Cheapest way to move clothes, books, etc., from city to city?
April 7, 2018 5:43 AM Subscribe
What would be the cheapest way to move somebody's stuff to New York City from another city that's 4 hours away? The Big Issue is that this person does not drive. Otherwise, I'd think hiring a van would be perfect. But if that's not possible, what's the best way to do this? The person is thinking of "shipping boxes" but that sounds very expensive! We're talking about clothing, some books, some guitars, amps, that sort of thing. Probably no furniture.
The cheapest thing to do would probably be to find someone who's going that way anyway and pay them to take the stuff with them. I'd try putting an ad up on Craigslist's rideshare section, but the kids these days may have more effective ways of making that connection.
Or yeah, just rent a van and drive them yourself.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:59 AM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Or yeah, just rent a van and drive them yourself.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:59 AM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
And yeah, if you go with A Dude From Craigslist, you're pretty SOL if they decide to just keep the stuff and sell it off.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:00 AM on April 7, 2018
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:00 AM on April 7, 2018
I used a Flat Rate Moving when I moved a few years ago. The moving and storage company offered me a few options for shipping companies they considered to be of high quality and after hearing those prices I asked for companies that weren't quite so high quality and more affordable, and they suggested Flat Rate. Nothing was lost or broken and I was satisfied with the service. YMMV.
posted by bunderful at 6:15 AM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by bunderful at 6:15 AM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Pay a friend to drive their stuff in a van.
posted by raccoon409 at 6:45 AM on April 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by raccoon409 at 6:45 AM on April 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Not the cheapest, but the easiest for the carless: use a storage cube of some kind, like ABF U-Pack or PODS. They pick up and deliver your stuff curbside, then once it's empty they take it away. Otherwise, I'd go with the find a friend who will drive the van.
posted by dis_integration at 7:15 AM on April 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by dis_integration at 7:15 AM on April 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
If the other city is on an Amtrak line, consider using their shipping service. Details at this blog here, it can work out rather cheap.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:17 AM on April 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:17 AM on April 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Are you able to provide more specific origin location information? Even just a region, like "Finger Lakes" or "Vermont" or "Western Pennsylvania" would work.
posted by melissasaurus at 7:20 AM on April 7, 2018
posted by melissasaurus at 7:20 AM on April 7, 2018
Greyhound or Amtrak shipping is the cheapest, but you have to pack it and you have to have an address on the other end.
You can rent a U-haul van AND get people who can load, drive, and unload it for you. In town will be more than shipping and more than driving it yourself, but much less than PODS or a similar pod system.
The cheapest way to do it is to pay a friend to drive you. You can get a huge van via ZipCar for about $200 a day plus pizza and beer for the friend.
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:21 AM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
You can rent a U-haul van AND get people who can load, drive, and unload it for you. In town will be more than shipping and more than driving it yourself, but much less than PODS or a similar pod system.
The cheapest way to do it is to pay a friend to drive you. You can get a huge van via ZipCar for about $200 a day plus pizza and beer for the friend.
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:21 AM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Shipping would be fine for books and clothes (and I think not that expensive via media rate for the books and slow rate for the clothes), but I'm not sure I'd ship a guitar and amp unless it was very well (perhaps professionally) packed. 4 hours isn't that far; I'd try to find a friend who would be willing to drive it.
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 8:33 AM on April 7, 2018
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 8:33 AM on April 7, 2018
If you do go with a van (plus friend driving) triple check the fees, a per mile anything can rack up big bucks.
posted by sammyo at 8:39 AM on April 7, 2018
posted by sammyo at 8:39 AM on April 7, 2018
Seconding Amtrak if you have a means to get the boxes to and from the station. It's stupid cheap. I've done it cross-country.
If you also want to use Amtrak to transport yourself, put everything you can as shipping and take the most valuable/fragile items as carry-on.
posted by Hollywood Upstairs Medical College at 12:44 PM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you also want to use Amtrak to transport yourself, put everything you can as shipping and take the most valuable/fragile items as carry-on.
posted by Hollywood Upstairs Medical College at 12:44 PM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
How much stuff is it? Like in terms of current bedroom or house size? When I moved after college, I shipped all my stuff through UPS. About 15 boxes. It was much cheaper than any moving company. But... It was only really a dorm room account of stuff, and it was nothing I couldnt lose or break.
posted by nakedmolerats at 1:39 PM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by nakedmolerats at 1:39 PM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Clothing for all seasons; shoes, boots; maybe 3 guitars, 2 amps, a couple of keyboards (1 maybe somewhat heavy); 2 laptops; a couple of peripheral devices (interfaces, sequencer-type things;speaker monitors (small but heavy); 20 or so books? an 8x 10' rug; papers etc that somebody has from their desk from jobs, medical, etc.; the usual toiletries; maybe a little bit of cookware (not much); some blankets, pillows, etc. other things that people live with in an apartment during the first couple of years after college; I doubt any furniture will be taken -- some knick knacks, art, etc. ( a few things) --
I wonder what happens if we do UPS and nobody's home when they come!
Probably doesn't even need a whole van, but more like a big SUV or something for a day. Seems like what's needed is the driver (not going to be ME or my SO at this point in our lives) and a rental SUV-type thing.
posted by DMelanogaster at 3:32 PM on April 7, 2018
I wonder what happens if we do UPS and nobody's home when they come!
Probably doesn't even need a whole van, but more like a big SUV or something for a day. Seems like what's needed is the driver (not going to be ME or my SO at this point in our lives) and a rental SUV-type thing.
posted by DMelanogaster at 3:32 PM on April 7, 2018
Response by poster: OH! and then there is the EXERCISE EQUIPMENT.
(a thing like a chinning bar that hangs on the molding of the door, and another thing that's on the floor and you grasp it and pull yourself up on it -- that one folds up somehow -- oh I just looked it up, it's a DIP STATION)
(and god knows what else - )
posted by DMelanogaster at 3:50 PM on April 7, 2018
(a thing like a chinning bar that hangs on the molding of the door, and another thing that's on the floor and you grasp it and pull yourself up on it -- that one folds up somehow -- oh I just looked it up, it's a DIP STATION)
(and god knows what else - )
posted by DMelanogaster at 3:50 PM on April 7, 2018
Post it to MeFi Jobs and see if you get any takers.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:05 PM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:05 PM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
I did travel nursing for 5 years. When I got a new assignment, I would Fed-Ex Ground ship all of my other stuff. It takes a little longer to get there, but it's a very cost effective way to move stuff long distances. It would always arrive right after I got to my new place, but they will leave it on the doorstep if you aren't home. If you have too much stuff for FedEx Ground, try ABF.
posted by Amalie-Suzette at 8:53 AM on April 8, 2018
posted by Amalie-Suzette at 8:53 AM on April 8, 2018
What's cheap? My wife and I moved our 2 bedroom house to NYC (no real furniture outside a mattress) in one Uhaul "box". It cost about $900 to ship around 700 miles. Surely cheaper from Baltimore. They can pick your box off and give you a month free of 'storage' at the uhaul location in NYC.
$400 to get from Uhaul to our apartment but we hired movers, you could probably get a couple uber XL trips or something to do the rest...
posted by sandmanwv at 5:37 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
$400 to get from Uhaul to our apartment but we hired movers, you could probably get a couple uber XL trips or something to do the rest...
posted by sandmanwv at 5:37 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
You can ship goods via Greyhound Bus, like clothing and general stuff; I've had stuff shipped to me, you have to pick it up at the bus station. Guitars and amps are likely to be oversized and heavy, also very appealing to thieves, maybe a moving company for them, with good insurance.
There are cheap movers advertising on Craigslist and the web. When my sister arrived at her new home, they demanded more money to deliver her stuff, a number of things were never delivered, she never got compensation. Be extremely wary.
Moving is expensive. If you can find a friend who will drive a van for a move, it's worth paying them for their time.
posted by theora55 at 5:58 AM on April 7, 2018 [2 favorites]