# Do's and don'ts for a cross country move **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2023, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419 "2023-05-22T12:58:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/21 "2023-05-23T19:56:01Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > With a small apartment with minimal furniture, I’m wondering how much you really need to take with you. One option is to get rid of most everything and jam pack your car with what’s left. Furnish your new place with buys from Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, and thrift stores This was gonna be my advice. Used Furniture is cheap and easy to find. Buy a new mattress (try Amazon) you might need a new one anyway. Consignment stores have some good stuff too. So- clothes, heirlooms, enuf pot, pans and dishes to eat off for a couple weeks, etc. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/22 "2023-05-23T21:03:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > This. > > It will cost more to move a microwave oven than it will cost to buy a new one. Ditto for most things. Sell, donate, or trash everything that’s not specifically important to you. Mom’s heirloom teapot you love? Keep. A teapot you bought at Target or a garage sale 5 years ago that’s perfectly functional but otherwise indifferent? Pitch. I second this. Pack a vehicle with clothes, precious mementoes and ‘camping in place’ minimums. Sell, ditch or donate everything else and obtain anew all that bulky stuff when you settle into your new place. A bed frame and mattress costs much, much more to transport then just buying a new one when you get there. A roommate just wasted several thousand dollars she didn’t have moving half way across the country. Picked out movers on-line, who turned out to be brokers who took a big deposit from her, made all kinds of promises, loaded less than a 1/4 of her stuff, demanded hundreds of more dollars in cash before they would load the rest, all from 3 skivvy looking guys the brokers hired that morning from a day labor hang out in the corner of a convenience store parking lot, driving a ratty local rental truck. She had to get on a plane the next day. Three quarters of her stuff is still sitting here, 1110 miles from her. She paid $1400 dollars to move a $100 bed frame and a $200 mattress in a box and a few cardboard boxes. Reliable, responsible, highly rated and reviewed movers are astronomically priced and even they are riddled with frustrations. Divest yourself of what can be replaced at the other end. Move what is left yourself. Trust us, it will be cheaper in both the short and the long term. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/23 "2023-05-23T21:47:11Z")
Agreed on the divesting. Also, give yourself enough time to pack. We were rushed and we moved a lot of stuff we could have donated or trashed (1 cat doot, carefully packed). We paid way too much and the standard term was $.60/# unless you declare items as valuable, and they TRASHED our stuff. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/24 "2023-05-23T23:18:35Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > The cheapest way that I found was to rent a truck and hire a few guys off of marketplace to load and unload. Another place to find helpers is on the U-Haul site under “Moving Help”. The typical base listing is for two helpers for two hours for various prices per hour. The listings have reviews. I hired helpers when I had a move from the 3rd-floor. The helpers did all the work of carrying stuff down and loading the truck. Money well spent! ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/25 "2023-05-24T02:57:53Z")
Seconding the recommendation of U-Pack (not PODS). [Here’s a thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-flat-rate-or-by-weight-need-advice-asap/939852) I started a few years ago about my last move, with a link back to a thread about my nightmare move with Colonial in 2018. ([DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE COLONIAL!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-quasi-legal-advice-about-dealing-with-a-f-ing-moving-company/817697)) For the 2021 move I started off looking for a conventional moving company, but based on recommendations in that thread, went with U-Pack. It went well. I was more in control, there were no unpleasant surprises, and I saved a lot of money over a conventional mover. From that thread, here’s the problem with conventional movers: > [@Moving: Flat rate or by weight? (Need advice ASAP)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-flat-rate-or-by-weight-need-advice-asap/939852/18): > > … we are just now starting to get quotes for an interstate move. One thing every web site recommends is to research the moving companies and what I have found is that each one has many multiple horror stories in review sites. I am certain that satisfied customers don’t tend to post lengthy reviews, so there is that self-selection bias. But, how does one move past the feeling that **every** moving company is a flaming shit-show at least 80% of the time and that I am bound to want to shoot someone before I am done? > [@Moving: Flat rate or by weight? (Need advice ASAP)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-flat-rate-or-by-weight-need-advice-asap/939852/19): > > It’s a real problem. Movers can talk all they want about customer service, but for the most part, few people are repeat customers for any given company, so they don’t have much motivation to build up customer loyalty. And once they have all your stuff, what can you do? > [@Moving: Flat rate or by weight? (Need advice ASAP)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-flat-rate-or-by-weight-need-advice-asap/939852/19): > > That nightmare move was why I was dreading this move, and why I now feel a lot more relaxed and comfortable about having selected U-Pack instead of a conventional mover. I’ll have to hire local laborers at each end, but we have three days to pack and three to unpack the four cubes I’ve ordered. (I only expect to use three, and won’t have to pay for the fourth if I don’t use it.) I know exactly what I’ll pay for the cubes and moving ($4,400 for three), and have a pretty good idea on the labor (probably less than $1,000 total) and storage costs. > > Conventional movers wanted about $10,000, so I should end up paying only about 50-60% of that. We ended up using all four U-Boxes, although the last was only partly full. Because we were not moving immediately from one house to the next, we had them store the boxes for about 10 days. They delivered them on our schedule, and we packed and unpacked them at our own pace. The one thing I will strongly recommend about using U-Boxes or the like is to be VERY careful about how they are packed. You need to put everything into very strong stackable boxes that won’t be crushed by the weight of things stacked on top of them. Pack as tightly as possible so things don’t shift in transit. If you hire laborers, keep a close eye on them, because I’ve found that they generally don’t read or don’t understand things written on boxes like “FRAGILE” or “NOTHING ON TOP.” ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/26 "2023-05-24T04:37:14Z")
Back in 2000 I went with a mini-shipment company I found at random on the internet. I had about 58 boxes and one book case -about a foot wide and six feet tall. The mini shippers put my dates, amount of boxes and pick up and drop off places on their website and someone - DHL, IIRC - bid on it and moved my stuff. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/27 "2023-05-24T12:47:37Z")
Grok all the caveats and such. I do have a fair amount of books (and 3 boxes of CDs) that have significant personal value. While the entertainment center is showing its age (and could be left behind, along with things like the 20 year old mattress and box springs), I do have a hefty oak dresser which is in good shape and unlikely to have a cheap replacement available somewhere. How do you unload all of the super-heavy things in these DIY alternatives? It will be just me on the other end (here I might have my nephew to assist), and my back won’t stand up to a day’s worth of loading and unloading. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/28 "2023-05-24T12:55:47Z")
If you don’t have friends or acquaintances you can call upon, you can hire laborers through online sites like > **[Local Movers: Hire Move Help By The Hour](https://www.hireahelper.com/)** > > One list of the best local movers. Compare reviews and moving costs, then hire move help by the hour. Get to know the local moving company you're hiring! Also, if you’re going this route, I will respectfully disagree with @LSLGuy about ridding yourself of things like microwave ovens. I doubt taking your existing one will add the price of a new unit to the cost of your move. If you don’t like it and want an excuse to upgrade, sure, but if you’re not paying by weight (and possibly even if you are) there’s little to no downside to taking it with you, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/29 "2023-05-24T13:51:01Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Seconding the recommendation of U-Pack (not PODS). An honest (?) local mover who has a lot of high reviews locally said he’d probably overcharge me given that they are a mom and pop place and it’s cross-country. He said U-Pack has issues with cleanliness and recced PODS over them. Ultimately for the least fuss and bother I’ll call Atlas and United today (my apt. office didn’t answer my call when I was seeing if they allowed those containers to be plopped down here). ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/30 "2023-05-24T14:03:49Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > He said U-Pack has issues with cleanliness and recced PODS over them. In my one use of U-Pack, I had no problem with cleanliness. And to be clear, I’m not arguing against PODS. I haven’t used them, but I did find that for my purposes they were more expensive and less convenient. I think part of that was that they had a long minimum storage period (probably 1 month) and U-Pack didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/31 "2023-05-26T14:21:43Z")
OK finalizing my options…now that I ponder things a bit more, shipping my books and CDs in boxes, as well as small appliances, via UPS and trashing all of my existing furniture might be my best bet. U-Pack and PODS might not be able to get their trucks into my apt. complex or at least be able to drop them off and pick them back up. I read some reviews of local van lines with more than a little trepidation, in terms of inconvenience and cost. OK, my furniture is pretty modest: The least modest piece is a large hefty oaken dresser which dates back to my adolescence, still in very good shape, but no idea how to ship something that big [3x2x6]… Queen-sized bed with box springs, 20 years old Entertainment cabinet, 5x2x6 feet in dimensions, 25 years old somewhat worn Computer table, also old and worn out 2 exercise bikes, one which broke 10 years ago, and its replacement 2 El-Cheapo bookcases Large tv chair, puffy and reclinable, also seen better days Microwave Small Blu-Ray 4K TV Computer + flat-screen monitor + speakers/sound system 2 fans Misc. stuff which can be packed: DVD player, computer battery pack, etc. I saved all of the boxes for the appliances, and in the case of the microwave wouldn’t miss it. It just boggles my mind that moving this shite might cost more than what it’s all worth, by a pretty hefty margin. Input appreciated before the work day is out [EDT] since this is my 3 weeks to go mark (which has some flexibility up to a 4th week). ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/32 "2023-05-26T14:43:33Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > ‘camping in place’ minimums Something we call the “instant house” box that travels with us in the car while the truck carries the rest. For us this would include the minimum necessary coffee/tea stuff (including a couple of mugs) as well as all critical home entertainment-related cables and speaker wires, bundled and labeled, etc. After 20-some military moves I know the difference between being in a 10% unpacked house without a functioning entertainment system (sort of like being in a tomb); and being in a 10% unpacked house where you can watch tv or DVDs or listen to music. These few things make a huge difference when your new place has a bed, and a bunch of boxes strewn all over the place, and your place feels like a vast, lifeless, echoing cavern. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/33 "2023-05-26T14:45:34Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > U-Pack and PODS might not be able to get their trucks into my apt. complex or at least be able to drop them off and pick them back up. If they can’t drop off the box at your apartment, one option for a U-box is to take your stuff to a U-Haul site and pack it there. It’s the last choice on the delivery options screen: > ### Access at a U-Haul Location > > _Free_ > > Bring your items to a U-Haul location and load the U-Box container on site. You can rent a U-Haul truck to get your stuff from the apartment to there (~$50). I don’t know if PODS has a similar option to pack at their site. In any case, the U-box should be able to fit everything you listed and will be cheaper than a POD. If you instead ship your stuff with UPS, consider the USPS for your books. There’s a special rate for book postage that’s pretty cheap. Just make sure that the boxes with books only have books in it. It can’t have anything else for the book rate postage. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/34 "2023-05-26T15:20:30Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > If you instead ship your stuff with UPS, consider the USPS for your books. There’s a special rate for book postage that’s pretty cheap Here’s the gist of it. It’s called ‘media mail’. [https://about.usps.com/notices/not121/not121\_tech.htm](https://about.usps.com/notices/not121/not121_tech.htm) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/35 "2023-05-26T17:13:05Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > U-Pack and PODS might not be able to get their trucks into my apt. complex or at least be able to drop them off and pick them back up. If they can park on a street outside the complex, they get the boxes on and off the truck with a forklift, so they may not have to bring the truck into the complex. If it’s just one or two boxes (which it looks like it will be from your list), they can probably use a small truck that could go anywhere. Ask the local office. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/36 "2023-05-26T18:05:01Z")
The main street is a very busy and wreck prone highway with no shoulder at all right next to an equally busy traffic signal, so there’s no way to park it on the street like you might in other municipalities. UPS (vs. US Mail) quoted me about $70 per 50 pound box; the US Mail appears to charge maybe $40 for the same weight via the Media Mail option. I didn’t know U-Haul had a similar service; there’s a local branch half a mile away. I may just say the heck with it and go with an old-fashioned van line. I’ll mull my options over the weekend and make my final decision on Monday. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/37 "2023-05-26T18:30:06Z")
The trucks that brought my U-Pack boxes were **much** smaller than a standard moving company’s semi trailer. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/38 "2023-05-26T19:56:46Z")
I’ll likely head to the U-Haul place nearby and order one of their containers tomorrow, looks to be my cheapest alternative without having to repurchase a whole host of furniture. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419/39 "2023-05-26T19:59:28Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Queen-sized bed with box springs, 20 years old > > Entertainment cabinet, 5x2x6 feet in dimensions, 25 years old somewhat worn > > Computer table, also old and worn out > > 2 exercise bikes, one which broke 10 years ago, and its replacement > > 2 El-Cheapo bookcases > > Large tv chair, puffy and reclinable, also seen better days Get rid of all this. Sell or donate or toss. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dos-and-donts-for-a-cross-country-move/984419.md?page=1)