Options for shipping furniture
When it comes to moving furniture long distance cheaply, most people will use one of these four methods:
Self-moving service
You load the furniture into a truck or container, and an experienced driver moves it to its new home —normally with quick transit times. If you’re moving at least one room’s worth of furniture, this is a great option. It’s affordable, and you don’t have to drive it.
Parcel shipments
With this option, you box up the furniture and take it to the shipping store. Parcel shipping is a good solution for a single small item, but due to the cost of packing materials and the fact that the price is based on the box’s dimensions and weight, it normally isn’t a cost-effective way to ship large furniture or multiple pieces.
Furniture delivery companies
Some services will pick up and drop off single pieces of furniture, sort of like ride-sharing for oversized items. The cost depends on distance and size, but the important thing to be aware of is that the furniture could be transferred (moved from vehicle to vehicle) multiple times in transit. The more it’s handled, the more risk there is for damage.
Truck rental
You pack and load the furniture into a rental truck and drive it yourself to its destination. If it’s a state-to-state move that’s a fairly short distance (like less than 200 miles) this may be an affordable option, but because you’ll have to pay for fuel, it may not be ideal for long distances where you’re moving a lot of furniture. Not to mention the cost of your time to drive.
Moving just one piece of furniture?
In some cases, it may be cheaper to sell and repurchase it at destination. If it’s sentimental or high-value, it might be worth it to pay for a parcel service — just be sure to pack it according to their guidelines, so it arrives in good condition.
How to make furniture shipping as cheap and easy as possible
As we mentioned, self-moving services are ideal for shipping at least one room of furniture. And
U-Pack
is a great option for this. We’ll deliver our equipment to your home, you load the furniture into as little as 5 linear feet in the moving trailer or one ReloCube® container, then we’ll deliver it to the new location. Delivery typically takes 2-5 business days.
Learn more about what makes
U-Pack
one of the cheapest ways to move
.
Here are some ways you can lower the cost even more:
Load or unload at a local service center.
While most
U-Pack
shipments are delivered door-to-door, you can make it even cheaper by loading or unloading (or both) the furniture at a local service center.
Use the right packing materials.
Avoid costly damage by using plenty of protective supplies like paper padding, stretch wrap and moving blankets when packing, and pay extra attention to corners, weak areas and the polish/finishing.
Load high and tight.
U-Pack
prices are based on space, and using it wisely can help reduce costs. Take full advantage of moving equipment’s height — just be sure the furniture can be loaded on-end (if that’s necessary) and use lots of ropes and straps to secure it during transit.
Check rates for your move
If you have furniture that needs to be moved long distance, get a free online quote from
U-Pack
—it's easy and affordable.
Need more info to decide if
U-Pack
is right for you?
Learn more about moving long distance with
U-Pack
.
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