Moving Expenses
Question:
Can anyone give me any idea about what it costs to move with a major moving company? I would assume the cost is per pound. What about insurance on the goods.
Answer:
-No one can give you any accurate idea of the cost without actually seeing
the amount of goods to be shipped. Moving charges are based on weight to
be moved, the distance they are to be moved, accessorial services required
(stairs, elevators, packing, etc.), level of carrier liability (insurance)
and how good the market is.
The absolute cheapest way to move is by U-Haul or Ryder. If your time and
effort, or possible damage to your goods figures into your frugality, a
major mover might be the answer.
To see what might be best: Call 3 or 4 major carriers in your area. Ask
for a salesman to come out and give you an estimate. I would suggest that
you insist on a binding estimate*, including full replacement valuation
(insurance).
Then call U-Haul and Ryder. The moving company will have given the
estimated weight of your shipment, and U-Haul will be able to tell you
what size truck you need. Add to the cost of the truck, the cost of
loading and unloading (your back, beer for buddies, whatever), the cost of
renting furniture pads (essential) and dollies (nice for your back), plus
the cost of fuel and hotel bills, meals while on the road.
Other items to consider: You have complete control when you moving
yourself. Your stuff gets there when you do. With a mover, you will get
a spread of delivery dates, and you might be there several days before
your goods arrive, resulting in hotel bills and or an aching back from
sleeping on the floor. On the other hand, if your goods get there before
you do, as long as they arrive within the delivery spread, the carrier can
put them into storage at your expense, and buddy we are talking about
serious expense.
*Binding estimates include only estimated services. If you decide to move
into a high rise apartment, or a shack 10 miles down a onelane dirt road,
and you don't tell your estimator, expect extra charges. Unless told
otherwise, your estimator will assume that you are moving into a residence
that is ground floor, and that a tractor trailer rig will be able to get
-i did the reverse move - seattle to dallas three years ago.
being a comparison shopper, i added the cost of the do-it-yourself
truck rental, rental of a car dolly, gasoline (those trucks are quite
thirsty), motel expense, etc. and found i would have put myself thru
five nerve-racking days of driving to save a total of $500. as my new
employer was paying up to a certain amount (which i didn't exceed) for
my relocation, i decided to let the professionals move me. i packed
it all myself and had a friend help the driver pack the van. the
driver will ALWAYS do most of the loading in his truck. anyway, i
drove my car and let the moving van handle the household stuff. keep
in mind that i also had a 5-year-old along and didn't need extra
things to watch. the van was prompt to arrive and load me taking only
four hours to load my stuff (from the third floor), after which we
parted ways, i drove to dallas arriving one day before the van (after
stopping twice to visit relatives and renting two motel rooms), and
unloading went without a hitch as my two nephews helped unload (to the
second floor).
as for parting with antiques, DON'T! canned goods are easily replaced
and cost alot to move, but the limited edition items are well worth
the expense. i'm still kicking myself for giving away things as
trivial as my ankle weights (5 and 10 pound sets) and skates just for
the sake of cutting weight. as for furniture that just 'serves a
purpose' and isn't really something you want indefinitely, i'd let it
go as i had no trouble getting really nice used furniture in the
northwest. (much better pickin's than dallas) the yupps in seattle
can get pretty outrageous with what they will replace once they tire
of it. you wouldn't believe some of the garage sales! and then
there's the place where half of my wardrobe comes from....
all my items were handled carefully and nothing was broken or damaged.
the total expense was a little over $3000 versus the $2500 for me to
drive it all myself. (this amount does not include moving appliances
or the couch which was moved by the
over-the-balcony-of-the-third-floor-method) so, think seriously
whether you and yours are up to a long hard drive in a pack mule
(which many motels won't let you park onsite) or prefer to leisurely
and comfortably spend those approx. 45 hours in your own car.
-price shop for trucks, and consider where you're moving from
and to. If you're moving from a dead spot in the country to a hot
spot, renting a truck yourself will be more expensive than if you're
moving from a hot spot to a dead spot (U-haul likes to use customers
to make sure their trailers end up where they're most likely to be
rented). So if you're moving from someplace out in nowhere that
has not trailers because everyone already moved away, to somewhere
that has all the trailers because everyone is going there, it may
be worth your while to look into using a moving company (there is
more than one way to do this -- you can pack yourself and have them
just transport it).
There is one other alternative, if you have some cash you can part
with in the short run -- you can buy a used truck of the appropriate
size, and sell it (or hope to) when you get where you're going.
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