Moving without help?
February 9, 2014 1:21 PM Subscribe
When I got my job, I was required to relocate from my hometown to a new city. I bought new furniture for my new place (previously had been staying with family, so I hadn't needed, e.g., a couch), and settled down.
2-3 weeks later, my employer asked me to travel to my old hometown to do work (they have bases in both locations). I ended up staying for months, and my employer decided it made more sense for me to live in my hometown, so I was relocated back.
This means I now I have to figure out how to get rid of some of the stuff I've bought, and how to move the stuff I want to keep. The good news: I don't have a lot to move (only big pieces = mattress, tv, bench). Bad news: I don't drive, and don't think I know anyone who can help me move.
So, two questions:
1. How can I sell the furniture I have in my home when I'm currently not really living there (I'd like to sell even though it's IKEA stuff, given that it's so new)?
2. How can I cheaply move the rest of my stuff (given that I don't drive, and no one I know will be able to help me)?
Thanks for any help guys!
This means I now I have to figure out how to get rid of some of the stuff I've bought, and how to move the stuff I want to keep. The good news: I don't have a lot to move (only big pieces = mattress, tv, bench). Bad news: I don't drive, and don't think I know anyone who can help me move.
So, two questions:
1. How can I sell the furniture I have in my home when I'm currently not really living there (I'd like to sell even though it's IKEA stuff, given that it's so new)?
2. How can I cheaply move the rest of my stuff (given that I don't drive, and no one I know will be able to help me)?
Thanks for any help guys!
Why not just move into a place of your own in your hometown and keep the furniture you bought? Any job that can relocate you to a different office at the drop of a hat probably pays enough that you don't have to live with family.
If for some reason you can't get your own place for Reasons, why not deal with getting rid of the furniture once you've moved it back home? Surely you have a cousin who's moving into a bigger house, a grandmother with a shitty old couch that needs replacing, etc? At the very least you have the resources there to get the furniture to the local Goodwill if need be.
Hire a mover. It is perfectly reasonable that your company would at least help you pay for this expense, since they are the ones moving you back and forth willy nilly.
posted by Sara C. at 1:31 PM on February 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
If for some reason you can't get your own place for Reasons, why not deal with getting rid of the furniture once you've moved it back home? Surely you have a cousin who's moving into a bigger house, a grandmother with a shitty old couch that needs replacing, etc? At the very least you have the resources there to get the furniture to the local Goodwill if need be.
Hire a mover. It is perfectly reasonable that your company would at least help you pay for this expense, since they are the ones moving you back and forth willy nilly.
posted by Sara C. at 1:31 PM on February 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Ask your employer for reimbursement of relocation expenses.
If your employer says no, I would still suggest hiring a mover. If you're in the US, and your hometown is more than 50 miles from where you were originally relocated to, you can deduct your moving expenses off your income taxes.
Bonus: if you don't have a lot of stuff to move, movers will be fairly inexpensive.
Another option is something like ABF U-Pack or PODS. I've never used either of these services so I can't speak to their quality, but they exist.
posted by tckma at 1:49 PM on February 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
If your employer says no, I would still suggest hiring a mover. If you're in the US, and your hometown is more than 50 miles from where you were originally relocated to, you can deduct your moving expenses off your income taxes.
Bonus: if you don't have a lot of stuff to move, movers will be fairly inexpensive.
Another option is something like ABF U-Pack or PODS. I've never used either of these services so I can't speak to their quality, but they exist.
posted by tckma at 1:49 PM on February 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Employer will not pay for moving expenses in any way.
posted by Sakura3210 at 1:49 PM on February 9, 2014
posted by Sakura3210 at 1:49 PM on February 9, 2014
Craigslist is usually good for selling stuff locally. Also, believe it or not, check Facebook. For my state, there are FB groups called "X County Swap and Sell" for each county. We have used our local one to turn of A LOT of unwanted stuff into cash over the past year or so.
posted by tckma at 2:05 PM on February 9, 2014
posted by tckma at 2:05 PM on February 9, 2014
When I moved from LA to Chicago, I criagslisted and split the costs of a uhaul (he drove, I flew) and picked up my stuff when I got there. Seriously risky, but worked out fine and I kept all of my stuff. However, this probably only worked due to lucky timing and moving from one metropolitan area to another.
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:17 PM on February 9, 2014
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:17 PM on February 9, 2014
IKEA is easy to sell remotely because the stuff all has easily searchable unique names. I.e. if someone is gonna buy a MALM they search for MALM. Or at least "IKEA bed." You just make the craiglsist ad and say you're out of town but will meet them on the day you're gonna be back. I moved out of Atlanta this way.
You can also try listing a yard sale on CL and list all your IKEA keywords in the ad.
I had no idea, but there is a weird culture of yard sale people who will literally show up 2 hours before the time you put in your ad, and circle around the block until it starts. When I moved out of San Francisco I listed a yard sale and sold all my stuff in about 3 hours.
The other obvious thing is to sell the items for a lot less than you bought it for, which kind of stinks.
posted by BabeTheBlueOX at 3:32 PM on February 9, 2014
You can also try listing a yard sale on CL and list all your IKEA keywords in the ad.
I had no idea, but there is a weird culture of yard sale people who will literally show up 2 hours before the time you put in your ad, and circle around the block until it starts. When I moved out of San Francisco I listed a yard sale and sold all my stuff in about 3 hours.
The other obvious thing is to sell the items for a lot less than you bought it for, which kind of stinks.
posted by BabeTheBlueOX at 3:32 PM on February 9, 2014
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posted by Wysawyg at 1:27 PM on February 9, 2014 [4 favorites]