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Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:32 pm
by Kennedy
Any suggestions as to the most economical way to move a small load (maybe 12 boxes mostly small and medium size, no furniture) 1000 miles?

Traditional moving companies are quoting me around $1600. I can't find a place that will rent me a larger van for a one way trip. Renting a 12 foot truck plus gas, hotels, meals, insurance and flight home will cost me $1200 plus over two days on the road. That sounds like over-kill for just a few boxes. Renting a larger SUV (one way) from Alamo or the like will also cost me around $1200 with gas, hotels, meals, flight home, and I'm not even sure everything would fit.

I'm looking into sending them UPS, but several of the boxes are a large mirror size, and the cost will be high. I'm waiting for a final quote.

Is there anything I haven't considered?

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:48 pm
by Small Savanna
I've been intrigued by PODS, which is a system where you pack a small container and then they deliver and/or store it for you. There may be some savings from the fact that you pack and unpack it yourself. I don't know the price, though. UPS may be your best bet - can you sell or give away some of the larger items and replace them in the new location?

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:56 pm
by livesoft
Sell on craigslist at one location. Buy on craigslist at the other location. It works pretty much like StarTrek transporter, but no energy is used.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 6:00 pm
by jminv
ABF Upack cube, cheaper than pods. What it costs will depend on the city pairs - if it's in demand it will be expensive, if not can be pretty cheap. You can save money by loading and unloading at the terminals,ie, not having the cube delivered to you. There are also coupon codes available online for $25-50. Overkill for 12 boxes, though and likely won't be cost competitive.

For 12 boxes, I'd probably just mail or UPS them though, did it before and used a UPS account with savings, ended up being cheaper than using the post office. Does your company or organization have an account with UPS? If they do you might look into what their negotiated rates are wrt to your packages. Then ask to use the shipping account, of course paying them the charges.

You could also put an ad on nextdoor looking for someone doing a trip on the city pair to move them. I have also used uship to move a large golf cart 1000 miles for, I think, 250. People bid on your load. It was surprisingly cheap when I used it.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 6:03 pm
by Kennedy
livesoft wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:56 pm Sell on craigslist at one location. Buy on craigslist at the other location. It works pretty much like StarTrek transporter, but no energy is used.
I wish this was an option, but it is not.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 6:07 pm
by Kennedy
jminv wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 6:00 pm ABF Upack cube, cheaper than pods. What it costs will depend on the city pairs - if it's in demand it will be expensive, if not can be pretty cheap. You can save money by loading and unloading at the terminals,ie, not having the cube delivered to you. There are also coupon codes available online for $25-50. Overkill for 12 boxes, though and likely won't be cost competitive.

For 12 boxes, I'd probably just mail or UPS them though, did it before and used a UPS account with savings, ended up being cheaper than using the post office. Does your company or organization have an account with UPS? If they do you might look into what their negotiated rates are wrt to your packages. Then ask to use the shipping account, of course paying them the charges.

You could also put an ad on nextdoor looking for someone doing a trip on the city pair to move them. I have also used uship to move a large golf cart 1000 miles for, I think, 250. People bid on your load. It was surprisingly cheap when I used it.
Thanks for the reminder. I do have a UPS discount through an association. I'll check it out.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 6:24 pm
by stan1
12 boxes? I'd rent a full size van round trip. Or not use boxes and fill up every nook and cranny of an SUV.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 6:52 pm
by CyberBob
Uship.com?

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 6:55 pm
by quaternion
Amtrak might be an economical option, depending on what you're moving:

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:02 pm
by ohai
What is all this stuff? Would it be easier to just trash lots of the stuff you don't really need or buy new stuff for $1600?

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:43 pm
by Kennedy
ohai wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:02 pm What is all this stuff? Would it be easier to just trash lots of the stuff you don't really need or buy new stuff for $1600?
It's mostly art made by a family artist.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:46 pm
by TxAg
Can you do 1000 miles straight with no hotel? Or stay at a campground? That would shave off some $$$

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:56 pm
by Kennedy
quaternion wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 6:55 pm Amtrak might be an economical option, depending on what you're moving:
Amazing suggestion! Thank you.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 9:09 pm
by Watty
Kennedy wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:43 pm
ohai wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:02 pm What is all this stuff? Would it be easier to just trash lots of the stuff you don't really need or buy new stuff for $1600?
It's mostly art made by a family artist.
Even if it is not particularly valuable I would imagine that you would be very upset if it is lost or damaged in shipping.

You might want to have it appraised before you ship it just in case you need to file a claim.

If possible I would suggest shipping the boxes at different times so you could be sure that the first one arrived in good shape before shipping the next one.

If you decide to drive it then be sure to secure it well when you stop for meals or at a hotel overnight. People have been known to steal U-Haul trucks for the contents.
Kennedy wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:32 pm Is there anything I haven't considered?
You can ship things on Amtrak trains or Greyhound busses but you would likely need to drop it off at the train or bus station and have someone pick it up. I don't know if I would trust them with artwork though.

In some cases the cheapest option might not be the best option.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 10:35 pm
by TexasPE
Kennedy wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:32 pm Any suggestions as to the most economical way to move a small load (maybe 12 boxes mostly small and medium size, no furniture) 1000 miles?
For the simplest and most economical option I would choose UPS or FEDEX. They can do the packaging, if necessary, to avoid damage (box within a box, bubble wrap/ peanuts, etc), offer insurance, and will deliver to your final destination.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 10:57 pm
by gwe67
I had a good experience with uship.com. It's easy to post your shipment needs and receive quotes from shippers. Also you shouldn't need to pack items as carefully as you would if mailing them.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 11:01 pm
by miamivice
Kennedy wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:32 pm Any suggestions as to the most economical way to move a small load (maybe 12 boxes mostly small and medium size, no furniture) 1000 miles?

Traditional moving companies are quoting me around $1600. I can't find a place that will rent me a larger van for a one way trip. Renting a 12 foot truck plus gas, hotels, meals, insurance and flight home will cost me $1200 plus over two days on the road. That sounds like over-kill for just a few boxes. Renting a larger SUV (one way) from Alamo or the like will also cost me around $1200 with gas, hotels, meals, flight home, and I'm not even sure everything would fit.

I'm looking into sending them UPS, but several of the boxes are a large mirror size, and the cost will be high. I'm waiting for a final quote.

Is there anything I haven't considered?
When I moved from point A to Point B many years ago, it turned out that someone at Point A had a trailer that needed to be transported to Point B. I talked to him, towed his trailer with my stuff. Win-win situation. Found him on Craigslist.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 3:33 am
by ReadyOrNot
:greedy I did not get moving costs when moving 1100 miles. I packed more than 12 small boxes into my Toyota Echo (the predecessor of a Yaris) and drove. It was at least 12 16x12x10 inch boxes plus more stuff which did not fit in boxes (all my clothes and some bedding and towels and shoes). Everything fit inside the car, and I made sure I could use all the mirrors and windows, and the drivers seat and all controls were clear. As recommended, the boxes did not exceed the height of the seatbacks.The Echo was a boxy 2 door -- pretty roomy for a small car, but the cheapest Toyota sold at the time, definitely a small car.

I think I was allowed to deduct about 11 cents a mile on my income tax, lowering my tax by a little more than $20 that year. I would have had to drive the car anyway, so I guess it was the cheapest way to move that load.

I remember that I thought I could get 40 miles per gallon, but probably got slightly less. I attributed the poorer mileage to the cold weather (but above freezing) all the way -- I had noticed I seemed to get better mileage in warm weather.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 3:52 am
by HawkeyePierce
A friend of mine in the signage business swears by Greyhound for long distance shipping when you aren’t on a deadline.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 5:22 am
by AerialP
I like all of the above suggestions, and would add that you might consider www.roadie.com to see what they estimate for cost-and-time.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 6:00 am
by Jgardner
Get pricing from old Dominion. They have less issues with damage claims than most.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 6:57 am
by grayfox
I have moved stuff many times. From a 50 miles to over 2,000 miles. Usually I just rent a truck and drive it myself.

In December 2015, I had to move a some boxes about 375 miles from Point A to Point B. I was starting out in Point B. I rented a cargo van from U-Haul, drove to A, and stayed in a motel. For dinner I bought a couple of $2 hot dogs and giant ice tea at Quickie mart. The next day, I ate breakfast at a favorite diner, loaded the truck, drove back to B, unloaded the truck and dropped off the van. Here was the cost breakdown:

Code: Select all

Miles round trip	750
U-Haul Van	$351.84
Gas		 $98.37
Motel		 $54.19
Dinner		  $6.00
Breakfast	 $15.00
Drinks		  $4.00
		
		
TOTAL		$525.40
Cost per mile 	$0.70
So that came to about 70 cents per mile. I would not even count the cost of food, because I had to eat anyway.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:05 am
by Jags4186
You may want to look into renting a minivan from Hertz or Avis. Depending on the cities you’re moving stuff between one may have a good 1 way rate if they need to move a vehicle. For example, I regularly rent cars up in New England and drive back to Newark airport and it’s no more expensive than returning to where I picked up the car. Look into airport rentals vs independent shop rentals for better 1 way rates.

That said, $1600 is a lot, but you likely won’t be that much cheaper unless you are willing to do a significant amount of the work.

If a rental is going to cost you say $400, then $120 or so in gas, a night in a hotel, a flight or drive back, meals at restaurants, and 2/3 days of my time....I’m just spending the money with UPS.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:54 am
by grayfox
Then, a few month later in October 2016, I had to move more stuff from/to the same places. But this time, it was about 5,000+ lbs of stuff. So I needed a bigger truck which you would think would cost a lot more, right? Nope.

I called up U-Haul and Budget Truck Rentals to get quotes. I turned out that if you wanted to rent a 24-foot Box Truck in City B and drop off in City A it was like $2,000+. But if you rented the truck in City A and drop off in City B, which is what I wanted to do, it was dirt cheap. I imagine that Budget had too many trucks in one place, and not enough in other place.

I started out in City B. Took a greyhound bus to City A. Took a city bus to a Motel 6 near the Budget Truck Rental. Ate dinner at a Carl's Jr. The next morning, I got up, ate breakfast at Carl's Jr., checked out of Motel 6, walked to Budget Truck rental two blocks away, picked up the truck, drove straight to the warehouse. Loading the truck took a lot longer, so I didn't head off until the early afternoon.

I had to stop that evening because it as getting dark. I stayed at an old rustic inn up in the mountains in a small tourist town and ate dinner in a local restaurant. Cool town. I headed off the next morning, drove the rest of the way to City B, unloaded the truck, and dropped it of at Budget Truck rental in City B. Here is the cost breakdown:

Code: Select all

Miles round trip			750
Greyhound Bus				$65.00
City Bus				 $2.00
Budget 24-foot Box Truck		$94.05
Gas					$98.37
Motel 6					$50.18
Dinner Carl’s Jr.			 $6.00
Breakfast Carl’s Jr.			 $6.00
Rustic motel				$75.59
Sit-down Steak Dinner			$15.00
Drinks					 $4.00
			
TOTAL					$416.19
Cost per mile 				$0.555
Cheaper than the move with the cargo van!

All-in-all a fun road trip. Moving can be like a holiday. I had a steak dinner. Stayed at an old rustic lodge up in the mountains. The only hard part is loading and unloading.

The truck only cost $94.05, because Budget wanted to move trucks from City A, where the demand was low, to City B, where the demand was high. So the whole move cost 55.5 cents per mile. Cheaper than the cargo van!

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 8:03 am
by Watty
Kennedy wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:32 pm Is there anything I haven't considered?
One more thought.

It might make sense to ship the smaller boxes one way, like priority mail, and then ship the large boxes a different way.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 8:14 am
by graeme
Could you purchase a trailer to hold at least some of the boxes, drive with that and your normal vehicle, and then sell the trailer afterward?

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 8:31 am
by MillennialFinance19
You could buy a small 5x8 trailer and just keep it. Small trailers come in handy!

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:11 am
by Big Dog
UPS or Fedex Ground, particularly if you have a discount from one of them.. You can pickup specialized boxes from either, or a U-haul place to pack yourself.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:33 am
by grayfox
Then there was the time me and my father had to drive a truck full of stuff from Florida up north. It was about 1,600+ miles. I remember getting stopped by a southern Sheriff in a small-town in Georgia. He let us off with a warning. Then we rode on the Blue Ridge Parkway and saw all kinds beautiful vistas. We went though Johnson City. Some hollows in the hills looked like the 1930s Appalachia. I'm sure there were Moonshiners there.

:idea: What I'm trying to tell you is that this is an opportunity for a great road trip. Some of my greatest adventures was while moving stuff across the country. You see many interesting sights in far away places, meet people new people, learn about the country. These are great experiences.

Road trips. I wish I had to move a dozen boxes 1,000 miles. It would be an excuse to rent a truck and go on a great adventure. If you don't take it, you are missing out.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 1:33 pm
by p14175
Have you priced out Greyhound for shipping?

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 1:42 pm
by dm200
Kennedy wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:32 pm Any suggestions as to the most economical way to move a small load (maybe 12 boxes mostly small and medium size, no furniture) 1000 miles?
Traditional moving companies are quoting me around $1600. I can't find a place that will rent me a larger van for a one way trip. Renting a 12 foot truck plus gas, hotels, meals, insurance and flight home will cost me $1200 plus over two days on the road. That sounds like over-kill for just a few boxes. Renting a larger SUV (one way) from Alamo or the like will also cost me around $1200 with gas, hotels, meals, flight home, and I'm not even sure everything would fit.
I'm looking into sending them UPS, but several of the boxes are a large mirror size, and the cost will be high. I'm waiting for a final quote.
Is there anything I haven't considered?
Will these fit into a rental minivan? I suspect that different mini-vans may have different dimensions and capacities -

Even if they all do not fit, then maybe ship the remaining boxes UPS, etc.

Try to drive straight through to save on expenses as well.

Maybe, as well, drive the rental minivan back home.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 1:46 pm
by DanMahowny
Throw it all in the trash.

The things you own end up owning you.

If this art was really that important, or loved, you would pay the price to move it without second thought.

Free yourself man.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 2:57 pm
by MJS
I have not tried the "Uber-for-Shipping" service GoShare,
https://www.goshare.co/, but you might check their terms and estimate.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 3:02 pm
by dm200
Perhaps, with the driving options, there might be someone you could find to do all, or most of, the driving - perhaps at a modest charge.

Also, there might be someone, locally, that has a vehicle with the needed capacity that could do this for a more affordable charge.

I suspect there are likely to be such folks, but the difficulty is finding them.

Ask around, as well as notices on various bulletin boards in the neighborhood. I would target bulletin boards seen by many lower income folks.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 4:03 pm
by iamlucky13
I've never had to book it personally, since at work we have a shipping department who does so, but in the commercial world, we'd box it up in a crate and book a less-than-truckload (LTL) shipment with a freight carrier. UPS is one such carrier, although usually on the pricier side.

The minimum I'd send, depending on what is being shipped and how well packed the boxes are, if you're not comfortable building a crate or have trouble finding one to buy, is using several layers of heavy cling wrap to secure everything to it, and/or some inexpensive nylon tie-down straps.
DanMahowny wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 1:46 pm If this art was really that important, or loved, you would pay the price to move it without second thought.
The fact that it is important should not cause a person to want to spend money on it without any thought given to whether the same end can be achieved more efficiently.

There is a very large middle ground in between eschewing all but the true necessities or any form of sentimentality, and being owned by your possessions. Likewise, a very large middle ground between not caring at all, and caring above all else.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 6:31 pm
by JoeRetire
Kennedy wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:32 pm Is there anything I haven't considered?
Borrow a van from a friend.
Drive yourself.
Sleep in the van. Pack lots of sandwiches and beer.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 6:44 pm
by tigerdoc93
Why not rent a small uhaul trailer?

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 1:30 pm
by Phineas J. Whoopee
I don't know particulars today, but years ago when I faced a similar issue I investigated and concluded sending them UPS was the least expensive. All arrived where addressed, and on the same day at the same time. USPS would have been a little more money, but I'm sure they would have been reliable.

It cost far less than renting a truck or trailer would have. I investigated those possibilities too. I didn't even bother with moving companies.

If faced with the same problem today I'd investigate shipping and other options today.

PJW

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 11:38 am
by IMO
Kennedy wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:32 pm Any suggestions as to the most economical way to move a small load (maybe 12 boxes mostly small and medium size, no furniture) 1000 miles?

Traditional moving companies are quoting me around $1600. I can't find a place that will rent me a larger van for a one way trip. Renting a 12 foot truck plus gas, hotels, meals, insurance and flight home will cost me $1200 plus over two days on the road. That sounds like over-kill for just a few boxes. Renting a larger SUV (one way) from Alamo or the like will also cost me around $1200 with gas, hotels, meals, flight home, and I'm not even sure everything would fit.

I'm looking into sending them UPS, but several of the boxes are a large mirror size, and the cost will be high. I'm waiting for a final quote.

Is there anything I haven't considered?
Your posts/responses are confusing me. Are you moving to this place 1000 miles away or just trying to ship 12 small/medium boxes?

I'm getting the sense that these things are going to a friend/family member who lives 1000 miles away? Or I'm I wrong and your moving but not moving with a personal vehicle?

There are different options in each case. For example, if your going to be driving there, depending on your car, you can self install a hitch for about $150 and most cars can tow a small lighter rental one-way trailer which should be ample for your 12 small/medium boxes. In this case you'd be driving your car anyway.

If your not moving, what is the timeframe involved to get the various boxes to the other location? Is it someone you'll be willing to visit a few times this year? If so, shipping a large box or 2 could be done and you could take a flight (like Southwest) take 2 boxes as luggage and pay for a few additional oversized boxes (a "bike" in a bike box is $75 each way and they don't open it at the ticket counter to verify it's a bike --TSA will security open the box but what do they care if it's a bike or not?) If this is someone your going to visit anyway, then you could this a couple times. Sure you'd spend money, but then you're not taking days on the road and you get to see this person who is getting the important boxes. Depending on the flight costs, it can be feasible to spend less than the $1600 moving cost and even less than the$1200 cost (missing work days and the road travel time).

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 11:59 am
by lazydavid
Install a hitch on your car and rent a trailer. I think the smaller UHaul trailers are like $15/day, with no mileage charges. If UPS/Fedex is as expensive as you say, this will likely turn out cheaper overall, and now you've got a "free" hitch for the next time you need to move something.

Since this is framed art, I'm presuming it's pretty light. I'd recommend adding a couple hundred pounds of weight to the trailer (bags of concrete, sand, pea gravel, whatever), as pulling an unloaded or lightly loaded trailer at highway speeds or in heavy winds is not fun.

Re: Most economical way to move small load 1000 miles

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2019 1:52 pm
by Kennedy
OP here. Special thanks to the poster who suggested looking for a discount to use with UPS. I checked, and I did indeed have a discount with an association of which I am a member. It was a whopping 30% discount on three day ground shipments!

I ended up shipping 17 boxes, half of which were large "mirror" boxes and weighed only around 12 pounds each. The other half were medium to extra large boxes weighing between 30 and 75 pounds each.

I paid the extra $12 or so (total, not per box) to have UPS pick up the lot right at my house.

Only cost me $600 with my discount. I'm thrilled! Thanks to everyone for their great suggestions.