I Am Too Weak.

August 6, 2007 9:45 AM

I need someone to move my stuff! NYC area.

I'm moving from Brooklyn back to Manhattan and i'm looking for inexpensive, trustworthy movers. There are dozens on craigslist but i'd prefer to use a mover who someone has experience with.

It's a small move. 1 room 1 flight up (elevator) to another room also 1 flight up (no elevator). No major furniture except for a wooden twin size bed that breaks down to a headboard, footboard and mattress. Kind of short notice as i need to do it Sunday.

Thanks!

posted by modernsquid to Grab Bag (14 answers total)

I used FlatRate Movers when I moved from Astoria to Brooklyn a year ago. Their selling points are that they're fast and efficient b/c they don't get paid by the hour and that they tell you up front how much it costs and then don't tack on additional charges once they have your stuff hostage. I found both to be true in my move.

I think it was $350 for my move which sounds very similar to yours. I have no idea if that's a good price b/c I didn't comparison shop, but I thought it was worth it.
posted by Mavri at 10:02 AM on August 6, 2007

My friend just used NYC Moves and had a great experience.

I've used
posted by kimdog at 10:10 AM on August 6, 2007

Three options:

- Moishe's. We used them for our last move. They worked fast and took great care of everything. Their site allows you to formulate a very close estimate of what your move will cost based on number of rooms, boxes, large items, etc. you're moving. I recommend them very highly, but they are VERY SERIOUS when they say that you must box everything up - even the sofapillows and last minute cleaning products and odds and ends. If it's not in a box, they're not moving it without charging you to pack it. They're not the cheapest option, but they're large so your short notice might not be as much of an issue for them as other smaller companies.

- check out this article about Citimove, a site that solicits feedback on your average Man With A Van companies on boards like Craigslist and serves as a matchmaking service for movees and movers. This may help you whittle your cheaper options down a bit.

- rent a truck from Penske, ask three friends to help you in exchange for breakfast and lunch. My SO and I moved me across country using Penske and it cost me about half of what a Moishe's charged for three-mile move here in New York. Also the truck was very nice and came equipped with plenty of moving blankets for wrapping furniture.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 10:10 AM on August 6, 2007

This website has a list of companies to avoid, but more importantly it has forums where people recommend companies / tell their experiences:

The Moving Scam.com
posted by sharkfu at 10:20 AM on August 6, 2007

I used vantruckmove a year ago for a move from manhattan to chicago. the guy delivers newspapers to supermarkets in the morning and uses his two vans the rest of the time to move people. he was friendly, on time and honest. highly recommended.
posted by krautland at 11:19 AM on August 6, 2007

I used ZiggyVanz for my last two moves. Quirky ex-punk rock guy. Incredibly nice, responsible, funny.

He's all over craigslist, just google him. Or email me for his number.
posted by minervous at 12:17 PM on August 6, 2007

I had a very good experience with Rabbit movers recently. Arrangements for a Saturday move were made the day before.
posted by minkll at 12:39 PM on August 6, 2007

When Vidiot asked a similar question a few years ago, I recommended Big And Gentle Movers (see here for info); Vidiot wrote me afterwards to thank me and said they were great. If they're still in business, I'm sure they're still good.
posted by languagehat at 12:42 PM on August 6, 2007

I used College Educated Movers last winter. I don't think they have a website but you can email them at collegeeducatedmovers at gmail dot com. (They are probably still posting on Craigslist, which is where my friend found them.) It's a crew of artists/writers (all comic books I think) trying to pay the rent.

Two really nice guys, one battered truck, and they did a good job for a very good price. And they were fun to hang out with to boot. They also moved a friend of mine and did a good job on his move as well. I highly recommend them.
posted by min at 12:48 PM on August 6, 2007

I'll second citimove.com, though I didn't put my stuff up for bid, I just went with the then #1, currently #2 MoveMaster They showed up promptly and worked great.
posted by fings at 1:41 PM on August 6, 2007

Thanks guys these are all great!
posted by modernsquid at 2:16 PM on August 6, 2007

With regard to Flat Rate, I have no idea if my experience was typical, but I wasn't able to fit everything into the boxes I got and got charged a fair amount, then they were kind of jerks about the tip, which they thought should be in the 25% range. Anyway, it wasn't that big a deal and they were very prompt and efficient, but I was not entirely happy with the experience.
posted by lackutrol at 4:57 PM on August 6, 2007

I don't know if Robert Hayward Johnson still advertises in the Village Voice.

But you don't want to use his service.

Trust me on this.
posted by jason's_planet at 11:26 AM on August 7, 2007

I have used Citimove for my last two moves with excellent results. The first time we used MoveMaster and the second time we used Moore Moving Services. I much preferred the process with Moore.
posted by hsoltz at 11:37 AM on August 8, 2007