Does anyone have connections in the moving business.

 

I'm in the process of getting my ducks in a row so that I'm prepared if I happen to land a job in Florida. I've been looking around at the various options for moving my stuff from NJ to the Tampa, Florida area and I'm getting a wide range of prices.

 

One company quoted me 800 dollars for 300 Cu. Ft. of space for them to move the stuff I believe in a Pod like device to Florida, to prices of using a u-haul and driving myself at 1400 dollars. The company actually called POD quoted me 2200 dollars which I laughed at.

 

Just curious if anyone has connections or knows someone that could either give me a better price or lead me in a better direction.

 

At 800-1000 dollars it's almost worth it for me to sell my gun safe, leave my bed in Jersey, leave my reloading bench, and stuff my guns in my trunk along with my reloading stuff in my car and just driving down to Florida and buying all new stuff when I get down there. But if someone can get me a better deal it might be worth it to take my stuff with me which I would rather do.

 

Thanks for any help in advance.

M

I'll tell you if it just a safe, reloading bench and a bed, I would see what you could get for them in the for sale section here. Figure even if you get 50 cents on the dollar your at least 800 bucks in the green over moving the stuff down there with the cheapest offer you listed, and that alone can buy a bed and reloading bench, and the money from the sale of this stuff should more than make up the difference and supply you with a nicer safe.

Watch you back on this. Many companies farm the move out to real questionable contractors. Ask if they are doing the move. I have a bad story from a student on this. Stuff never arrived, no insurance.

My advise is to take what you need and/ or maybe get a u-haul van. The safe has use down there and you can easily just put it on a pallet and have it shipped for like $100. Brings your guns and reloading stuff with you and build a bench when your there.

You can rent a one way uhaul too and drive all the way there at a governed 50 mph! Could you imagine?

You can rent a one way uhaul too and drive all the way there at a governed 50 mph! Could you imagine?

 

and a buck per mile...

well, I have no idea of rates like this. I always owned a truck for these things. Never rented vans etc...lol

Renting a uhaul is out of the question. Their 10ft box truck comes out to more than a dollar a mile, plus you still gotta buy gas, that to me is ridiculous especially in this economy.

 

The other idea I had was selling my G6 (which I want to do anyway) buying a Jeep Cherokee, and buying a small 5x8 utility trailer and bringing everything I own down at once.

 

The biggest thing is, if I have to buy a new bed, that's easily 600-1000 dollars easily. So if I can get a reputable company to move my stuff for 800 at the most I'd probably consider it because buying a utility trailer will set me back about 400 dollars by itself.

I do not see you getting a moving co to do it that cheap..

Here is an idea, rent a big ass SUV one way to Florida. unlimited mileage. Or a van.

Step 1- Buy a trailer, preferably inexpensive, look on craigslist.

Step 2- Move

Step 3- Sell it when you get there. Craigslist again. You can even list it before you leave,

 

This is the way to do it. Even if you lose a few bucks on the trailer who cares.

Problem is currently I don't have a vehicle I can tow 1300 miles with. So I would have to sell my G6 and pickup a Cherokee, which isn't a big deal but it is a process.

This is where being married comes in handy, i go on vacation we arrive open up the suit case and the whole dam house is their..

Step 1- Buy a trailer, preferably inexpensive, look on craigslist.

Step 2- Move

Step 3- Sell it when you get there. Craigslist again. You can even list it before you leave,

 

This is the way to do it. Even if you lose a few bucks on the trailer who cares.

 

I wish I had done that hen I moved, I did buy a trailer new from Homedepot and moved everything myself but that was from one town to the next town over. It did save me a lot of coin and I was able to sell the trailer for about a 150 dollar loss on a 600 dollar trailer so I still think I made out well, plus I needed it to move my toolbox, and the top and bottom probably weigh a little over a 1000lbs.

This is where being married comes in handy, i go on vacation we arrive open up the suit case and the whole dam house is their..

 

Your lucky you not married to someone like my OL, well that is unless you want to only have 50 pairs of shoes, tight pants and skirts to wear when you get there.

 

I'll tell ya, she can bring more shoes on a 1 or 2 week vacation than I have probably owned in my life.

If it comes down to having to sell your safe, keep me in mind.

Matt, being you put this out here and are getting different ideas, maybe you should list what you need to move and just post it here as you just looking to see if there would be any interest from the members here, put it out so we all know that your just testing the waters to make your final decision on if you move it or sell it and go from there.

 

It can't hurt to do that, and could be a win-win for all involved.

I don't think I'd have any problems selling really anything at this point, but I don't want to really put feelers out as I don't know if this is going to happen next week or 6 months from now or even longer with this crazy job market we are in right now.

 

But if I did decide to take minimal things I'd be looking to sell a 36 gun safe, a gun cabinet which was turned into a ammo locker, my reloading bench, a sailboat, my bed (don't know if people even buy used beds, probably just leave that at the parents), and whatever other stuff I could come up with.

 

Though I would like to just take all of my stuff with me, that'd be the win win situation at this point I think. At least I got time to make that decision.

When I moved from Ohio, I rented a 12 foot truck from Ryder, got my Motorcycle, all the bulky stuff and did one trip. Flew back. The final trip over to NJ was just whatever fit in the car.

 

Everything else got jettisoned.

 

The fact of the matter is that moving isn't cheap. There's also an annoyance cost to all the other methods you're working at. Time also counts as a cost. The ability to get a truck and move on short notice is the premium you pay for short notice.

 

As someone else mentioned, did you look at a full size van? I suspect you could rent a cargo van for a week for 500 bucks or so. We rented one at work when ours went into the shop. $450 for the week from Enterprise. There was a mile limit. You can pack a lot of stuff in one of those.

Well I just looked up enterprise and no airport in this area has a cargo van and b/c it's a one way trip you can only take it to airports so, no good on that idea for a cargo van.

 

Renting a box truck isn't an option, its anywhere from 1000-1400 dollars just for the truck plus 500-600 dollars in gas, most definitely not an option.

Well I just looked up enterprise and no airport in this area has a cargo van and b/c it's a one way trip you can only take it to airports so, no good on that idea for a cargo van.

 

Renting a box truck isn't an option, its anywhere from 1000-1400 dollars just for the truck plus 500-600 dollars in gas, most definitely not an option.

 

Why not drive it down and back? You have to get your car anyway. Cost you an extra $150 in gas + $275 mileage fee you're all in under $1000. Maybe you can work out a mileage deal with 'em.

Stuff all the crap possible into your car, sell off the rest.

 

To save on gas/worry, drive down to DC and load your car onto the car train, and ride down to FL in style.

Why not drive it down and back? You have to get your car anyway. Cost you an extra $150 in gas + $275 mileage fee you're all in under $1000. Maybe you can work out a mileage deal with 'em.

 

Even if that truck gets 15mph which it probably won't, it'd be 300 dollars in gas each way at 3.40 a gallon of gas. It's something like 1300 miles each way. Plus I have a feeling the mileage fee will be a lot more than 275 dollars for putting 2600 miles on their vehicle for a round trip.

 

Plus there is no way I'm driving down to Florida and driving back, I will literally do that drive once in my entire life all the other times I come to NJ from Florida I'll be on a plane. I don't like driving in the car for an hour let alone 20.

 

It seems at this point my options are:

 

Sell most of my crap and drive the G6 down.

Put my stuff in a pod for 800, and drive the G6 down

Sell the G6, get a Jeep and trailer and drive down

 

Or my latest idea I just thought of, sell 99% of my stuff, sell the G6, get one a plane, have the g/f pick me up, and go out and buy a car when I get to Florida. HMMMM

Stuff all the crap possible into your car, sell off the rest.

 

To save on gas/worry, drive down to DC and load your car onto the car train, and ride down to FL in style.

 

Nick, not sure but I think there were some rules about using the Auto train and having the vehicle packed to the gills, or there was some sort of charge for the added weight IIRC.

 

I was thinking about it one time going on a bike ride and taking the OL with me. I said we can do an early breakfast here at the house, take a few hour ride down. load up on the train, eat, have fun, catch a couple zzzz's and wakeup and a short ride and were at my sister in-laws place. Sounded good but she didn't want to plan it that far out and maybe get stuck in the rain on the ride so it worked out like the other trips. I get to do the solo ride down, (heck it's only a 1 day ride on the bike) and she fly's down and meets me.

If you're going to buy a vehicle, buy a truck. Jeep = Car with big trunk. Besides buying a vehicle is foolish. You're going to lose on the sale of your current car, lose on the purchase of the new vehicle, and lose again when you sell it.

 

I say just jettison your stuff. Pack what you can in the car, pack the rest in some boxes and ship it down ups.

 

Leave the furniture, buy a futon from IKea when you get there.

Well according to UPS I could probably ship all the clothes that I own for under a 100 bucks. But that still leaves me with a bunch of guns I still need to figure out to get to Florida so I guess me flying really isn't an option, shucks that was sounding like the most enjoyable route.

If you're going to buy a vehicle, buy a truck. Jeep = Car with big trunk. Besides buying a vehicle is foolish. You're going to lose on the sale of your current car, lose on the purchase of the new vehicle, and lose again when you sell it.

 

I say just jettison your stuff. Pack what you can in the car, pack the rest in some boxes and ship it down ups.

 

Leave the furniture, buy a futon from IKea when you get there.

 

I wouldn't lose on the car because I can sell the car for almost exactly what I paid for it two years ago after adding 60k miles on the car because I got hooked up with a great deal. Secondly I say a Cherokee because I want one again to take off roading for once I get down to Florida. I may even entertain a wrangler as well so I wouldn't be selling it once I get down there.

I dunno the specifics about the car train - my sister and her husband did that when they went down to FL. I know they had them packed up.

Well according to UPS I could probably ship all the clothes that I own for under a 100 bucks. But that still leaves me with a bunch of guns I still need to figure out to get to Florida so I guess me flying really isn't an option, shucks that was sounding like the most enjoyable route.

 

I know I have been able to fly with 4 guns before, I think that maybe a single ticket maximum, if so and your in the selling mood,... well, what-ch got..

I dunno the specifics about the car train - my sister and her husband did that when they went down to FL. I know they had them packed up.

 

 

Ok, cool, nice to know for future reference even though I would rather drive.