Packing Important Documents and Files (moving company, truck, furniture, expensive)

[italjay]

Hi,

I really needs some suggestions for this please...

I'm moving from NY to NC. I think I have most of the packing and moving process figured out, but I'm stumped on documents and files. Ex: Tax records and filings, brokerage information - sensitive stuff, that I want to have shipped, but how do I keep it safe when it's being transported???

Fortunately, I've gone paperless on most new stuff, but I still have enough original documents to fill about 4-5 file boxes. I'm giving the moving company everything, including my car, so I'll be flying down, once my house closes in NY, so driving them with me is not an option.

I could leave it with someone and have them ship it down later, but with the timing of this move, I can't find someone that I trust to ship it to me.

I don't want anyone looking through my account numbers and personal information. I'm sure there's some practical solutions for this, but I just cant' think of any.

If anyone could give some suggestions for moving these documents, I'd
greatly appreciated it!


Thanks for your time and info,
John

[RikkiTikki]

Most of the major full-service movers have available and can use security seals (a/k/a tamper evident tape) to secure cartons and pieces of furniture in those situation where the owner want to ensure privacy of the contents.

If you're doing your own packing, mark the boxes with something inconspicuous such as "books and records", or "school records", or "completed reports".

Marking a box filled with paper files as "pantry items", "clothes" or "toiletries" is only going to draw attention to the charade. It could also create an identification problem and claims issue if the carton is lost or misplaced during transit. A carrier won't be willing to pay you to replace your medical or tax records if the carton was inventoried as "kids clothes".

[irman]

Originally Posted by italjay

documents and files. Ex: Tax records and filings, brokerage information - sensitive stuff, that I want to have shipped, but how do I keep it safe when it's being transported???

I would *never* ship any of those documents (sensitive stuff) anywhere without me NOT being to look at the boxes, ALL the time they were *in transit*.

All it takes, is loose one box, and in good simple English, *you are up the creek*.

Go thru ALL the documents, and determine which documents you could do *without*, if they got lost.
Which documents can absolutely not be replaced ?

Better safe than sorry, is still a good way of thinking, even in this all digital world.
If you have time (MAKE time !!), then after you separate, *can be a copy later*, from *must be an original*, place the latter in separate box(es), which you will personally carry with you during transit. We found that ALL our *can not be a copy* stuff, fits in a back pack.
All the other stuff, you can either ship commercially as mentioned above, or in addition, you can have it scanned, and have a digital copy, in case those that you shipped commercially get lost. (never say never ... !!??)

Due to my job, my family has moved many times form country to country, and we learned really fast that some things, never planned on, do happen ... In good English - been there, done that ...

One last warning. If you have a computer(s), also make back ups form all the *sensitive files* on that computer, and have the back ups with you personally. Your computer fails after transit ..., you have your gazzilion pics of your loved ones still with you ... We made two copies, on external hard drives, and I have one copy in my suitcase, and my wife has the other copy in her suitcase .... Go ahead, call us paranoid ...
The last 10 years, we have been making electronic copies of all *sensitive* documents.

LBNL, throw away or empty your trash cans before the movers come and pack your stuff, else you will find your NY trash at your new abode !!!
They pack everything.
My wife's parents were with us when we moved one time, and they, as many parents do, bring their own pillows. When it was all packed up, we could not find their pillows and neither did we find the trash cans ...
We never returned the pillows to them !!! Who in his right mind ships pillows from overseas back to the USA ??? We did find the trash cans WITH the trash in it, upon unpacking !
One time, to show you how conscientious some movers are (we have used the same movers for umpteen years), we helped unpack our *stuff*. During that time, we found something, we wondered why they packed that, because it was a old wooden board, we were planning to throw away anyway, before we moved. So I threw it in the truck with all the other packing material.
4 days later, we got a package via regular mail, that contained that same wooden board, shipped *overnight shipping*, neatly packaged AND insured, AND we had to *sign* for it !!!

[CheyDee]

I agree with not shipping sensitive things I cannot personally watch at all times.

I would also sort papers into what I absolutely must have originals of vs. "others". I would scan the "others" into my computer, then burn to disks. The must have originals of would be a very small pile and I would take them, along with the disks, on the plane.

[RikkiTikki]

Shipping "4-5 file boxes" full of heavy, dense paper documents is not only going to be expensive, but somewhat impractical. Scanning the contents of five full-sized file carton could get equally expensive.

There is more risk of exposure to having the cartons compromised (stolen, broken-into, burst, lost, misplaced, or mishandled) in either an small package, FAK, or airline freight handling transportation environment that have the boxes loaded onto a single moving van.

Regardless of the method of transport selected, there is always the risk of a catastrophic accident where the carton contents or computer disks are lost due to fire, flood, theft, loss, or contamination.

[italjay]

Thanks for all this information everyone.

I've "weeded" though these documents several times now. I think I've gotten them down to what I absolutely have to keep. I can't believe this is turning into such a pain. I really would just like to shread it all and be done with it.

Thanks again

[Dogmama50]

I've shipped my important documents with movers more times than I can count. I mark them as office, pack them in a larger box with some light items and have never had a problem. I've always used reputable moving companies, tipped and fed my guys and only once did I lose an item, a bundled shovel, rake and broom that was left at another stop.

[RikkiTikki]

That's been my experience too, Dogmama50. And I've managed hundreds of thousands of local, long distance, and international moves over the years.

[bongo]

I would take car titles, passport, birth certificates, checkbooks, passwords for internet accounts, thumbdrive, insurance cards with me on the plane and ship the rest.

[onebyonesd]

oh God I have first hand experience...I highly recommend you scan your top 10 valuable documents just in case they get lost. I had a box with my valuable documents and not sure what happened to my box and a lot of my valuables paperwork just got disappear.