Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am moving from New York to Hamilton next month. Would like to get suggestions on moving companies that can do the job at a reasonable cost. I hope the company could pack my stuff and bring it to my new home in Hamilton. I will pack the stuff into boxes if the price for them doing the packing is out of my budget. I am currently living in a studio apartment and I do not have any furniture that needs to be disassembled. What I have is basically clothing, kitchenware and books. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks!
If you live in a studio apartment why would you spend massive amounts of money to have a company move your meager possessions to Canada for you? It would make much more sense to rent a minivan or small U-Haul and pile your boxes inside it yourself, or even make a couple trips with your own car if no furniture is involved. No company is going to pack and move a studio apartment for a reasonable cost, across the border. The customs brokerage fees alone would cost you more than a van rental.
I actually have a modest budget by my future employer for the move, so I do not want to do the move myself if I do not have to.
However, after getting quotes from 5 shipping companies here in NYC I got the feeling that the situation is quite close to what you mentioned : no one offer reasonable rates for moving my meager possessions in a studio apartment. One company sent someone over for a survey and quoted 3000lbs and will charge me $4,500 for it. Other companies quote me by unit price by weight ranging from $0.60 to $1.0 per pound, some by volume ranging from $8 to $15 per cubic feet, I have no idea which is a more reasonable way to go.
I have an ikea folding coach, a simple glass top dining table with 4 plastic chairs, one queen size mattress, one stereo, 3 standing lamps, a vaccum cleaner, two standing shelves of books (I m taking only the books, shelves not coming with me), kitchenware and two closets of clothing.
All of that should fit into a cargo van rental. I doubt you'd even need a box truck. Worst case scenario, rent a minivan with seats that fold down, for a one-way rental to Canada... put everything in (a queen size mattress will fit inside a Grand Caravan), scrap the IKEA couch and get something new in Canada.
That sounds like a good solution. I actually want to drive up just to say bye to this country along the way
If I decide to go this way, I will need to call the Canadian Border Service to see what paper work I need to fill out. When I get quotes from the moving company some of them charge for Bill Of Lading, I wonder if I need to do that.
Also try uShip. I used them when I moved from Pittsburgh to Oakville. I had a lot of furniture, and I think it was about 3000 or so. It's basically like ebay for shipping, and, because the shipper may have multiple shipments, it might work out cheaper.
You just need to make a list of all the items you are bringing with you, along with their approximate value in Canadian dollars. You don't need to list individual items, for example you can list "3 boxes of clothes, worth $500" - bring a few copies of the list with you to the border. They will probably not even check it, but it's good to have it.
Another thing to consider on some of the bigger items...
What is the age and condition. If it's old you could throw it out or sell it and buy a used replacement in Canada. You can check classifieds at TheSpec.com | Your Hamilton online newspaper | Today or search for a local penny saver to get some idea of replacement costs...
This option may not work if your employer is reimbursing for receipts only. If they are giving you the money to spend as you need it might work.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
