Moving across the US

[wanderingwondering]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm moving from Boston to the Bay Area for grad school, and I'm a little intimidated by the logistics—so I was hoping to find someone here who's been through the same. I'm not moving any furniture or vehicles, just books, clothes, and electronics. Also, I'm flying home in June and moving to the Bay Area in late July, so I need some way to (1) transport lots and lots of boxes to the west coast and (2) store them for a month or two before I actually get there.

 

Does anyone know a safe and reasonably priced way to do this? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

Edited April 3, 2014 by wanderingwondering

[starstuff_synchrony]

I made a cross-country move from the east coast to the Bay Area two years ago.. for clothes and books, I highly recommend shipping via Amtrak.  It is the cheapest option you'll find ($65 for the first 100 lbs, then 57 cents per pound after that; keep each box under 50 lbs), and got all of my stuff from coast to coast in a few days, well intact.  The following post is an incredibly useful, cohesive aggregation of info on shipping with Amtrak:  http://batmanimal.com/post/38797869104/using-amtrak-to-ship-everything-you-own.  

 

The problem arises when you won't be around for a month to pick up your packages.  If you can't make an extra flight out to the Bay to move your things into a storage unit, perhaps you could find/pay a mover (ie: from Craigslist) to do so, though I would be sure to have a trusted coordinator around.  Or, you could always ship your belongings twice; once from Boston to home, and a month later from home to the Bay Area.

 

Good luck with the big move, and (an early) welcome to the Bay!

[kyjin]

I moved from Philly to the LA area last year. Basically packed as many clothes and books as I could in my two suitcases and carry-on, then purchased everything else I needed (furniture, kitchen supplies, etc.) after I found an apartment out here. I'm not really sure what to advise for sending things ahead of time but not being able to pick them up. Speak to your department and see if you can send things there early and they'll hold them for you? This may be a stretch, but my MA institution offered that for international students. (I was moving from the US to Canada then.) 

 

If you send things home first and then move books from there to the West Coast, one suggestion is sending them slowly. When I was home over Christmas, I packed about ten of the USPS priority rate flat rate boxes, filled them with books, addressed them, and left them at home. My parents send one or two whenever they remember to, so every now and then I get more books in the mail. I believe its about $15 for each of the large boxes now, and you can fill them with as much as you want. (My last box weighed about thirty pounds(!)) 

 

Good luck!

[maelia8]

I'm with kyjin. Unless you have a whole lot of furniture and apartment supplies that you want to bring with you, I'd try to fit it in two suitcases and a carry-on. Anything else you can just buy there, and if you're moving in with roommates, chances are they already have most of the things you'll need, aside from your personal bedroom furniture. Bonus: since you're moving to the Bay Area, intense winter clothing is not necessary, so unless you plan on going to Tahoe to ski every weekend, you can leave that stuff at home (I'm from the Bay Area and now live in a place with actual winter, so I speak from experience). As someone who has moved across oceans several times in the last ten years, each time reducing my worldly possessions to two full suitcases, I can confidently tell you that you don't need half of the things that you think you need. 

[The Wayfarer]

I made a cross-country move from the east coast to the Bay Area two years ago.. for clothes and books, I highly recommend shipping via Amtrak.  It is the cheapest option you'll find ($65 for the first 100 lbs, then 57 cents per pound after that; keep each box under 50 lbs), and got all of my stuff from coast to coast in a few days, well intact.  The following post is an incredibly useful, cohesive aggregation of info on shipping with Amtrak:  http://batmanimal.com/post/38797869104/using-amtrak-to-ship-everything-you-own.  

 

The problem arises when you won't be around for a month to pick up your packages.  If you can't make an extra flight out to the Bay to move your things into a storage unit, perhaps you could find/pay a mover (ie: from Craigslist) to do so, though I would be sure to have a trusted coordinator around.  Or, you could always ship your belongings twice; once from Boston to home, and a month later from home to the Bay Area.

 

Good luck with the big move, and (an early) welcome to the Bay!

 

Never thought of this but seems like a great idea. I've always had enjoyable experiences with Amtrak so this may be the way to go for my move from PA to Kansas!

[KingScilla]

A few more tips:

 

Media mail is great for ALL things media. It applies to books, movies, games, magazines, all that shiz. And its charged per pound so you could get a pretty substantial box full for cheap.

 

It's almost ALWAYS cheaper to send less boxes. If a package costs 90$ to ship but its a lot of possessions that you could split into 2 boxes- don't do it.

 

Large boxes shipped UPS or FEDEX have a "dimensional weight". Meaning a box that is 24^3 has a "D Weight" of 96 pounds (just an estimate, I can't remember off the top of my head ), therefore you can put up to 96lbs of stuff in that box for the same price as putting 10lbs in it. Shipping UPS Ground is your friend. Can be verrry slow, but is usually cheaper lb for lb than USPS. USPS is going bankrupt for a reason. Plus all UPS packages are insured for free up to 100$ (1.70$ per hundred after that).

 

Some stores have freight options too if need be, but I'd avoid this. They use a 3rd party freighter to pack it so you are paying the difference.

 

I managed a UPS store so I may have other tips to post as I remember them.

Happy Packing!

[wanderingwondering]

Sorry for not responding earlier—midterms.   Thanks everyone!! That's all very helpful. 

[rising_star]

There's a bunch of old threads on here about moving across country, several of which began around this time last year. Lots of advice in those about moving in just your car, by flying out to the new destination, renting a truck, and using a service (basically any option you can think of). Checking those should help.