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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Al1961 on January 14, 2017, 04:36:51 PM

Title: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: Al1961 on January 14, 2017, 04:36:51 PM
We've started preparing to move to our retirement location later this year, but probably won't make the move until late summer or early fall, depending on when our house sells.

Much of the preparation involves eliminating clutter that we've accumulated over the past thirty years. We have to be tough with ourselves and get rid of things with limited utility. Not moving crap we haven't used in years that has been held on to for sentimental or just laziness reasons.

Kids get first dibs on furniture (We already have house set up at the destination, so we don't actually need to move furniture), everything else probably goes on Kijiji, or donated to Value Village or Salvation Army.

I have a fair amount of woodworking and mechanics tools and shop equipment that needs to make the move, as well as a project car and all the associated parts I've collected to complete its rebuild.

Considering renting shipping containers (maybe from https://www.bigsteelbox.com/ ) to complete an inter-provincial move from Alberta to Vancouver Island, and perhaps to store things until a workshop is built.

Has anyone used a container rental/mover/storage company for a move? Be interested in hearing about your experience, good or bad, issues to watch out for, etc.

Al
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: DirtDiva on January 15, 2017, 09:01:06 PM
I don't have personal experience.  We moved cross country last year and I thought about using containers to move, but I read a lot of negative reviews from people who used containers and had major property damage.  Apparently if the container is not packed perfectly, contents shift and furniture, boxes, etc get crushed and damaged.  I decided it wasn't worth the risk.
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: Ebrat on January 16, 2017, 06:59:18 AM
That was the problem we had--the jostling of the truck meant that stuff that was stacked on other stuff scuffed the stuff beneath it.  For example, a table leg on top of an entertainment center, without enough cushioning between them. More our fault than the company's fault (poor cushioning/stacking/etc.), but something to watch out for.
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: FIRE Artist on January 16, 2017, 09:07:31 AM
I did 5 overseas moves, all by shipping container.  The damage was minimal, but the companies always build bulkheads out of plywood to shore up the goods to avoid shifting.  Empty boxes were used to fill in what little space they had at the top.   The packers really were experts at this, and everything was packed in cardboard, even the sofa. 

If you are doing an in-country move where things are just loosely packed in and furniture is only wrapped in blankets, then yeah, probably not a good idea. 
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: Al1961 on January 16, 2017, 09:41:24 AM
Thanks for the responses. Seems like the recurring theme is the quality/security of packing.

We are planning on moving almost no furniture as our place on the island is already fully furnished. Household goods, electronics and artwork will all be wrapped, padded and boxed. The containers we're looking at come in 10 and 20 foot lengths, with numerous eyelets welded throughout the inside to strap things in securely. The biggest issue is ensuring that the car and shop equipment are well secured - I expect to need way more nylon ratchet straps than I have. Maybe we need to start saving cardboard to wedge around odd shaped stuff.

If we go this way, we'll be packing the container(s) ourselves, so we'd only have ourselves to blame for damage
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: Helvegen on January 16, 2017, 09:45:12 AM
We used a Relocube from ABF UPack back when we moved crosscountry a few years back. We packed it to the gills, so really, things couldn't shift too much if they wanted to. Nothing that I recall was damaged.

Everything that was very fragile like dishes, glasses, etc, we packed in the car with us.

I would use a Relocube again.
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: bacchi on January 16, 2017, 09:51:41 AM
We used one for a 2000 mile move in the States. Like Helvegen, we packed it until even a thin wafer couldn't be added. Everything was fine.
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: I'm a red panda on January 16, 2017, 10:14:18 AM
We used ABF Upack, no cube, we just had a portion of a truck.  Everything came through in good condition, we packed very carefully.  To save money we picked up at their shipping center, rather than have it delivered.
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: LifeHappens on January 16, 2017, 10:53:07 AM
I did a 1500 mile move with a POD a few years ago. We self-packed and needed to use their storage option for about 4 months between moves. Any damage was very minimal and we saved several hundred dollars over the cost of using a traditional moving service, so I think it was a good choice overall.
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: bty2047 on September 10, 2018, 09:36:36 AM
I used pod container (https://www.cubeit.ca/)From Cubeit and it worked well.
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: HipGnosis on September 10, 2018, 10:47:14 AM
We used ABF Upack, no cube, we just had a portion of a truck.  Everything came through in good condition, we packed very carefully.  To save money we picked up at their shipping center, rather than have it delivered.
Did you rent a truck to pick your things up?
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: affordablehousing on September 10, 2018, 01:59:29 PM
We used a pod and loved it. We did a horrible job packing, basically tying bungee cords all over the place like Spiderman had been there. Miraculously, there were only a few scratches on things. Loved it. Movers suck, best antidote is to pack yourself. If I had the space to store it, I would have loved to just buy a full 40' box, and hire a trucker to pick it up and roll it off on my property. Boxes are cheap, like ~$2000 and then you get a free workshop structure at your new property. That is, if you have space for a 40' box...
Title: Re: Moving - Considering shipping container service, anyone with experience?
Post by: I'm a red panda on September 10, 2018, 02:37:36 PM
We used ABF Upack, no cube, we just had a portion of a truck.  Everything came through in good condition, we packed very carefully.  To save money we picked up at their shipping center, rather than have it delivered.
Did you rent a truck to pick your things up?

No, we had a friend with a truck make a run with a sofa, dresser, and a mattress.  Everything else went into a Civic or Elantra.  If we had a lot of furniture, we would have gone with delivery of the truck to the new home.