How to move from CA to CO - can I afford movers?

January 11, 2013 7:05 PM

I'm moving several octogenarian cats along with a one bedroom apartment from CA to CO this summer. Unlike previous moves, I don't have a bunch of time to spend packing, moving, and unpacking. We're planning to drive with the cats and have a little extra money to hire movers. Mr. Arnicae has heard rumors of interstate moving companies that would pack up our things and then deliver them sometime in <6 weeks, depending on their schedule, but I can't find anything like that. How do I pick an economical but good moving company? And what is the replacement price at which I should sell/leave furniture/stuff rather than bothering to move it? Thanks!
posted by arnicae to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

Try uship.com.
posted by cyndigo at 7:07 PM on January 11, 2013

My sister and brother-in-law were moved by a company like Two Men and a Truck. But someone like them is what you need. They'll pack everything, move it, and deliver.
posted by deezil at 7:17 PM on January 11, 2013

I used Flat Rate Moving for a 1bdrm move from NYC --> Colorado a couple of years ago and could not have been happier. I described the items over the phone and they attached a price for each. As moving day got closer, I changed some items and remembered others and they adjusted the price, because each item had its own price to move. That made it so much easier to decide what to take and what to let go. I preferred packing my own stuff, but they also offered packing services. I liked that there was a guaranteed price and a reasonable window. My items arrived in about two weeks. (I've also gone with Two Men and a Truck for local moves and the flat rates for moving were reasonable, and service was also excellent.)
posted by mochapickle at 7:20 PM on January 11, 2013

I moved a 1-BR apartment from Indiana to California and it cost in the vicinity of $1500 (this is a good five years ago so round up) and took ~2 weeks. I found my mover just by going to my local yellow pages and calling all the Moving Companies one by one asking for quotes.

As for your question about moving vs. replacement: you might do some research on depreciation. You could even do something clever like dividing the cost of the movers by the number of items you have; then it becomes a cost-benefit equation: 'gee, it will cost $100 to move my old couch... am I OK with that or would I rather apply that $100 toward a new couch?'
posted by (F)utility at 8:05 PM on January 11, 2013

I used Ubox which lets you fill a pod which is then picked up and dropped off for much less than a full mover package. I used uhaul to get two people to move my stuff in (I think it was 100 for two hours, so worth it!) A plus with the ubox is you get to pack it yourself so you feel it is secure. I think I paid 1200 for my two bedroom apartment to be moved from MI to KS (although it was a bit more because I lived in rural MI and they had to come a long way to pick it up).
posted by gilsonal at 11:31 AM on January 12, 2013 [1 favorite]