Hiring movers vs UHaul for a cross country move? (packing, upack, U-Haul)

[Flavia84]

Hi all,

I'm moving from the Midwest to the West Coast soon, and looking at my options for the move. I have a tiny 500 sq ft studio, and the largest (and most expensive) item is a beautiful 600 dollar floor mirror. Everything else fits in boxes.

1st option is to hire movers. The prices I'm being given are in the 1300 range "out the door", i.e. EVERYTHING is included. Packing, moving, taxes, gas, everything. Seems like a great option except I had bad experiences with movers in the past, and if they break my mirror or lose something, my homeowners' policy wouldn't cover it.

2nd option is to do it myself. It's a bit more expensive with fuel and hotels. Comes up to 1500$. Plus 3-4 days of packing, driving and all that "fun stuff". But the chances of my stuff making it are much higher.

What would you all recommend based on your experience?

[IonRedline08]

How much of that stuff could you replace for that 1500?

For something that small, I'd seriously consider packing what I really wanted in my car and replacing the rest when I get there.

The movers for 1300 sounds suspiciously low, IMHO.

[Flavia84]

I don't have a car

And probably about 3K worth of stuff.

[reed303]

On your DIY estimate of $1500, have you considered the savings of not buying airline tickets (or what ever cost of getting yourself to West coast ?

Also, for the load you describe, have you looked at the "you pack/we drive" container outfits like U-Pack, PODS, Pack Rat, etc. My own 2000 mile move with U-Pack was in that price range, and was uneventful.

You could pack the mirror in multiple layers of bubble wrap, and old blankets, and pack boxes around and under it.

However this does assume you have someplace the container can be parked for a day or two while loading.

https://www.upack.com/moving-service...-container.asp
https://www.pods.com/moving
https://www.1800packrat.com/move-my-stuff

[evening sun]

I would really consider dumping what I had & start afresh. Unless the items have sentimental value. Have you also priced in the mileage cost on the u hauls? That can make it really cost prohibitive.

[Army_Guy]

I wouldn't use Uhaul. Their fleet is old. Use Penske. While it may cost a little bit more, I believe their vehicles are worth it. You'll especially be thankful of a newer truck as you go west because the stops are fewer and far between versus going east.

Another option:

do you have family/friends to help you load on your end? If so, ask for some help, drive yourself and then hire movers to unload. Be aware that most movers will charge a minimum number of hours though so if you don't really have that much stuff, might not even be worth it.

Originally Posted by IonRedline08

The movers for 1300 sounds suspiciously low, IMHO.

That sure does.

I would assume at least 2 people are going to do the work of packing your stuff, loading it, driving it and then getting back to where they came from?

That's at least 4-5 days of work there plus fuel which would run at least $300 roundtrip. Doesn't seem to leave much room to make money for 2 people. Doesn't even count a motel for a night to/from.

I would run from that $1,300 quote.

[Robino1]

With the little you have, they may just use a UHaul anyway. Or they may put it on another truck with other people's stuff going out to that part of the country. Then you are at the mercy of their timelines, depending on when they get a full truck going out.

That price seems ridiculously low to me also.

A small UHaul, or comparable type truck, will be easy enough to navigate on your own.

[oceangaia]

Even if the $1300 quote is good you'll have to transport yourself. Add that in if you're comparing costs.

In my experience, movers only move the boxes. You'll have to pack and unpack them, which I think is most of the work.

So no furniture? No sofa, recliner, bedroom chest, mattresses?

How many boxes, say 12x12, would you have? Is a uhaul really necessary? Renting a large car with unlimited mileage will cut costs significantly.

[Gaylord_Focker]

Usually, doing it yourself is a lot less expensive, shocked at that price. I'd do it, of course it's not my mirror.

[volosong]

Originally Posted by Army_Guy

I wouldn't use Uhaul. Their fleet is old...

Can't agree with this at all. Just this past November, I rented a 26-foot U-Haul that had less than 8,000 miles on the odometer. That was pretty new! I ended up putting on another 1,300 miles for my move. However, I will admit that some of their units are older. That's just normal business practices. Use your existing inventory until it is no longer economically feasible to do so.

OP, I elected to move myself. There are just too many horror stories out there about broken things and missing boxes that were never delivered. If I moved myself, then I have only myself to blame if anything is missing or broken. More work. More hassle. But also a peace of mind knowing that I have control over the move.

I priced PODS, but found them more expensive than using a rental truck.