Any good movers / shippers for a few bigger items? (to rent, mattress)

[mrroper]

I know everyone is going to tell me to "sell everything, or leave it behind" and that is 100% our plan. We will be driving from Chicago to L.A. where we will ship the car and bring nothing more than a few suitcases with us to Maui.

BUT I do have a few larger items that I would like to ship, like an expensive (and awesome) memory foam mattress and a scooter that means a lot to me. I know replacing this mattress will be expensive in Hawaii and the scooter could be very handy as a second vehicle for us, especially because it gets 90 miles to the gallon, so I think it's worth the shipping expense for a few of these items.

Every moving company I talk to sounds great on the phone but when I check out their online reviews all I see are "Do not use these guys" warnings.

So, my question is this, has anyone had luck shipping items that are too big for UPS but not big enough to fill a container or a POD? Anyone know of a shipping company that will safely and responsibly ship a pallet from L.A.?

Thanks very much!

[OpenD]

Matson is the 800 pound gorilla of shipping to Hawai'i. They were responsible for the development of the ISO shipping container, for instance, specifically to serve the mainland - Hawai'i route after WWII. If you go through a freight forwarder or consolidator, chances are high your shipment will wind up on a Matson ship anyway. So I'd start by seeing what they can do for you.

One thing to consider about your mattress... memory foam has a different feel in high temperature and high humidity conditions than it typically does on the mainland. My impression is that they don't sell nearly as well here as they do there. A lot of people find them "too hot." If you have a chance to try them out here before you need to make a decision, I recommend it. And what's the size? Many places in Hawai'i can't handle a King size bed. Even Queen can be an issue.

Another thought... check into renting a trailer to take your scooter with you to L.A. and shipping it together with your car. You might save some moolah that way.

And finally, a philosophical point... online reviews are generally worth every penny you pay for them.

[mrroper]

OpenD, Thanks for the info.

Yeah, Matson is actually who we are using for the car. I don't think they will do small loads but I will call them again and see if they can or have any other options.

Good point about the mattress. Chicago is very humid in the summer but it's definitely something I should consider. The only reason I really want to bring it is because I suffer from occasional insomnia and it REALLY helps me sleep.

Thanks!

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by mrroper

Yeah, Matson is actually who we are using for the car. I don't think they will do small loads but I will call them again and see if they can or have any other options.

Check with Pasha. They are much smaller, tend to be faster, cost the same as Matson to ship your car, and for the first 6 or 7 years that was all they shipped... cars, trucks, RVs, boats... but their customer service was so good that they prospered, and they're now building a couple of new ships for the California - Hawai'i run. They just got permission to ship miscellaneous goods between the islands, and one of the regular posters here has already used them for shipping some goods like water pumps and such from San Diego to the islands.

Originally Posted by mrroper

Good point about the mattress. Chicago is very humid in the summer but it's definitely something I should consider. The only reason I really want to bring it is because I suffer from occasional insomnia and it REALLY helps me sleep.

I fell in love with TempurPedic mattresses after spending a month and a half sleeping on one at a hotel in Massachusets. Bought the pillow, bought the slippers... Then I moved down to Central Texas, where it's basically 100 degrees for 4 months of the year, and suddenly the TempurPedic stuff wasn't nearly as comfortable. Seemed too hot.

Also, interesting sidenote... I stayed a few nights at a friend's house on a regular mattress with a memory foam topper... and it was 95 percent as good as the real meal deal. And the nice thing is, if it's too hot you can take it off the bed. Something to consider.

Good luck!

[mdand3boys]

Originally Posted by mrroper

I know everyone is going to tell me to "sell everything, or leave it behind" and that is 100% our plan. We will be driving from Chicago to L.A. where we will ship the car and bring nothing more than a few suitcases with us to Maui.

BUT I do have a few larger items that I would like to ship, like an expensive (and awesome) memory foam mattress and a scooter that means a lot to me. I know replacing this mattress will be expensive in Hawaii and the scooter could be very handy as a second vehicle for us, especially because it gets 90 miles to the gallon, so I think it's worth the shipping expense for a few of these items.

Every moving company I talk to sounds great on the phone but when I check out their online reviews all I see are "Do not use these guys" warnings.

So, my question is this, has anyone had luck shipping items that are too big for UPS but not big enough to fill a container or a POD? Anyone know of a shipping company that will safely and responsibly ship a pallet from L.A.?

Thanks very much!

We moved from Illinois a few years ago.
Send me a direct message and I will help correct some of the things you have been told in this thread.

[mrroper]

OpenD - Hmmmmm, maybe a topper is the way to go because shipping a giant heavy mattress is turning out to be more difficult than I thought. Thanks

mand3boys - Would love to hear about your move from IL to HI. Just sent you my email address.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by mrroper

OpenD - Hmmmmm, maybe a topper is the way to go because shipping a giant heavy mattress is turning out to be more difficult than I thought.

Glad to assist in any way I can. It's my only reason for posting here, to try to give a hand where I can, because so many people have been so helpful to me along the path.

A key thing to keep in mind is the phrase "Your mileage may vary," (YMMV), because there's little that anyone can post here that is an absolute. Peoples' experiences, reactions, needs, and attitudes are all different. What one person may think is absolutely right, or absolutely wrong about something, can appear very different, even the opposite when seen from only a slightly different perspective.

For instance, I became a fan of Pasha after reading through a lot of review comments for all the shippers, then calling both them and Matson for more information. Their rates were identical, terms and conditions similar, but Pasha had clearly superior customer service in dealing with me, as the reviews I read had indicated they would be. I found out that I could get my car to Hawai'i in about 2 weeks with Pasha... dropping it off at their facility in California a couple of days before the scheduled sailing date, then a week spent in transit, then picking it up in Hawai'i a couple of days after arrival. By comparison Matson customers often mentioned 3 week schedules, and Horizon (who I rejected for other reasons) had a lot of comments alluding to schedules that were not as promised, sometimes stretching out to 4 weeks or more. And in fact Pasha was able to commit to a specific schedule on my first call, whereas Matson needed to get back to me... the next day... with an approximate schedule.

Does that mean everyone's experience will be the same as mine? Of course not, which is why you need to take everything you learn here with a grain of salt. At best this will help you decide what direction seems to fit for you. Matson is a much bigger company, which might feel better to someone else. YMMV!

Originally Posted by mrroper

mand3boys - Would love to hear about your move from IL to HI. Just sent you my email address.

I'd encourage you to keep the discussion public, rather than taking it private, since the whole idea of a site like this is to make information widely available that many can profit from.

Good luck!

[mdand3boys]

mrroper - just sent you a direct message with some info.

[KoaKine]

I used Horizon for my house hold goods and Matson for both cars I was pleased with both

Cars there is one price for all the carriers its the same no matter who you go with go whit your heart and head dont go with someone saying I havent used them but herd bad things .

House holds bring what you want if you can afford it. As I have stated many time here I have been married to long to be able to just throw away/sell all the memories we purchased like anniversary gifts for us we got house hold good dinning room sets bedroom sets desk so i brought it over and am glad I did.

If you have any questions dm me and I will be glad to help

Koa

[mrroper]

Thanks Koa!