Author Topic: Moving Soon - Q on Shipping  (Read 4225 times)

skekses

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Moving Soon - Q on Shipping
« on: March 15, 2014, 05:31:12 PM »
I'm planning on moving from the east coast to the west coast within a couple of months. When I moved from the midwest to the east coast several years ago, I brought very little little with me so I can't really pull any insights from that experience. Since then I have acquired some things that I would like to keep and I'm trying to figure out the best way of arranging this move.

My current assumption is that I will be paying for this move out-of-pocket.

Also relevant: I have a small car (Prius C) and will likely have another passenger which means I can't take much along for the drive.

Anyway, the items that I want to ship are going to be some kitchen items (pots and pans, utensils, a few gadgets - no dishes or food), clothes, sentimental items, a shelf worth of books/cookbooks, some documents, and any camping/climbing gear that isn't coming with me in the car. It's definitely going to be several boxes worth of items.

What is the best way to ship this stuff? FedEx? UPS?
Do they do pickups or do I need to make a bunch of trips to drop the packages off?
Is shipping the right way to go or is there a more cost effective solution that I should take into consideration (not down with driving a u-haul for 3,000 miles)?

Thanks for any insights!

Metta

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Re: Moving Soon - Q on Shipping
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2014, 05:44:21 PM »
You're going to need to do some comparisons with actual zip codes and weights but generally FedEx Ground beats out UPS Ground. USPS sometimes comes in cheaper than FedEx Ground and sometimes does not.

The zip code  you are sending it to matters as does the volume and weight. (So if you send a box filled with popcorn, you will pay more because the volume charge will get you.)

Books should be shipped book rate through the Post Office for the best rate.

FedEx Express (do not confuse this with FedEx Ground) does pick ups but they cost more and I don't think FedEx Ground does pick ups. I'm not sure about UPS.

For Book Rate, you must hand it over to an actual person at the USPS but it saves a lot of money.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2014, 05:48:10 PM by Carolyn »

GetSmart

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Re: Moving Soon - Q on Shipping
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2014, 06:26:54 PM »
Have you thought about fitting everything in the car without using boxes?  I've moved this way a few times and you'd be amazed what you can squeeze into small spaces, back seat, under seat, etc.  If you're moving a lot of clothes, sheets, towels look up 'space bags' - they're available at costco - that will save a lot of space also.  good luck.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Moving Soon - Q on Shipping
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2014, 07:05:57 PM »
Amtrak is the cheapest, if we're talking a pallet worth of stuff.

USPS is the cheapest conventional, but still ridiculous.

Dersgold

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Re: Moving Soon - Q on Shipping
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2014, 07:16:50 PM »
Old Dominion Freight has a home moving service (ABF does as well).  They drop a trailer off, you load up what you need, then they throw up a "security divider" in front of your goods to protect them.  You only pay for the space that you use, in linear feet, and then they take that trailer back to their terminal -- back it off with freight and send it down the road.  They will deliver the trailer to your address on the other side and you have a day or two to unload.  Not sure how it compares to UPS or FedEx ground, but at least you're only paying for what you use as opposed to renting an entire moving truck, etc.

Here's their link:
https://www.odfl.com/ODMove/

skekses

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Re: Moving Soon - Q on Shipping
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2014, 07:44:32 PM »
Thanks! I love the varied solutions and will definitely look into them more.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Moving Soon - Q on Shipping
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2014, 07:55:51 PM »
My brother used ABF twice for cross country moves and liked it quite a bit.

phred

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Re: Moving Soon - Q on Shipping
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2014, 08:02:24 PM »
Several boxes worth are going to cost a tidy sum whether UPS of FedEx.  Cheapest would be a trucking company that will take your one pallet all the way, or can hand off to a trucking company that covers your destination.  Problems would be lifting the pallet from ground level up to the truck bed.  No, they would not be willing to wait while you assemble the pallet up in the truck.  You also absolutely need someone to be at the arrival address.
  Stuff is packed in several cartons, then stacked neatly onto the pallet.  Entire load is then wrapped in strapping on all four sides before being covered with several layers of shrink wrap.
  You have a new employer?  This is such a small load that maybe they'll cover it

skekses

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Re: Moving Soon - Q on Shipping
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2014, 08:47:23 AM »
Still working on the job part. :) My lease is up at the end of May and my plan is to move at that point job or no job. I do have family on the other end who could accept the load, but I'm concerned that some of the boxes would be too heavy for my mom. Does the trucking company tell you an exact time when they are going to arrive so that my brother could take a break from work to assist? I'm not sure I would beat the truck there.