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Can anyone recommend a reliable moving company? I received some quotes but they seem pretty high ($1500) for such a small move (a bed, desk, bookshelf and some boxes) from NY to PA.
OT: Moving Companies
- Thread starter Fookie Kat
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eek that is a lot!! i have no experience with long distance moves. It was around 500$ for a 20 min move in MD. I hope it's not $1500 once you add the drive from MD to PA!
i will post on here again once we get quotes in a month or so.
i will post on here again once we get quotes in a month or so.
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I don't know your views on self-moving, but when I had to move from AL to TX (I had almost the exact amount of stuff you do) I used Penske, one-way, with a car hitch behind it. I just drove it all in one day and turned it in the next afternoon, after I'd unpacked it. I think with packing the truck and driving it ended up being 2-3 days rental one-way, about 720 miles, and it was right around $500.
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With that amount of stuff, I think you would be much better off renting a small truck and doing it yourself. Everything would probably fit in a little 10 ft truck. It's not a far move, bring a friend to help you load and unload (or drive your car!), buy some pizzas and beer, and you'll still save a bunch of money.
I looked into moving companies from NH to OK, and their prices were about 1700 to 2500. You pay for the luxury of having other people do the work, even more than you pay for the distance.
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It depends on how far you are traveling; mileage on the trucks is the primary cost of the move. I remember I was moving cross country and the cost to move all my stuff was more than the value of my belongings. I ended up just selling most of my furniture and buying used stuff when I arrived. Granted this move was not for vet school but same concept.
Now I just read you are moving just one state so I would highly recommend renting and driving the truck yourself. The majority of the cost is the labor in this instance.
Now I just read you are moving just one state so I would highly recommend renting and driving the truck yourself. The majority of the cost is the labor in this instance.
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This may sound odd, but i figured its worth a shot!
Can you hire people to just move the furniture in/out of the truck for you? So then I could hire someone to load the truck, drive it myself, and hire someone else to unload it?
Can you hire people to just move the furniture in/out of the truck for you? So then I could hire someone to load the truck, drive it myself, and hire someone else to unload it?
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Man BLACKAT, you and I think alike!!! Yes. I am going to do this through UHAUL. If you check out UHAUL's site, there are independent contractors that will load and unload, but you can do the driving. I am going 300 miles (the rental of the UHAUL truck is 300 and paying for the loaders and unloaders is another 300). It is well worth it I think, even though I don't have that much to move. Some of it is really heavy, like a steel birdcage, treadmill, bed, etc. This way, you don't have to worry about being scammed and its cheaper than full-service moving.
https://www.movinghelp.com/Default.aspx
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NOT looking forward to the possibility of worrying about this. We have a lot of furniture... yeah. A lot. Plus the grandfather clock, B's tool box (it's the big rolly sort that comes up to my chest), and um... two cars. We have a ton of stuff.
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Meant 300 miles, though it seems like 600!!
And that way, you don't have to worry about finding broke college students or getting sued if one of them gets hurt!!
And that way, you don't have to worry about finding broke college students or getting sued if one of them gets hurt!!
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Meant 300 miles, though it seems like 600!!
figures somebody finds the flaw in my plan!
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Thanks for the advice everyone!
BlacKat, I was also thinking of hiring laborers to just load my stuff into a UHaul and drive it myself, but then you would have to hire people in Philly to take everything out and I'm not sure how the timing would work. If your movers are late, are you allowed to just double park the UHaul in Philly or would you have to drive around the block until your movers arrived?
BlacKat, I was also thinking of hiring laborers to just load my stuff into a UHaul and drive it myself, but then you would have to hire people in Philly to take everything out and I'm not sure how the timing would work. If your movers are late, are you allowed to just double park the UHaul in Philly or would you have to drive around the block until your movers arrived?
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good question. i'm moving into an apt complex so i dont think that applies to me, i assume we move in through the parking garage. I'm not sure how that would work, but if you can find a place along the street during the day i dont see why you couldn't just park there, like you were a car. I mean, who would complain about that if someone is moving in? someone really mean lol I would make sure you schedule it though so that you are unloading in the afternoon because once you get passed 3pm and people come home from work they may get mad. I plan on starting REALLY early, so hopefully i'd get to philly around 1-2
Has anyone heard of that "pods" storage company? Basically, you fill the container with all your stuff and then they move it for you. Considering that I'm going to be traveling 2200+ miles, I like the idea of not having to drive the moving truck myself. Thoughts?
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I think that's the route we're going. It's not the actual Pods company, but another one. ABF, I think? they offer the same set up, but it was more affordable and I've heard better things about their company in general. It works for me because I'm moving out of my place, but not going straight to the new place...I'll be at my parents and a few friends' inbetween, so I don't have to worry about meeting movers or anything like that. The Pod can sit quite happily somewhere and then meet me there
I do have a small rack/hitch on my car for moving the "important" things that either i'll need with me before I unpack, or just things I'm not willing to risk damage too (my grandfather's lamp, and other sentimental things)
It was a little more expensive than Uhaul type things, but right on the same level as actual movers, plus they'll store it for up to a month for you.
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Another reason to get a UHAUL. I just made my reservation today for a truck and loaders/unloaders. The UHAUL site has a list of loading companies at different price ranges as well as customer ratings. When you make the reservation, you just indicate the approximate time for the loading and unloading and are provided with the company's number. I am planning on calling them before I arrive at my condo just to make sure that they will meet me there. Don't think it should be much of a logistical problem. I can't believe this is actually happening, the dream is becoming reality!!!
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I got a really competitive rate from Uship.com and was also wondering how reliable they were...
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yeah, that is what I am worried about. It's just that they are the cheapest solution, especially since I am moving cross country (Florida to California) but I don't want to go with them if they are not reliable. Man, moving is so stressful and expensive!
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Make sure with the pod type companies that they have a shop in both locations. They were not where I wanted to go. I have used a cargo van from Enterprise for a few things (bed, dresser, bookshelves, plus clothes and stuff). Much cheaper as the mileage was free, just paid for rental and gas (also less as it was a smaller vehicle) It was rented round trip and driven one way empty. I tried to use a share ride type thing to help with costs without luck. Just another option if you don't have a lot. On another note, I was told by a car rental place that u haul, et.al are no longer renting car tow hitches due to lawsuits from improper loading. I would rather not drive the car on such a long trip, while someone else drives the truck. Anyone have other info?
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Ok, so I found out that Uship.com is accredited by the BBB and has an A+ rating. I'm going to try it out. I'll let you guys know how it went.
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Thanks...I am interested to know how that Uship business works. It looks like there are many moving companies on their website. How do you which one to select? What types of rates do they have? Thanks!! I'll cancel my other reservation if I don't have to drive the van for the same price.
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I've done a lot of moving in recent years. If you are just coming out of college and haven't accumulated a lot of stuff yet, it's best to handle everything yourself. I managed to move everything I owned from IN to NC using a 14ft box truck and towing my boat. Well, I had previously moved about 600lbs plus 2 motorcycles out in my Xterra/trailer. Now that I have set up house, it's going to be a little different. Our plan is to determine what we will need to survive and pack everything else into a long term storage container (i.e PODS). This will allow us to move everything ourselves and also to occupy a smaller house. It's only 4 years - a blink of an eye in the big scheme of things. The most difficult thing will be figuring out what is needed and what can't be stored safely - like motorcycles.
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You just list your items on the website, enter your to/from address and then submit it. Movers will then bid on your move (one flat rate) and you can select the one with the lowest price and/or best rating.
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I guess it all depends how much you have and how much it weighs. I think just sending my bird cage alone through UPS or Fedex would probably cost me more than renting the UHAUL truck and paying for loading services.
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I will be doing this. I'm buying all my furniture and having it shipped to my house (thank you IKEA), and all my stuff that wont fit in my car (extra winter clothes, pictures etc...light suff) is all being shipped the day I leave via FedEx so it arrives like 2 days after I do.
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I think I'm going for the UHaul route. I just don't see any other feasible way to move both furniture and my stuff using my little PT Cruiser. Not that I have a lot - desk, kitchen table and chairs, sofa, coffee table, and dresser. My grandpa's bringing me a bed from Arkansas, which is one less thing to load. And I'm definitely roping the boy into helping me with this move - guess they do come in handy sometimes!
