Something smaller than a moving pod?
December 11, 2012 1:40 PM Subscribe
Is there a smaller option for a cross-country move than a moving pod?
We are moving from Los Angeles to the East Coast. Eventually we will be in Brooklyn, though I will need to be in a smaller town upstate for the first three months of my job.
Anyways! We are selling nearly everything here in Los Angeles, but there are a few things we'd like to keep. Nothing like a couch or even a chair, more like a nice toolbox and a few picture frames.
We're looking into how to either ship or have these items moved across the country. I'm going to be driving out, but my car is small and won't carry much stuff.
Is there either:
1) An option like a moving pod but for even less stuff? Even the smallest pods seem to be about $2,000.
2) What is the dirt cheapest ground shipping option available? Speed of transit isn't an issue.
Thanks!
Also, any advice for those who have made the LA-to-NY drive on nice things to see along the way is much appreciated.
We are moving from Los Angeles to the East Coast. Eventually we will be in Brooklyn, though I will need to be in a smaller town upstate for the first three months of my job.
Anyways! We are selling nearly everything here in Los Angeles, but there are a few things we'd like to keep. Nothing like a couch or even a chair, more like a nice toolbox and a few picture frames.
We're looking into how to either ship or have these items moved across the country. I'm going to be driving out, but my car is small and won't carry much stuff.
Is there either:
1) An option like a moving pod but for even less stuff? Even the smallest pods seem to be about $2,000.
2) What is the dirt cheapest ground shipping option available? Speed of transit isn't an issue.
Thanks!
Also, any advice for those who have made the LA-to-NY drive on nice things to see along the way is much appreciated.
I'm not sure about the cost but ABF has smaller moving "pods"
Another option is UPS, USPS and other shipping companies. USPS Media Mail is the best bargain.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:48 PM on December 11, 2012
Another option is UPS, USPS and other shipping companies. USPS Media Mail is the best bargain.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:48 PM on December 11, 2012
You may want to check out Uship.com. I've used them a couple times with good results and fair price.
posted by peakcomm at 1:49 PM on December 11, 2012
posted by peakcomm at 1:49 PM on December 11, 2012
LTL or "Lighter than Load" shipping may be the term you want. You will crate or palletize your stuff and put it on a shipping container to be moved with other stuff by truck. You may have to search around for a third party that will pack, load and arrange shipment though. I've never done this as a consumer, but I know that it is done.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:54 PM on December 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 1:54 PM on December 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
Greyhound will do shipping. It's slow, and you have to pick it up from the Greyhound station, but it's cheap. I have successfully received furniture that traveled coast to coast this way.
posted by crabintheocean at 2:13 PM on December 11, 2012
posted by crabintheocean at 2:13 PM on December 11, 2012
Consider going on Craigslist (particularly now, when some folks are visiting family and leaving school) and finding someone to take your stuff for you. Payment given when your stuff makes it to its destination safe and sound.
It's not that crazy; my brother did this very successfully in a Chicago to Seattle move.
posted by Madamina at 4:04 PM on December 11, 2012
It's not that crazy; my brother did this very successfully in a Chicago to Seattle move.
posted by Madamina at 4:04 PM on December 11, 2012
If you can get everything onto a pallet yourself, and wrap it with pallet wrap (like HUGE cling wrap), you can use LTL shipping... Basically what you want is a quote for LTL door-to-door service with liftgate, which is usually a $50 surcharge, because obviously you will not have a truck height loading dock at each end. This is far cheaper than shipping multiple boxes by UPS, USPS, FedEx Ground in individual boxes. That said, both UPS and FedEx ground do offer LTL shipping services for pallets, so you'll want to get quotes from them.
posted by thewalrus at 4:13 PM on December 11, 2012
posted by thewalrus at 4:13 PM on December 11, 2012
Also, LTL does not mean "lighter than load" it means "less than truckload".
posted by thewalrus at 4:13 PM on December 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by thewalrus at 4:13 PM on December 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
We did a similar move recently and used ABF UPack which has been mentioned above and in other AskMe threads. Worked great. You pay by the linear foot - you reserve an estimated amount of space ahead of time but when you get everything in there you pay for only what you use. It was also definitely the most affordable option.
posted by radioamy at 8:36 PM on December 11, 2012
posted by radioamy at 8:36 PM on December 11, 2012
I recently moved cross-country using Amtrak (relevant AskMe is here). We shipped 700 pounds (about 25 large boxes worth) of household stuff about 1500 miles and it only cost $325. Prices increase by how many miles you're shipping things, but it's still ridiculously reasonable. It turned me into an Amtrak evangelist.
posted by jabes at 9:18 AM on December 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by jabes at 9:18 AM on December 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks so much to all! We used Amtrak. Highly recommend.
posted by Peemster at 3:22 PM on December 26, 2012
posted by Peemster at 3:22 PM on December 26, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nat at 1:46 PM on December 11, 2012