Methods of Moving Items Cross-Country

[samman1994]

Hello everyone,

I have finally picked out a place to move into and have decided that the cheapest and easiest way for me to move my stuff will be to actually ship them. I have never used Greyhound, Amtrack, or any other method to ship my items, and I was curious how your experiences were using these services to ship your items. 

From what I've found, Amtrack is the cheapest way to move items ($100 for 100lbs), followed by Greyhound ($200 for 100lbs), and finally shipping via USPS (a lot more pricey). Items being shipped are all pretty lightweight (clothes, miscellanious items, cooking items like pots and pans, heaviest items being books), and can be put into small boxes. Everything combined is definitely less than 100lbs. Time is not an issue for me, so I don't care how long either method takes to ship my items. 

Are there any other cheap methods of moving items cross-country? For those that may have used the above services, how did you like it? How was your experience?

[TakeruK]

Just don't ship anything you really care about via these methods (e.g. sentimental things). I've heard many horror stories of students getting their boxes squashed, water damage etc. If you're just shipping textbooks etc. then I think it's worth getting insurance and taking the risk of damage, but I would not ship any books of sentimental value etc. this way.

Another possibly economical way is to take some items as checked luggage with you if you are flying to your destination. The first checked bag is usually $25 then the second is $35 and additional ones are $75 ish? The weight limit is 50 lbs, so the cost ratio is similar to Amtrak but it's much more reliable and you can take things of personal value with you directly and/or have it right away. For example, you might want to take things you need immediately with you in this manner. 

[samman1994]

No, I'd be driving there not flying. I'd trust sending them via UPS or something, so I don't think they should encounter any type of damage there. Although, if the other methods are that risky, I'll probably just ship them via UPS or something. I definitely don't want my books damaged, nor any of my other items (or have clothes get wet). 

[TakeruK]

Might be worth checking the prices but if Greyhound + insurance is cheaper than UPS, then for replaceable things (e.g. most books and clothes, except the ones with sentimental value) then I'd personally just take the risk and use the insurance money to replace damaged/lost items. I don't think these methods are *that* risky (i.e. still more likely to arrive safe than not). But a very low risk factor would still be too risky for irreplaceable sentimental things, in my opinion. But there's still some risk and I'd be fine with just buying insurance on the replaceable things. Hope that clarifies what I meant.

[Eigen]

FWIW, that's more expensive per pound than a mover. Granted, you have very little stuff but throwing this out there for other people moving.

I paid around $0.50/lb for a 1000 mile move two years ago and am paying around $0.85/lb for an 1800 mile move this summer. 

[samman1994]

Yeah I calculated it out and checked out the reviews.

Through Greyhound it's $111 for 6 boxes 3x3x3 (which is probably all I'll need), including 1k insurance. However, there are a lot of complaints and reviews that Greyhound is basically only good if you don't have any fragile items. It appears they are very rough with your items, and your items will probably get wet or potentially slightly squished in the move. Also, they have a habit of "losing" peoples items, to only have them show up weeks later. 

Through Amtrak it's $105 for 100lbs, unlimited 3x3x3 boxes (I don't have more than 100lbs of stuff), but they don't have stations where I"m going. I'll need to drive 2 hours to pick my items up (I can just pick them up with my own car). However, Amtrak seems to be pretty good in regards to transporting things undamaged. 

While I understand things can get damaged in a movie, it seems the "nightmares" are primarily from Greyhound. While sure, getting 1k insurance is nice, I'd just prefer getting my items safe and sound, even if I could buy it all new. I'm probably going to go with Amtrak if I can't find a better option.