Author Topic: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?  (Read 1636 times)

Nemesis.

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Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« on: May 25, 2020, 08:19:48 AM »
I'm planning a cross country move and am keeping only the things that are meaningful or don't make sense to sell and repurchase.
I expect to have about 5 boxes plus a bike box.
Amtrak Express Shipping seems to be a frugal sweet spot between price and convenience.
Has anybody used them? if so, would you do it again if needed?
I saw hardly any mention on the boards when I searched.

terran

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2020, 09:45:50 AM »
I haven't, but just wanted to suggest you take a look at Upack and PODs, which are also good options for low cost long distance moves.

Nemesis.

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2020, 12:35:59 PM »
Thanks. I did price both of those and they were both around $1300 vs about $300 with Amtrak.

Cranky

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2020, 02:01:48 PM »
I haven’t used Amtrak for shipping, but I’ve taken Amtrak trains a lot and seen stuff that is being shipped. I’m sure it’s fine.

Have you checked Greyhound? They also take boxes. How much to just mail it?
« Last Edit: May 28, 2020, 01:25:50 PM by Cranky »

FiveSigmas

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2020, 03:16:34 PM »
It’s been a while, but I vaguely recall @spoonman using them. Maybe he can share his experience?

VAR

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2020, 07:12:24 AM »
I used Amtrak to ship boxes of household items and my bike across the country(and then back again) when I moved to Washington state(and then back again) Very positive experience. There was a long time between when they left /arrived (10 days? I don't exactly renember). In both instances I was relatively close to the amtrak station. Since you dont know exactly when the boxes arrive, there was some concern about scheduling pickup. But it worked out fine. The amtrak people at originating station were much friendlier and helpful than the pick up. I was grateful for that as it was a bit of a process to figure out. Saved a lot of $$

GreenToTheCore

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2020, 10:57:13 AM »
Had a friend us Amtrak when moving across country. It worked out really well for her, nothing broken, much less expensive than other options.

Nemesis.

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2020, 03:29:46 PM »
Thanks! That's what I was hoping to hear.
I know there are some limitations on what you can ship but it's such a great price compared to the other options.

goat_music_generator

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2020, 04:39:59 PM »
We used it to move cross country ~5 years ago. It was great, would recommend.

Some caveats:
1) You have to arrange pickup/dropoff to and from the train station on either end. We got our parents to help on one end; if you're moving at the same time as your stuff, you can do it yourself.
2) Make sure you follow all their rules for packing the boxes. There's a limit of 50 lb per box, and our parents ended up re-packing some large boxes of books at the train station to stay under the limits.

Otherwise, it's probably the cheapest way there is to move cross-country. I bet it's more reliable than your average moving company, too.

Nemesis.

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2020, 12:29:16 PM »
Just wondering if you packed any "appliances". They are saying nothing with a plug. Anything from a blender or toaster to a hair dryer is prohibited.
I couldn't get an explanation out of the person who answered to phone. I could tell they didn't really know.
I'll be driving my own car so I can take some of these items but I'm curious as to why

goat_music_generator

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2020, 04:44:02 PM »
Just wondering if you packed any "appliances". They are saying nothing with a plug. Anything from a blender or toaster to a hair dryer is prohibited.
I couldn't get an explanation out of the person who answered to phone. I could tell they didn't really know.
I'll be driving my own car so I can take some of these items but I'm curious as to why

I think I packed a sewing machine, but I was very careful to pack it in the very middle of another box so that there was no way they'd have a problem with it.

My guess is a combination of liability (if it's valuable) and worries about the plugs coming loose and being unsafe.

If you don't have anything too valuable -- just blenders and toasters -- or even maybe if you do, you could always just get rid of it and re-buy it on Craigslist when you get to your destination. We also didn't move with any furniture, since they don't allow that either, and so we were ready to have to re-stock a home anyway.

Channel-Z

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2020, 03:29:59 PM »
In the old days of TV, we used to send tapes that needed to go to another city, or return from another city, as luggage on Amtrak trains or, more often, Greyhound buses.

marblejane

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #12 on: June 02, 2020, 03:20:24 PM »
I used it several years ago without issue, and would recommend it. Seconding the suggestion to follow their rules, I had to repack a few overweight boxes at the station.

slugsworth

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Re: Anybody use Amtrak Express Shipping to move?
« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2020, 12:02:36 PM »
Approximately 1,000,000 years ago I used greyhound package express, which moves boxes from I've greyhound station to another and it was the cheapest option. The was a 50% student discount and they had a package limit of 100#, my heaviest box was ~120 and they let it slide. A quick Google search shows the student discount is only 15% now :)

Also if you've got books, media rate USPS is a bargain.