Everything I learned about the (v sketch) moving industry in my remote move from LA to ATX

In January 2020, I put everything to my name into a storage unit in LA thinking I was going to be living in the South of France for a handful of months on a cooking school sabbatical. (Ouch, that still hurts to think about what could have been!)

COVID entered the scene and what I thought would be an IRL Emily In Paris situation turned into me moving back to my hometown to live with my parents at the age of 28 – accidentally/unintentionally unemployed and with a whole lot of, “Wait what?” whiplash. (Deep dive into that WTF saga here).

BUT PEOPLE… WE HAVE AN APARTMENT AND HAVE MOVED TO AUSTIN, TX.

Yee-to-the-haw!

I just made the fully remote (woof, thank you COVID) move from LA to Austin, TX. Let me tell you… the moving industry is the wild Wild West y’all. I learned a lot in the process and dodged more than a few scammers (which are scarily common in that industry).

Putting them all below so you can avoid the baddies too & not make the same little mistakes here and there that I did!

1. Box labeling system

My dear friend Georgia has moved many times in her life (like Australia to Canada to LA kind of moves). She helped me pack in LA (honestly, one of the most kind and thoughtful ways you can show up for a friend going through a big transition) and insisted I use her system –

step one

Do not label boxes with “kitchen,” “desk,” or worst yet “jewelry.”

Instead label each one with a simple number on a big bright post it note you could easily spot from inside a dark storage unit.

step two

In the notes in your phone, write what is inside each box number.

step three

Easily share the note with anyone who will be acting on your behalf or is helping you get something out from afar!

It seriously saved my life!

I visited my unit a few times and it was so easy to bop in, know exactly which box the small/random item I was looking for was and bop right on out. No digging or sweating necessary.

I also ended up mailing my key to my sweet friend (Rachel, ty endlessly) so she could be there while a mover pulled everything out and shipped it to me in Texas. The system made it so easy for me to just shoot over numbers of what was fragile and should go on top (my grandmother’s china and expensive shoes), what might have extra space and could be consolidated, and what they could be rough with (books, metal pans, etc.).

Time is money in the moving industry, so movers not having to open them each up and figure it out saved me literal hundreds of dollars.

2. Storage unit Do’s

1. Book online! It is cheaper online than in person (from the mouth of the storage unit facility, she literally sent me home to do it online because she saw I could save a lot of money/month that way).

2. Buy a de-humidifier for the unit. It’s cheap and looks like cat litter in a bucket lol, but keeps your fabric things as un-musty as possible.

3. Ask if a unit is available near the door and on the first level. Again – time is money. If you are on the first level and near a door you will be moved in by a mover a lot fast than on the third floor and way in the back.

4. Ask if your unit has a light in it. If not, get a battery powered push button light off of Amazon. It will be pitch black in there without it so having it on hand the day you move in is so so helpful!

3. POD v. Shipping Companies v. UHaul

Okay moving out of CA when there is alleged exodus from the state was no joke. Demand was way way too high for supply, so prices were extra insane and there were literally zero UHauls available. Like in the state. Zero!!!

It was to the point where I thought I was going to have to give up my apartment in Austin and wait till it calmed down because it would cost $7K-$10K to get my very small amount of things here… and I wouldn’t even see it until 60+ days time. Like what?!

Luckily – I found PODS and got all my things from LA to Austin in only a week for $2,500. Honestly not crazy much more than a local move. I was thrilled.

Here is what I learned about each option in all my research and thanks to the friendly people on the South Bay’s Nextdoor app.

Trucking

This is a can of worms and where most of the scammers are.

Upsides:

There’s no DIY element. None of the driving (UHaul) or picking up boxes (UHaul & PODS) is on you to do after you sign the contract.

Downsides:

Usually takes 2-3 months to get to you on the receiving end.
They price by weight and square-foot so often what you are quoted to pay is not what you’ll owe on the receiving end. It’s a lot of estimating because hello, who knows exactly how much their couch weighs? So you end up owing thousands more when your things are delivered. I had so many people DM me on Nextdoor urging me to steer clear of this with horror stories of their things being held hostage and the companies refusing to take it off the truck until they sent $3K-$5K more *on top of what they already paid. Can you even imagine?!
They work off of a behind the scenes contracting system –– so the big company you hire will have individuals and smaller moving companies looking for business bid on your things. You’ll have one company pick it up and take it to the big warehouse, another put it on their truck, and another deliver it from the receiving end’s warehouse to your new home. So many on and off trucks = way more opportunities for things to get damaged or lost.
Really poor insurance! Things moving long distances = of course something might get broken. They also base damage claims off of weight. I had someone on Nextdoor tell me their super super expensive big screen TV was delivered shattered and they go $10 back for it because it was light-weight. Sooooo bad!
Crooks! Literally all of them have bad reviews and insane claims with the Better Business Bureau. I couldn’t find one with good ones. Not one!

UHaul

Upsides

You control everything. If things break or get lost it’s on you.
They let you have it for 5 days so if you want to take your sweet time to road trip or pack it up, you’re not at the mercy of the clock.

Downsides

You have to drive a lot lot slower than you expect when towing!
It’s all based on supply and demand. It was going to cost me $4K *IF one became available going from CA to TX. However, I have a friend moving from TX to CA and hers is less than $300. It’s like they’re almost paying her to bring one in this direction haha!
You still have to pay for the gas… so factor that in when you’re budgeting for a move.

PODS

Upsides

Amazing customer service – so kind, professional, and easy to get a hold of a real person.
Available in all states!
You rent them by the month like a storage unit, so you can put it in your driveway and take as long as you need to pack.
Amazing insurance. They have $10,000 insurance included automatically. The rep I worked with shared they only have a 1% claim rate because of the system they use to move the PODS. They are never tipped or shaken so nothing really gets damaged if you pack it well and use the ties already built inside to lock things down.
Way faster than trucking companies. I got my things in a week (versus the trucking companies who said it would be 60 days best case scenario)
Contactless!

Downsides

I honestly don’t think there was one! So happy with it and feeling so so blessed to have been able to move for only $2,500 and work with an honest company to do so!

4. What questions you need to ask when trying to find a non-sketchy mover (& how to avoid hidden fees)

I used movers to load the POD since I couldn’t fly into LA with COVID exploding and there being a mandatory lockdown + quarantine for incoming travelers at the time. Use these questions to vet a good local mover!

Do you have a minimum hour requirement? (Three hours is totally normal… but it’s possible to find ones that don’t!)
Is there a travel fee? (This is rarely mentioned up front and will tack $100-$200 onto the final bill unexpectedly.)
Is there a gas fee? (Same applies here)
How big is your company? Will you be on site that day or will you be sending a team? (I like to work with a mover that is super small. I want the owner there because they really will care about the experience.)
Do you offer a discount if I pay cash?

**Important!!!

(And such a Larry Price move lol)

If you pay cash (literal green, but sometimes they’ll take Zelle), they don’t have to report it on their taxes or take the credit card company fee. You can easily haggle them down even further if they’re open to it!

My dad is the ultimate haggler and I picked it up really early by going to markets in Mexico and talking with vendors. (He’s never been so proud than when I was seven and pretending to walk away over a little bracelet haha.)

*Honestly this works for big purchases basically everywhere that is locally owned. Won’t work at a Best Buy, but 100% will work at a local furniture, mattress, or art store.

*Ask for recommendations on NextDoor. People will have the good, bad, and ugly there and are so helpful!

5. How much to tip a mover?

This is not a restaurant. 5%-10% is the norm! 20% of an already $600 - $1,000 move is different than 20% for the price of a burger.

Having water bottles on hand is also so appreciated by them!

6. Unpacking…

Okay I avoided a lot of pitfalls, but this was my biggest mistake during the move.

I immediately put boxes in each of the new rooms of my new place right off the bat. It turned into an overwhelming process where there was mess EVERYWHERE. I couldn’t relax for a week+ because I just do not thrive in a mess lol.

Place the big furniture in the right rooms, but keep the boxes all in a pile in one central room. Then you have the construction zone consolidated to one area and can find respite in the other areas.

Have any tips of your own? Please share below!