Help me move my stuff for only a small fortune
October 2, 2008 11:03 AM Subscribe
How can I move the contents of a small storage unit from Florida to California as economically as possible?
I got a storage unit in Florida before I moved to California because I thought that I'd only be staying in L.A. for a matter of months. Four years later, the unit is still there, costing me $90/month.
I'd like to get it out here then dispose of the contents- the unit includes a furniture set that was recently given to me (it was on forced loan before) that may be worth some amount of money, or may be utterly worthless (referenced in this previous ask.me) but is far too large for my 1 bedroom apartment.
What's the best way to do this? I have the contents of a 8x6x5 storage unit and it is pretty well packed inside. Most of the contents (tvs, cds) could be tossed/donated but I'm not sure how to do that from a distance.
I've looked into the door to door shipping places but it looks like they might cost as much as $3800, which is more than I can spend right now. I put an ad up on Uship, but got zero bids, despite pics and saying I'd be flexible in my pricing.
I'm wracking my brain as to how to do this cheaply- any ideas?
I got a storage unit in Florida before I moved to California because I thought that I'd only be staying in L.A. for a matter of months. Four years later, the unit is still there, costing me $90/month.
I'd like to get it out here then dispose of the contents- the unit includes a furniture set that was recently given to me (it was on forced loan before) that may be worth some amount of money, or may be utterly worthless (referenced in this previous ask.me) but is far too large for my 1 bedroom apartment.
What's the best way to do this? I have the contents of a 8x6x5 storage unit and it is pretty well packed inside. Most of the contents (tvs, cds) could be tossed/donated but I'm not sure how to do that from a distance.
I've looked into the door to door shipping places but it looks like they might cost as much as $3800, which is more than I can spend right now. I put an ad up on Uship, but got zero bids, despite pics and saying I'd be flexible in my pricing.
I'm wracking my brain as to how to do this cheaply- any ideas?
Do you want to go through the contents at all before you dispose of them? If not (and, I admit, while this is common in New England California may be different) I would contact an auction house that does estate sales and see if they will take the whole thing for either a flat fee (they pay you, because they'll make money off what is auctioned) or (better) a percentage of the auction proceeds.
Or, if you want to throw it all away there are services like 1-800-got-junk (?? - I might have the name wrong) who specialize in disposal.
posted by anastasiav at 12:21 PM on October 2, 2008
Or, if you want to throw it all away there are services like 1-800-got-junk (?? - I might have the name wrong) who specialize in disposal.
posted by anastasiav at 12:21 PM on October 2, 2008
I've used Forward Air a few times to ship stuff cross-country, including the entire contents of my house when I moved from NY to CA in 2001. They're really cheap but you need to drop your stuff off at an airport and pick it up again at the closest airport to you. I rented a trailer, built some 4'x4'x8' crates directly on the trailer using plywood and 2x4s and my stuff arrived a few weeks after I dropped it off at the airport. It costs a couple hundred bucks to ship each crate full of stuff. Pallets full of books were cheaper than that. It's a hassle, but it's cheap. No affiliation yadda yadda yadda.
posted by foodgeek at 12:23 PM on October 2, 2008
posted by foodgeek at 12:23 PM on October 2, 2008
Can you take a weekend and go to Florida and sort out the wheat from the chaff? There is no point in shipping something cross-continent that you are going to donate afterward. If you were to go to your unit with a borrowed or rented truck, you could bring the donatables to goodwill, and line up an auctioneer or antique furniture dealer to appraise your furniture. With the crap out of the way and a realistic view of the value of your furniture, you'll be in a better position to decide how much effort to spend getting stuff out to California. If you spend 1k on a weekend in Florida (plane, hotel, truck) and whittle the stuff down to a few pieces, you might be able to divvy up the stuff into things you can ups or media mail to yourself and things you need to pay someone to pack and ship. If you find that you have donated most of the stuff, sent home $200 worth of stuff, and pay someone $800 to ship the furniture, you're only out 2k and a weekend.
posted by gyusan at 12:31 PM on October 2, 2008
posted by gyusan at 12:31 PM on October 2, 2008
Hmmm... looks like I repeated what everyone else just said. Sorry for the added noise...
posted by gyusan at 12:33 PM on October 2, 2008
posted by gyusan at 12:33 PM on October 2, 2008
Response by poster: couple hundred+ for a truck and gas
I wish- trucks are looking like 600-800 by themselves, and ~2779 miles @ 15mpg (if I was lucky) is 185 gallons of gas, which, at today's national average cost of 3.59/gallon (much, much higher here in CA, not sure about FL) = $665.
Looks like I could get a OW fare out there for $180, so transpo alone would cost ~$1500.
If it is the cheapest option, sure, but it doesn't sound like it is...
posted by stewiethegreat at 12:37 PM on October 2, 2008
I wish- trucks are looking like 600-800 by themselves, and ~2779 miles @ 15mpg (if I was lucky) is 185 gallons of gas, which, at today's national average cost of 3.59/gallon (much, much higher here in CA, not sure about FL) = $665.
Looks like I could get a OW fare out there for $180, so transpo alone would cost ~$1500.
If it is the cheapest option, sure, but it doesn't sound like it is...
posted by stewiethegreat at 12:37 PM on October 2, 2008
Response by poster: Or rather I'm hoping it isn't the cheapest option...
posted by stewiethegreat at 12:47 PM on October 2, 2008
posted by stewiethegreat at 12:47 PM on October 2, 2008
Best answer: Four years? My suggestion is to let this stuff go to good homes.
Call Goodwill, Amvets, whomever and schedule a pickup. If you know anyone who lives there mail them the keys and they can meet the driver.
posted by 26.2 at 12:58 PM on October 2, 2008
Call Goodwill, Amvets, whomever and schedule a pickup. If you know anyone who lives there mail them the keys and they can meet the driver.
posted by 26.2 at 12:58 PM on October 2, 2008
Best answer: ABF U-Pack looks like it'll be about $1000 for the amount of stuff you have. Hiring a couple local people through Moving Help to load it shouldn't cost a whole lot.
posted by zsazsa at 12:59 PM on October 2, 2008
posted by zsazsa at 12:59 PM on October 2, 2008
Is the stuff in storage actually worth $1500? Maybe it's just cheaper to fly to Florida, round trip under $500 is possible. Toss/give away what you can and ship the important personal items to CA. Then you can give yourself a $1000(or whatever) replacement budget when you get home.
I'm in the midst of doing something like this (though I only moved a few hours away), and it's really refreshing to simplify what you own.
posted by mintymike at 1:01 PM on October 2, 2008
I'm in the midst of doing something like this (though I only moved a few hours away), and it's really refreshing to simplify what you own.
posted by mintymike at 1:01 PM on October 2, 2008
Response by poster: According to my folks, the furniture is worth 10-15k...so it might be worth a lot, or might be worthless.
posted by stewiethegreat at 2:46 PM on October 2, 2008
posted by stewiethegreat at 2:46 PM on October 2, 2008
Hire an auctioneer. Sell what people want to buy. Donate the rest.
posted by yclipse at 5:29 PM on October 2, 2008
posted by yclipse at 5:29 PM on October 2, 2008
stewiethegreat:
Perhaps you can find someone here on MeFi that would be willing to act as a broker for a % of the sales?
I know a couple people here who do that kind of stuff, MeFiMail me if you want.
posted by tomierna at 9:51 PM on October 2, 2008
Perhaps you can find someone here on MeFi that would be willing to act as a broker for a % of the sales?
I know a couple people here who do that kind of stuff, MeFiMail me if you want.
posted by tomierna at 9:51 PM on October 2, 2008
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posted by hungrysquirrels at 12:16 PM on October 2, 2008