Move me

October 2, 2015 7:01 PM

Asking for a friend: moving from rural Southern Ontario to central Texas with less than a truckload of belongings (mostly boxes, a few pieces of furniture), but too much stuff to fit into the back of an SUV. Have already checked out Seven Seas recommended in an earlier Ask, but they'll be a couple of grand. Trailer/Uhaul not an option. Leaving mid-October. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated.
posted by kate4914 to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)

Is there any chance your friend could bring an SUV-load of stuff across the border prior to the big move and ship it via USPS? Having done a similar move from the (US) East Coast to Alaska, USPS was the best bang for the buck for shipping. The cargo load-and-shop type options are incredibly expensive. I sold all my furniture because there was simply no cost-effective way of shipping it.
posted by charmcityblues at 7:23 PM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

When you say U-haul isn't an option, I'm assuming you mean that van/truck rental in general (e.g. Penske, Ryder) isn't an option? Is it because the move is international or some other reason?
posted by Aleyn at 7:26 PM on October 2, 2015

If someone can send it for you, my suggestion is Busfreighter.com or Greyhound shipping. It's cheaper than PODS or U-pack or even the Uhaul box (where they bring a crate to your house and take it to your destination when you fill it) because you have to arrange the shipping and it takes a longer time. I don't know if they can do furniture, though. A U-pack box across the country is around $2500 including a month of storage, probably less just across only half the states.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:51 PM on October 2, 2015

How much more than an SUV? Because you can get cargo platforms that fit into a reciever hitch and are an excellent choice for hauling a bulky item or two like a set of chairs or a dresser or something. Most of them will handle the tongue rating of the hitch (say 300-500lbs depending).
posted by Mitheral at 2:58 AM on October 3, 2015

You can buy a trailer bigger than a pickup bed for $1500 new. I don't see why that isn't an option, even if you have to get a hitch installed on the SUV.
posted by rfs at 5:36 AM on October 3, 2015

When my sister did a a roughly equivalent move in reverse a few years (Houston to Guelph), she basically used charmcity's technique: sell all the furniture, ship non-essential things like books and linens via USPS to a nearby point in the USA, and then cram everything else into a car and drive. In the US, books can be shipped via Media Mail (which is relatively cheap for the weight), so that allows you to cut down on the cost that way. As far as the drop point goes, she had some relatives in Michigan that could receive the pre-shipped packages, but I would suspect that a Mailboxes Etc. or something like that might be able to provide you with that same service.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:44 AM on October 3, 2015

My partner just moved from Montreal to Chicago using UPack, and it was less than 2000 excluding storage. The final bill matched the initial online quote, so it's easy enough to check what it would cost in your friend's case. It was much cheaper than Pods or a Uhaul box.
posted by snorkmaiden at 10:15 AM on October 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Rent a storage unit in the US, for a month. Put the stuff in it in a few or a couple of loads. Then move inside the US with a flat deck trailer, rented or found and bought for the move. Then sell it in Texas, or turn it in. Have it on Craigslist, all the way down. Sometimes as little as $500 will get a decent trailer.
posted by Oyéah at 7:13 PM on October 3, 2015

Response by poster: She was going to get a hitch put on her vehicle last week, but the mechanic said her 4-cylinder wasn't up to the job :-(
posted by kate4914 at 9:36 PM on October 3, 2015