Moving Help 4 You October 24, 2009
We’d all love a fairy godmother when it comes to the actual move! The boxes alone are enough to drive you around the bend!
You’re moving! Yay! So much to be excited about. And then? You gasp and think “where to start?” 
You’re wondering what the best option is for you – whether to do it yourself or hire a mover to take care of it for you.
You can hire a professional mover or go the U-Haul route. So many people move each year. Just think of all the boxes needed for moving. Since we have become more conscientious about trying to recycle to go green, there is a new concept in moving that is getting off the ground right now in the San Francisco Bay area called ZippGo which uses boxes made out of recycled materials and can be used up to 400 times. They provide the boxes and you pack them. They will then deliver them to your destination, you unpack, and they will pick up the boxes from your new address when ready. This will be worth checking out for many. A comment by one gal who didn’t own a car said she liked the idea as it saved her walking home daily from work with big ol’ boxes in hand.
If going with a professional mover, get two or three estimates and know that they are comparing apples to apples.
Obtain the movers’ handbook from the mover.
Talk to them up front about coverage if anything gets damaged. Make certain you know how your belongings are covered. (by pound weight* or replacement value) *Realize that an antique chair doesn’t weight much but may have great value. If they reimburse you for the weight of the chair, it will not cover the value of the chair.)
Have you thought of shrink wrapping your furniture to protect it from moisture damage or scratches?
Garage sales before moving day can certainly reduce what you have to move and put money in your pocket. Just be very careful you aren’t selling some valuable art work for $2! And check pockets or clothing before selling. How often do we find money in articles of clothing we haven’t worn for awhile?
Take special care with those things that can not be replaced. There may even be some things you will want to keep in your possession. As hard as movers try to do the best job, it’s not always possible.
We look forward to hearing from you to know how we can advocate your move.
Great idea to use boxes made of recycled materials and then reuse the boxes with drop-off and pick-up service to boot. Also a great idea to have a fairy godmother to help with the move–that would be ReloMary, right?
Correct, Linda! So great to see you here!! Let me know if you know of anyone who could use some assistance…I’m interested in delivering “silver winged service” – a new twist on “red carpet!”
A mover’s handbook?? Wow. I have moved some 17-18 times in my life, and no one gave me a mover’s handbook!
This is feedback I got from a friend who wished to remain anonymous. His is but one of many horrendous stories out there about how things CAN go awry when moving. Let us help you avoid such a scenario. ~ReloMary
“I had a horrible experience with a moving company. They loaded my possessions on their truck and then extorted money from me to get them back. What was supposed to cost me $750, they charged me double. I called the police but they said that it was a “civil” matter and they could not get involved. My leather furniture was ruined. I sued them in small claims court and prevailed, however, I have not received and payment for my judgment.”
hi Mary!
I have moved a few times when my kids were young. Here are a few tips that helped me!
1)pack all the bedding for you children’s beds (and your own!) in the dressers that go in their rooms. Makes late night room set up alot easier after a long day of moving!
2) always have an open me first box where you keep the coffe maker, filters, coffee, sugar and ‘dry’ creamer; toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo/rinse, at least 2 towels.
Makes the morning after the night before much easier to deal with.
Those are my 2 favorites!
Take care Mary!
Mary:
Great Article people that are moving never think about all the details involved like you listed them about replacement value, handbook etc… that is why it is important to seek a professional like yourself it saves a lot of damage, and heartache later on.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ReloMary, Bill Nigh. Bill Nigh said: RT @ReloMary Moving Links 4 You – like having fairy godmother 2 help u move: http://tinyurl.com/yllla7j @BillNigh [...]
The only thing I can contribute to this is to state that some folks are much (MUCH) more gifted or interested in doing a good job of packing (and unpacking, let’s face it). There are SOME who can do moves by their lonesome, but I don’t know what percentage they might comprise.
As Sahar has said, there are so many details, and the responsibilities range all over the place, from liability stuff, to just basically making sure something doesn’t get broken when it is physically moved. There’s all sorts of concerns. When in doubt, delegate that function to someone who can provide indemnification and performance.
Hi Mary,
I would also recommend people check on the moving company’s policy regarding taking things apart (bed frames, bookshelves, mirror attached to dresser, etc.). In our state (WA) anything the movers take apart to move, they *must* put back together at your new home.
Laurie Lamoureux
Chief Box Opener
Out of the Box Unpacking/Organizing
http://www.WeKnowWhereToStart.com
A Ton of Fantastic Information Here!!
I have been in my home for over twenty five years. Thus I have accumulated a Ton of stuff. If or when I decide to move, either across town or across country, these tips will come in handy.
I never would have thought to shrink wrap the furniture. I never would considered the possibility of a fly-by-night mover; but it makes complete sense.
A yard/garage sale, I have thought of. This is a fantastic way to reduce the size of a move. If you don’t have time for a yardsale, consider looking for someone to sell your unwanted items for you. in Honesdale, Pennsylvania is one fine example. You can send your items to Beth Ann DeVriese, she will display the items in her shop. When they sell, you will get your money. You have to be aware, places such as this may charge a small fee to store your items each month. This may be taken out of the final selling cost or paid monthly. You have to work it out with the shop owner.
But the first thing I will do is call ReloMary at Moving Links 4 You.
Cheers,
Dan
Hi Mary! Wonderful article. Thank you for sharing ZippGo with all your readers. We feel truly blessed to be involved in a business that helps to preserve our planet. All your moving tips are right on point.
Cheers,
Ash Sud
Founder of ZippGo
http://www.ZippGo.com
Hi Mary!
I wanted to let you and your readers know about how I feel about Zippgo.
I invented this business model over 5 years ago by detoxing landfills and developing an entire new green way to pack and move without trashing the planet.
Rentagreenbox.com services the San Francisco Area for commercial moves (we have completed over 178 in the last 16 months). By Summer of 2010, I will be able to service most residential moves.
One thing I do want to point out to you and your blog readers is the INTEGRITY of ZippGo and their polyester offer.
I called Ash a few weeks ago after one of my customers called me and said hey why did you change your business name?
I was like, what? We’re Rentagreenbox.com and then I learned about Zippgo. Oh MY! Wow it’s this guy for real?
I called a few times and after 5 attempts, I finally got ahold of Ash and asked him the simple question “Why would you steal all of my copywrited and protected content, ideas and overall look and feel of my website?”
Why would you say that your ZippGo box is recycled when it’s made from virgin plastic? Why would you and Zippgo Greenwash my concept?
Here’s his recycled box.. it can be recycled at some point, but see for yourself:
http://reusabletranspack.com/templates/web%20special-271712-242012-211512-totes-052808.html
He was a bit cloudy about his plagiarism and blamed it the web guy and said he planning on a rewrite… 4 weeks later.. nothing has changed.
He had a lot of blaming to do and took no responsibility. Zero. None. I even offered to sell him some of our green products and the more we have learned about Zippgo, I just can’t do business with a phoney.
To me and other green business leaders, it’s just highly unethical and Zippgo lacks the integrity based on the egregious copywrite infrigement of my company and concept. Zippgo equals Greenwashed.
I have been detoxing landfills for over 5 years and have made over 50,000 Recopacks to date. In this time, we have won countless awards and the prestigious 2008 Govenors’ Environmental and Economic Leadership Award ( GEELA) for new market technologies in recycling. Last week we won the 2009 California Cool Climate ” Small Business of the Year Award”.
We’re in this business to do the right thing which is to change the way America pack and moves without trashing the planet.
I have made a huge impact by doing the right thing 18 hours a day for the past 5 years and want to make sure that the consumer is not taken advantage by a fake offer.
I hope that your readers see for themselves and use Rentagreenbox.com instead of supporting a unethical greenwashed business like ZippGO!
Sincerley Green,
Spencer Brown
founder of Rentagreenbox.com
inventor of the Recopack
1.888.900.7225