If I don't drive, what is the best way of moving several boxes of books/supplies to grad school?

[InquilineKea]

Is http://sswstudentservices.com/homepage/default.aspx a good service? What about Amtrak?

For the record, I'll be moving from Seattle to either Chicago or somewhere on the Northeast.

[ktel]

Greyhound shipping is pretty reasonable. They don't ship to your door though so depending on how much stuff you have you might have to rent a van or hire a cab or something on either end.

[TropicalCharlie]

US Postal media mail has very reasonable rates. I moved from the mainland to Hawaii and shipped all 30 boxes via US postal service. Worked out pretty well.

[CarlieE]

How many is several? I'm renting a POD and loading everything into it and having it shipped to my final destination...

[bellefast]

How many is several? I'm renting a POD and loading everything into it and having it shipped to my final destination...

Does that ship exactly to the location or do you have to pick it up?

[michigan girl]

I definitely recommend USPS Media Mail to ship books/DVDs/CDs. Ship them in small-to-medium sized boxes so that they can be easy to lift. If they're too heavy, USPS will inspect the boxes.

[CarlieE]

Does that ship exactly to the location or do you have to pick it up?

As I understand it, the POD is delivered to your house (it's BIG so it'll generally have to sit in your parking lot or driveway) and then you load it up. Once it's all loaded, you call them to pick it up and you can either a) have it shipped directly to your new location or put it into storage and have it "re-delivered" to your new location in a month or two (or more)... You can have your entire move quoted for you; the cost depends on whether you're putting it into storage, how far away your new location is etc.

But this is really only feasible if you're moving a LOT... ie. if you only have 5 boxes, then USPS should be fine, but if you have 30 (like me) plus furniture etc then a POD might work out better..

[wannabeaphd]

+1 for media mail! We shipped 8 boxes of books when we moved across country last year. But DO NOT use boxes larger than 12x12x12, because the weight of the books insude the boxes will cause them to split open if dropped in transit.

[BlueRose]

I do not drive, and I moved myself and 6 45-lb boxes across the country by plane. I used a minivan taxi on one end to get myself to the airport, and the parents-with-a-minivan service on the other end. If you're not moving furniture, this is a serviceable option - $25 a box, thank you Virgin Air. Thought about Amtrak, but though the boxes were cheaper, the ticket for me wasn't (and would require sitting on a train for days on end).

[OldGrad2012]

What is POD shipping. I need to move my stuffs from San Jose to Riverside. What sort of services can I used?

[eco_env]

I took 3 suitcases and a backpack on the plane (southwest, so it was all free), and shipped the rest through USPS. the boxes were i ntatters when I got them, but amazingly everything was still in them, probably because I lined the boxes with palstic bags. I spent about $100 on 9 boxes, I think, 2-3 books, so those were media mail.

[mandarin.orange]

I used USPS to move about 20 boxes last spring, and 4-5 of those were media mail. I insured every single one. The total cost was about $450, going east to west coast (about 2500 mi) and they all arrived intact.

At the time, I determined that their rate was best. However, if I were you, I'd shop around again, with recent changes to the USPS - rates are set to increase while their services (e.g. speed of delivery, number of POs and shipping locations) decline. POD did not deliver to my address at the time, and I didn't have enough stuff to fill one.

[CarlieE]

What is POD shipping. I need to move my stuffs from San Jose to Riverside. What sort of services can I used?

PODS is a name brand - there are other companies who do this kind of moving too. A POD or RELOCUBE or whatever they choose to call it, is a cube container which the moving company delivers to your door. You can take your time to load it up, then lock it, and then call the moving company to take it away. You have the option then of 1) keeping it in their storage facility until you need it 2) having it delivered to your next destination. If you store it, you pay a monthly fee for the storage.

I haven't used one before but it sounds like a good way to move if you can't rent a uhaul truck or something ie. if you don't drive, or have a license etc. Or if you have a lot of stuff to move. I've got stuff - I'm 30 - so I have furniture etc. But I have to say, it's not cheap - your quote depends on where and when you're moving - their prices fluctuate with gas prices and distance so you just have to see if its feasible for you..

[wannabeaphd]

I don't think I;d use it from San Jose to Riverside... PODS is a pretty expensive service! I sold all my furniture and bought all new for much less than the price of a POD.

[Sigaba]

I would not trust USPS with my books unless I had the resources/budget to pack those books very carefully.

MOO, a better way to go is UPS ground. Yes, it will cost more and sometimes one's peace of mind is worth paying extra.

IRT paying extra fees for boxes as additional baggage, that can work well. However, I do recommend planning things out very carefully and preparing for hidden costs (i.e. tips for porters and cabbies).

Lastly, given the state of global affairs and the vagaries of the TSA, make sure you double check the regulations and make sure that you're in compliance. The TSA does the best that it can (or so I'd like to think) but the check points are not always staffed by the sharpest spoons in the drawer.

[michigan girl]

I still think USPS Media Mail is a great deal for books/music/DVDs. However, if I was shipping valuable items like clothes and kitchen appliances, I would highly recommend FedEx or UPS for peace of mind.

[InquilineKea]

Wow I see - thanks for all the helpful advice, everyone!

What about electronics like external hard drives? And what about fragile items? (like maybe childhood items that I might be a bit sentimental about?)

Hmm - and should I pack everything into boxes before I move in? (and then get my parents to deliver the stuff to the post office so that I won't need a second trip back home?)

Also, is it possible to ship my books in something like this?

Edited March 10, 2012 by InquilineKea

[ktel]

You should definitely keep anything important or fragile on your person when you travel there yourself. Whether or not you could use the above container typically depends on the dimensions.

[NinjaMermaid]

Check Fedex Ground - I once shipped 3 giant tubs (like the ones you have pictured) which weighed roughly 50 pounds each. They all cost $35 to get to CA from TX and were insured for $1000. They arrived safely - I NEVER have problems with fedex.

[InquilineKea]

Wow - that's incredibly amazing! Thanks!

[NinjaMermaid]

OOPS! I should mention they were $35 EACH (sorry I was exhausted yesterday)- but still.. that's ridiculously cheap compared to anyone else I checked with. =)

ALSO - you have the option of using fedex freight if your items are just too much to separate into a few tubs.

[msafiri]

In addition to PODS, U-Haul offers a moving service that is similar, as do some of the moving companies. I believe my friend moved cross-country with ABF, a freight company, last year though I have no idea what the price was. Other options might be checking to see what Penske, Budget, etc. currently offer. Oh, and there's websites you can use to get moving quotes and read reviews on moving companies.

Personally, I've never had a problem shipping books thousands of miles using USPS Media Mail. All I've done is try to minimize the gaps between books (sometimes using newspaper or plastic bags to do this) and using small to medium-sized boxes. I'm not sure why someone suggested that you'd have to be super careful but, this could also be because I don't own any rare first editions or anything.

InquilineKea, I think a lot of it depends on how much you have to move vs. how much you want to move. I've moved 1000+ miles several times and each time I've decided to start over on the furniture front because it would be cheaper than mailing things. When I moved 1300+ miles by flying, I put my clothes into suitcases, my electronics into my carry-on bag so I could protect them from damage, and shipped my books. Granted, I did this back when bags flew free on all airlines but it was definitely cheaper than the alternatives, particularly because I was traveling with another person (so four free checked bags).

[InquilineKea]

Okay - thanks very much for the additional advice! Yeah - I had totally forgot about how to ship my clothes - that's something else that I'm going to have to prepare for.

Edited March 23, 2012 by InquilineKea

[UnlikelyGrad]

Also, is it possible to ship my books in something like this?

I would worry about whether or not that would hold the weight of your books.

But if it can, shippers generally don't mind. (We FedEx equipment in ice chests and Rubbermaid Action Packers all the time. In fact, Action Packers seem to be the oceanographer's shipping container of choice.)