to PA. They drop off a tractor trailer you fill it up add in the bulk head and they drop it off. you only pay for what you use. Go to harbor freight and buy a dolly and moving blankets.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

How do folks arrange the POD loading / unloading help on both ends of a move? They seem to assume one has a driveway to keep a POD as long as you want, but I live at a place where there is no such driveway.

I tried to get quotes from the website; while they require my email to proceed, the subsequent page simply tells me to give them a call. I'm not so impressed by how this is structured so far.
Last edited by Marseille07 on Sat May 28, 2022 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Wilderness Librarian
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Wilderness Librarian »

lthenderson wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:22 pm I hired a full service moving company the last time I moved. I will never do it any other way for the rest of my life. Worth every penny!
My opinion too. You priced but did you account for the time & effort you load yourself? I live alone. Moved from lower 48 to Alaska and back again after retirement. First time 4 guys had my stuff in their truck in less than 2 hrs. Second time 2 guys did it in 4 hrs - stopped for 1 short break and didn't even use the bathroom.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

Has anyone done U-hauling? I probably don't mind this so long as I get some loading / unloading help on both ends and can park the truck & vehicle trailer at the hotels during the move. The cost seems to be around $2500~$3000.

ABF U-Pack is around $5700, full service is probably $8000~$10000 (this is my guesstimate, I have not requested quotes).
texasdiver
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by texasdiver »

Last time we moved from TX to WA a few years ago we used ABF U-pack and had a good experience. We needed to declutter and polish up the house to stage it for selling so in the 3 months before our move I did the following

1. Enormous purge of anything not worth moving
2. Packing up everything we didn’t need for the next three months into identical moving boxes and moving them to a nearby storage locker

When moving day came most of our stuff was pre-packed so things went faster. But it was still an enormous amount of work.

The issue with using professional movers is that you aren’t likely to purge as much stuff as you really should and will pay to haul a lot of garbage across country because you haven’t properly purged.
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rob
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by rob »

supdodo wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:31 pm If you ship your car, you can also fit things in the trunk and backseats.
Most (all?) car shippers will NOT allow personal items in the vehicle.
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vested1
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by vested1 »

We used ABF/U-pack in our move from the west coast to the east coast in 2019 and paid them $5,800 total for the move, filling a 28' semi trailer completely. No complaints, as they were very easy to work with and flexible. They will also store your belongings for an additional cost up to a certain amount of time. We arranged for them to store it in the same container for 1 month at that cost. They made an error in approving a storage location where they would drop it off for us to unload, so they gave us an additional month of storage for free, making it possible to unload at our new house and avoid renting an additional storage unit.

A relative used Pods when moving from the west coast to the east coast a year later, and kept adding additional ones when he found that he ran out of room. He paid twice what we did and still had to pack and unpack his stuff.

Be aware that U-Pack will drop off the trailer, unhook the tractor and drive away, then return a few days later to pick it up. You have to have a parking place for the trailer and have permission from your HOA, if you have one, to allow it to be there. The relative I referred to had purchased a new house on the east coast that was governed by an HOA, and they wouldn't allow overnight parking for the U-pack trailer so he had to use pods dropped in his driveway at different dates, which added to the cost.

I would suggest buying moving boxes from U-Haul, which are much cheaper than anywhere else, easily less than 1/2 the price you would pay at Home Depot or Lowes. U-Haul will also buy them back at a reduced cost.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

vested1 wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 6:13 am Be aware that U-Pack will drop off the trailer, unhook the tractor and drive away, then return a few days later to pick it up. You have to have a parking place for the trailer and have permission from your HOA, if you have one, to allow it to be there. The relative I referred to had purchased a new house on the east coast that was governed by an HOA, and they wouldn't allow overnight parking for the U-pack trailer so he had to use pods dropped in his driveway at different dates, which added to the cost.
This would be my concern for sure, as I can't just leave the trailer in front of my place for days.

Assuming I could have the trailer 30 yards away from my place, can they arrange some movers to cover this distance? And by movers I don't mean just moving the furniture and boxes, I mean bringing some wrapping material to wrap a dining table and what not so that the items won't be damaged during a move.

So far, ABF/U-Pack seems like a very good choice. Not so impressed by PODS.
niagara_guy
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by niagara_guy »

I used u-pack about 20 years ago with very good results. They dropped an empty trailer, I loaded my stuff (the trailer rides hard, use lots of blankets on furniture), they picked up trailer and charged me by the linear foot. It cost about the same as a u-haul truck but I didn't have to spend days driving, pay for gas and motels, etc. they dropped trailer at the destination and I had 2 days to unpack. I highly recommend them.
vested1
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by vested1 »

Marseille07 wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 8:56 am
vested1 wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 6:13 am Be aware that U-Pack will drop off the trailer, unhook the tractor and drive away, then return a few days later to pick it up. You have to have a parking place for the trailer and have permission from your HOA, if you have one, to allow it to be there. The relative I referred to had purchased a new house on the east coast that was governed by an HOA, and they wouldn't allow overnight parking for the U-pack trailer so he had to use pods dropped in his driveway at different dates, which added to the cost.
This would be my concern for sure, as I can't just leave the trailer in front of my place for days.

Assuming I could have the trailer 30 yards away from my place, can they arrange some movers to cover this distance? And by movers I don't mean just moving the furniture and boxes, I mean bringing some wrapping material to wrap a dining table and what not so that the items won't be damaged during a move.

So far, ABF/U-Pack seems like a very good choice. Not so impressed by PODS.
ABF/U-pack doesn't provide packers. They will offer to find some in your area for a price. You can either hire someone separately to pack your stuff or do it yourself. The plastic wrap and boxes are easily available, the muscle, not so much and not that cheap. As for parking the trailer 30 yards away, you'd have to ask ABF and probably send them pictures. They supply you with a sturdy lock for the trailer but no key. You place their lock on the trailer when you are done packing it before they pick it up. The dolly is supplied by a different company so be sure to ask them if it should be left in the trailer or left out to be picked up by the other company (weird, I know). Get your own sturdy lock to secure the trailer at night or when you aren't packing it.

We hired someone we thought was "cheaper" for a shorter subsequent move who provided boxes, wrapping, and labor. I'm almost 70 so didn't want to lift all that stuff again. That move was only about 200 miles but cost more than the coast to coast move, plus they wouldn't store the furniture for even a day. We had a weeklong gap between the closing of our old home and the closing of the new one so we had to pay for a storage facility and move it the last several miles by ourselves once the new house closed. So I ended up having to lift and move the furniture anyway. Never again.

I looked into hiring any one of a number of local companies comprised of young college students with their own truck to move our belongings out of storage and into the new house across town. The cheapest I could find was several thousand dollars. Best to move once if at all possible, and avoid storage costs and additional labor.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

vested1 wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 9:11 am ABF/U-pack doesn't provide packers. They will offer to find some in your area for a price. You can either hire someone separately to pack your stuff or do it yourself. The plastic wrap and boxes are easily available, the muscle, not so much and not that cheap. As for parking the trailer 30 yards away, you'd have to ask ABF and probably send them pictures. They supply you with a sturdy lock for the trailer but no key. You place their lock on the trailer when you are done packing it before they pick it up. The dolly is supplied by a different company so be sure to ask them if it should be left in the trailer or left out to be picked up by the other company (weird, I know). Get your own sturdy lock to secure the trailer at night or when you aren't packing it.

We hired someone we thought was "cheaper" for a shorter subsequent move who provided boxes, wrapping, and labor. I'm almost 70 so didn't want to lift all that stuff again. That move was only about 200 miles but cost more than the coast to coast move, plus they wouldn't store the furniture for even a day. We had a weeklong gap between the closing of our old home and the closing of the new one so we had to pay for a storage facility and move it the last several miles by ourselves once the new house closed. So I ended up having to lift and move the furniture anyway. Never again.

I looked into hiring any one of a number of local companies comprised of young college students with their own truck to move our belongings out of storage and into the new house across town. The cheapest I could find was several thousand dollars. Best to move once if at all possible, and avoid storage costs and additional labor.
Thanks for your insight. I don't have issues packing stuff in the boxes, it is furniture (desk, table, bedding, or even something like PC) that I'm not too familiar with wrapping. I don't have that much stuff, when I hired full service movers last time, they only took like 30~40 minutes to load / unload so I should be able to lock the trailer for good at night.

But I probably have to check the trailer situation at the destination as well; it is likely going to be an issue if the ABF peeps just drop off the trailer in front of the place and leave for several days.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

Does ABF/U-pack share the trailer with other customers? I'm trying to understand why they charge by the length of usage if the trailer is not shared. If it is shared, is it a possibility your stuff is damaged due to collisions with another customer's belongings?
texasdiver
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by texasdiver »

Marseille07 wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 11:52 am Does ABF/U-pack share the trailer with other customers? I'm trying to understand why they charge by the length of usage if the trailer is not shared. If it is shared, is it a possibility your stuff is damaged due to collisions with another customer's belongings?
I rented the whole trailer. If you are renting a partial trailer they have big heavy bulkheads that are locking that will separate your stuff from the commercial freight. Basically locking partitions that keep stuff separate.

They don't share space between two separate private movers. If you don't use the whole space they may put commercial freight into the unused space but then they are the ones doing the loading and unloading, not other customers.

Here is all the info and a video showing how the bulkheads work.

https://www.upack.com/how-upack-works/e ... r/bulkhead
Last edited by texasdiver on Sun May 29, 2022 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

texasdiver wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 11:58 am
Marseille07 wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 11:52 am Does ABF/U-pack share the trailer with other customers? I'm trying to understand why they charge by the length of usage if the trailer is not shared. If it is shared, is it a possibility your stuff is damaged due to collisions with another customer's belongings?
I rented the whole trailer. I think if you are renting a partial trailer they have big heavy bulkheads that are locking that will separate your stuff from the commercial freight. Basically locking partitions that keep stuff separate.

They don't share space between two separate private movers. If you don't use the whole space they may put commercial freight into the unused space but then they are the ones doing the loading and unloading, not other customers.

Here is all the info

https://www.upack.com/how-upack-works/e ... r/bulkhead
This is excellent, thank you!

I definitely do not need the whole trailer so I'd be doing this, unless I opt to go with that ReloCube thing which is another option I guess.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

When using ABF/U-pack, how difficult is it to ask for a live load/unload on both ends? https://www.upack.com/how-upack-works/d ... r-delivery

Also, how do folks find local loaders / unloaders? I found this article, but Moving Staffers have terrible reviews as they seem to be just a middleman who arranges local loaders: https://www.upack.com/moving-resources/moving-labor
niagara_guy
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by niagara_guy »

when I used u-pack about 20 years ago here's how it worked:

U-pack gives you an empty trailer and charges by the linear foot for your load (measured after the trailer is picked up). There is a bulkhead that separates your load from the other loads in the truck, 20 years ago the bulkhead design didn't work well, I think it's much better now. They then load other freight (not another u-pack) in the rest of the trailer (the company is ABF trucking). The trailer is 28 feet long, about 8 feet wide and about 9 feet high inside (the floor of the trailer is about 3-4 feet high so a ramp is a must).

I had the trailer for 3 days to pack (you will need to have a place for the trailer to be parked, it's 13.5 feet high and 28 feet long). U-pack does not serve every zip code so check their site to see if they will take your load. PM me if you have more questions.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

I think I want ABF/U-pack for my next move, but I'm seeing hidden cost with them because they take 10 business days (~14 calendar days) to transport. Full service movers only take 4-5 calendar days, which means I have 9~10 extra days of housing cost I have to cover. This might mean I need to end my lease 9 days later (with an empty unit but I can't cut the Internet just yet), or have to stay at the hotels/AirBnBs for 9 days.

ABF/U-pack should still be cheaper, but the cost saving is certainly watered down because of this.
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tooluser
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by tooluser »

I have recently retired and hope to move a 3 bedroom house in the next few months. The U-Haul U-Box method seems to be the best for me so far, because I have a narrow driveway that won't allow PODS, and I have limited parking out front for a U-Pack trailer. I also plan to mosey slowly from my old home to my new home, so some storage time will be needed. I am most worried about transporting paintings/artwork from the walls. I hope to hire packers on the front end. Everything else seems to be straightforward, just a lot of planning and work.
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phxjcc
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by phxjcc »

Yes, I used PODS for a 350 mile move.

Three hundred fifty miles.

One container.

They picked it up day one.

It went to 1st logistics depot day 2.

It went to 2nd logistics depot day 4.

It got to me day day 5.

We drove the same route in 5.5 hours with gas, food, nature breaks.

I liked the service, it IS MUCH BETTER than a UHaul.

I did boxes, soft furniture, and “brown wood” furniture. We used 15 pads we purchased at HarborFrieght …and about three rolls of packing tape and a tape gun (Home Depot). While you are at Harbor Freight, get a furniture dolly (4 wheeler), makes moving boxes easy-peasy.

See if they will give you a transit time for coast to coast.

You pay for time and distance for the container.
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by KyleAAA »

lthenderson wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:22 pm I hired a full service moving company the last time I moved. I will never do it any other way for the rest of my life. Worth every penny!
How much did you pay? For our last cross-country move my new employer paid for it, so I didn't even see the cost. I'm sure it wasn't cheap.
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Hebell »

rob wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 12:06 am
supdodo wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:31 pm If you ship your car, you can also fit things in the trunk and backseats.
Most (all?) car shippers will NOT allow personal items in the vehicle.
I can confirm this, because I recently acquired quotes.
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

tooluser wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 9:40 pm I have recently retired and hope to move a 3 bedroom house in the next few months. The U-Haul U-Box method seems to be the best for me so far, because I have a narrow driveway that won't allow PODS, and I have limited parking out front for a U-Pack trailer. I also plan to mosey slowly from my old home to my new home, so some storage time will be needed. I am most worried about transporting paintings/artwork from the walls. I hope to hire packers on the front end. Everything else seems to be straightforward, just a lot of planning and work.
What about a relocube? I believe a relocube fits within a parking spot.
homebuyer6426
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by homebuyer6426 »

My cross country move was done with a loaded-to-the-ceiling Corolla. This only works if your high-value large items are worth less than the difference for a moving service.
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Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

homebuyer6426 wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 1:24 pm My cross country move was done with a loaded-to-the-ceiling Corolla. This only works if your high-value large items are worth less than the difference for a moving service.
A problem is staying at the hotel and such and possibly smash-n-grab at night, which ruins the whole move.
homebuyer6426
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by homebuyer6426 »

Marseille07 wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 1:34 pm
homebuyer6426 wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 1:24 pm My cross country move was done with a loaded-to-the-ceiling Corolla. This only works if your high-value large items are worth less than the difference for a moving service.
A problem is staying at the hotel and such and possibly smash-n-grab at night, which ruins the whole move.
Good point, I did make sure to park it in view of the hotel window.
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tooluser
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by tooluser »

Marseille07 wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 1:16 pm
tooluser wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 9:40 pm I have recently retired and hope to move a 3 bedroom house in the next few months. The U-Haul U-Box method seems to be the best for me so far, because I have a narrow driveway that won't allow PODS, and I have limited parking out front for a U-Pack trailer. I also plan to mosey slowly from my old home to my new home, so some storage time will be needed. I am most worried about transporting paintings/artwork from the walls. I hope to hire packers on the front end. Everything else seems to be straightforward, just a lot of planning and work.
What about a relocube? I believe a relocube fits within a parking spot.
I looked into that. U-Haul U-Box was >$1000 cheaper than the U-Pack trailer, and the ReloCubes were even more expensive. I very much like that both companies will allow you to get an online estimate.
Like good comrades to the utmost of their strength, we shall go on to the end. -- Winston Churchill
Marseille07
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by Marseille07 »

tooluser wrote: Sat Aug 20, 2022 11:38 am I looked into that. U-Haul U-Box was >$1000 cheaper than the U-Pack trailer, and the ReloCubes were even more expensive. I very much like that both companies will allow you to get an online estimate.
You're right, U-Haul U-Box seems much cheaper. What's the catch? This almost seems too good, as my estimate says:
One month container use $109.95
2 dozen furniture pads per container Free
Gentle ride shipping $2,226.00
One-way transit fuel cost Free
U-Pack/ABF quoted $4000 for the same move.

They take about the same as U-Pack/ABF too; ABF said 10 business days, U-Box says 12 days (I'm guessing calendar).
VanGogh
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by VanGogh »

We moved from PA to AZ and used PODS. We would use them again. They even stored our PODS while we searched for a new home. They were reliable, and everything arrived intact. The only tip I would give you is that prior to having your PODS delivered to your new home, schedule a pick up date for the empty PODS. We waited to call them to take it away after we emptied it. It sat empty in the driveway longer than necessary.
RudyS
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by RudyS »

This is an old thread, but for anyone currently interested in the subject:

My post from a few months ago [and again a bit ago] in response to a similar question:

First, take the documents and irreplaceable mementos with you, do not give them to the movers.

Then, consider doing what United Van Lines calls a "snap move." We did this when we downsized and moved to a CCRC 800 miles away. Worked very well. You pack your boxes. They load all your stuff into a plywood container, secure it, and pick it up. Typically sits in their warehouse till an 18 wheeler goes to your destination. Then a local affiliate brings it your home, and unloads. They can guarantee a delivery date, but they need a 10 day window from pickup to delivery to allow them to do their scheduling. Rate goes by distance and number of containers, not weight.800 mile move, 2 containers, $3300. One container would have been $2700. This is much more secure than loading your stuff into a big truck with other loads, it's all one container.

Here's a link to the whole thread:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=325332&p=5491729&h ... e#p5491729
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tooluser
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by tooluser »

Last month I completed my move from a 3-bedroom house in Los Angeles to a house in the Detroit metropolitan area of Michigan.
As a benchmark that may be useful to others, here were my costs and a few comments:

Los Angeles to Detroit-area, Feb 2023 - Nov 2023, 5 U-Boxes were used

Code: Select all

Packing Supplies           $650.00    I did not skimp here; it paid off with only two broken items, both cheap plastic things.
Moving Help Packing        $500.00    4 hours of packing help.
Moving Help Loading      $1,543.95 
U-Box Rental             $4,677.75    Price for 9 months. $103.95/month/box. Includes insurance, which is optional.
U-Box Transportation     $6,514.75    $1302.95 per box, approx. 2500 miles distance.
Moving Help Unloading    $1,430.95
Total Cost              $15,317.40 
  Cost of mover tips and 5 padlocks not included.
"Moving Help" is a U-Haul-owned company that can hook you up with movers who are familiar with how the U-Box system works. It's part of their online system. The payment to the mover is escrowed by Moving Help so you don't release the funds until the job is complete. I used better rated, more experienced companies; you can go cheaper than what I list above, at some additional risk. I used a company in L.A. to do some final packing and to deliver, load, and drop off the U-Boxes for shipping cross-country. In Michigan a different company delivered the full U-Boxes from storage, and unloaded them into my house.

The cross-country transportation was done very nicely. After you load your U-Boxes, they are transported to the sipping embarkation point, where they sit for a couple of days. During this time you can access your U-Boxes and add or remove items if necessary. Once they left that point it took about 5 days for the 2500 mile trip. You are notified of the U-Box status at each step, including arrival.

Liked: 1) U-Haul packing supplies were all of good quality, easy to order online or find at a local U-Haul business, and unused items can be returned for a full refund. 2) Everyone I dealt with at U-Haul or Moving Help was knowledgeable and polite. 3) Hiring Moving Help movers was immensely helpful, because they managed all the logistics of moving the U-Boxes locally. 4) I think the price was good. 5) Essentially zero damage (see note above).

Disliked: 1) The Unloading portion of the move required contacting U-Haul by phone to set it all up. As far as I can tell, it's impossible to set up the Moving Help Unloading online. They need to put more thought into this part of their system. The U-Haul people on the phone had to scratch their heads a bit to get it set up correctly; it appeared to be a workaround rather than something built-in to their system. However, if you're transporting and unloading the U-Boxes yourself this should not be an issue. Setting up the Moving Help Loading part of the job worked well and was completely online.
Like good comrades to the utmost of their strength, we shall go on to the end. -- Winston Churchill
srt7
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Re: Cross country move.....

Post by srt7 »

5+ years ago we used https://www.1800packrat.com to move from Texas to Colorado (~900 miles). Definitely recommended.
Taking care of tomorrow while enjoying today.
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