Moving cross country

[Margalis]

Last moving-related topic I swear. Any advice on moving cross country? I'm thinking I should just sell / give away most of my stuff. I can't drive cross country myself towing a trailer or anything like that. It seems like my options are to either get rid of most of my stuff and ship the rest through the mail or hire a cross-country moving company.

In particular I have a lot of books. There's no way they'd fit in a one-bedroom apartment anyway. So even if I were to hire cross country movers it would be silly to move them all, but I'm not sure how to get rid of them either. Most of them are not in great condition.

Edit: In case you can't tell I'm a helpless baby when it comes to real life stuff.

[JWIV]

For books, I believe the usual tactic is to find the cheapest bulk rate shipping available and mail them to yourself at the new address.  But really, unless there's stuff you aboslutely have to have, you're probably better off trying to get rid of as much as possible and shipping the rest.  If the furniture is  Ikea quality or below, you'd probably spend more shipping it than it would be to buy it new.

[Engels]

First, spend a day/week collecting the stuff you're going to give to goodwill/family/friends and the stuff that can't be put in your garbage container outside. The evening after you've more or less finished, book a uhaul pickup truck. Next morning pick up the truck. Drive home. Pick up goodwill/family/friends stuff. Drop it off. Go home. Load up the rest of the stuff to take to the city dump. Dump it. Drop off pick up truck. Go home. By now you should have no furniture left and everything else should be able to be packed up in boxes. Sleep on the floor or better yet, your mom's couch.

Any good pieces of furniture you can't find a home for with family or friends, put up a craig's list add, and put a price above $75 for it (Anything lower brings out the wackos). Absolutely insist that they have to pick it up. Do not waste time haggling.

[Selby]

If you are moving for money\a good job, you can likely afford to leave behind crap furniture and whatnot.  If you are moving cross-country to be a poor student, taking as much as you can as cheaply as possible can work, or just sell\toss everything but clothes and nice electronics and then hit the local Salvation Army once you have found a place to stay. It really depends on from where to where to offer any more substantial advice.  Moving from a big city to a suburb\countryside is different than vice versa and big city to big city.  I moved from poor college town to big city and took everything with me because it was paid for.

As for books, the local libraries and various goodwill organizations will take them off your hands.

[lamaros]

You can send me all them books. Shipping to Australia might be a bitch, though...

No decent second hand book stores in your area? You can usually sell decent books for a couple of dollars where I live; more if they're rare and in decent condition, or you can pass them on to libraries or give them to secondhand shops (opportunity shops here, not sure what you call them in the US).

[Abagadro]

Ya, I donate all my books to the library just to keep them from piling up. They should take them in bulk and either pulp or repair ones that are iffy.

[NiX]

You can send me all them books. Shipping to Australia might be a bitch, though...

How many knives do you need to hide?

[Nebu]

I've moved quite a few times in the past decade.  Some tips:

1) If you haven't used it in a year and it doesn't have sentimental value, donate it or throw it out.  This goes for everything.

2) If you don't love your furniture, get rid of it. 

3) If you have more than you can fit in a car, consider a POD.

That alone has saved me a bundle.  Ok... that and always taking my spices with me.  Damn if good spices aren't expensive.

[Hawkbit]

Ya, I donate all my books to the library just to keep them from piling up. They should take them in bulk and either pulp or repair ones that are iffy.

This is always tax deductible, too.  Get a receipt. 

[Margalis]

Ok couple more points:

I am moving from Boston to LA.

My books are mostly old and not in very good condition.

The only nice furniture I have is a $500 futon.

What kind of stuff does goodwill take? I'm looking to get rid of things like an end table, an TV, air conditioner, etc.

[Nebu]

This is a little off topic, but I really admire your sense of adventure.  It's a bold change and I hope that it turns out to be a great move.

[Evildrider]

As for your books, if you aren't going to give them away to friends and such.  Look for a used book store, they will generally take them off your hands.  You won't get a huge wad of cash for them, but you'll at least get a handful of cash.

In the span of 6 years I moved from NW Indiana, to Houston for 2 years, and then to Taunton, MA for 2 years then back to Indiana.  Basically I only took what would fit in my car at the time.  Basically this meant like cd's, movies, computer, clothing, and some personal junk.  I would basically give away/sell anything else of note.  Most of it was just given away to family and friends, but any money that can help you with a move is good money.

[Broughden]

Ok couple more points:

I am moving from Boston to LA.

My books are mostly old and not in very good condition.

The only nice furniture I have is a $500 futon.

What kind of stuff does goodwill take? I'm looking to get rid of things like an end table, an TV, air conditioner, etc.

Goodwill will take pretty much anything, but they vary by location. You will need to check with them.
As others have said donate the books to a library or adult reading program or a prison or a hospital.

Can I ask....why the big move? Job? College? Etc?
Are you going to drive cross country? If you can take your time it can be an awesome adventure!

[Margalis]

Not driving, don't even own a car. (Though I'll get one)

Moving for a job - becoming a red name. 

Good suggestions on the books. I have a LOT of books. Like 30 boxes. Out of those I want to keep a box or two. Mostly older genre fiction, sci fi, fantasy, crime, mystery, etc. I also have pretty much every Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1960 to 1990, keeping those though.

Edit: If anyone wants any books I'll gladly give them away. I have everything from old pulps like The Shadow to Elmore Leonard, EdMcbain, a ton of John Dickson Carr and Raymond Chandler, and pretty much every sci-fi author of note. (Pre 1990)

[NiX]

Moving for a job - becoming a red name. 

Go on...

I'd say you're fresh meat, but you're not. Lightly used meat. Not as appealing.

[schild]

I took my books and other bulky things with me across the country. And from PHX to TX, I took an arcade cab. But I'm crazy.

[Margalis]

Can't divulge details about the red name thing. Maybe in 6 months or so.

[Paelos]

Can't divulge details about the red name thing. Maybe in 6 months or so.

National Security is a bitch.

[Bungee]

Can't divulge details about the red name thing. Maybe in 6 months or so.

National Security is a bitch.

NSA gets red names? Hmmm...

[Yoru]

I've moved a lot in the last few years. When I did my long-distance NY-to-LA move, I did the UHaul-and-drive route, which worked out since a friend of mine was moving to Santa Barbara at the time, so we could split the driving time and costs. Since that's not an option for you, I'd suggest either the Pods, linked earlier, or UPack, which is a similar service.

I used UPack when I moved from LA to San Francisco, and it was quite easy and relatively inexpensive. The nice thing is that, since I didn't have an apartment at the time, I could purchase a month of storage service from them for a reasonable rate ($75 at the time), and stay in an extended-stay hotel for a week while they watched my shit until I found a place.

My most recent move - last week, actually - was from SF to Iceland via a rather roundabout circuit of cities. I spent about a week before the whole ordeal began going seriously over my stuff and separating it into categories:
* Absolutely, positively want or need it in my new location
 - This stuff I arranged to be professionally packaged and sent via Fedex Freight to the office, which held it for me until I arrived. This category was artwork, a few items with a lot of sentimental value, and my computer.

* Worth storing for the future, in case I want to get it shipped later or I return to California
 - Since I had family in the area, I got a small storage unit in their name and paid for a year of storage up front. If it's still occupied a year from now, I'll send money back to pay for another year. This category contained most of my books and games, as well as the (few) nicer pieces of furniture I had acquired. I also stuck some of my nicer kitchenware in here.

* Stuff friends/family need or want
 - Since I know a couple guys who just got out of college, it was pretty easy to give away lower-quality furniture, some books and games, household supplies, my PS2, etc. I also deeded my car over to a family member who needed it.

* High-value items that are too much of a bitch to move, and that no local friends/family need
 - Craigslist. As mentioned earlier, stay with items above $75 or so to keep the crazies away. Strictly cash and I made sure customers could pick up and transport the items on their own. I sold a TV and some exercise equipment.

* Clothes, leftover books, undamaged furniture, household items and other useful things that are in decent condition
 - Donated to Goodwill, which was thankfully just down the street. Plus you can get a tax writeoff for some of this stuff! Goodwill will take pretty much anything that's still in decent working condition and isn't a disease transmission vector.

Everything else - which turned out to be not a whole lot - I either took to a recycling service or threw out. Fortunately, most everything I wanted to get rid of could be either donated or recycled. Google found me a local electronics recycling service for the cache of old computers/monitors/laptops that I had accumulated, as well as a mattress recycling service; the cost to have the stuff recycled was minimal, only slightly more than taking it to the dump. (It helps that California has a subsidy to pay for the recycling of some electronics by state residents.)

When packing, it's seriously a good idea to invest in decent tape and boxes. Buy a box or two of acid-free packing paper (or get a stack of old newspapers if you don't mind newsprint getting on everything). Lrn2pack. Strong boxes and tape will ensure that your packing material doesn't fall apart in transit, and the packing paper will cushion and protect your stuff so that it's not broken, scratched or dented on arrival. For electronics, I strongly suggest going to a place to get it professionally boxed, unless you have all the original packaging material still lying around. It's worth spending $50 to know that your computer won't be tits-up when you get to your new place.

After that, stuff as much as you can into your luggage. Keep in mind that most airlines these days impose a 1-bag/50-lb weight limit for checked bags, with a $25 fee for a second checked bag. I kept my laptop, camera, and vital documents with me, as well as enough clothing to get through 2 weeks without laundry.

[Bunk]

Not driving, don't even own a car. (Though I'll get one)

Moving for a job - becoming a red name. 

Good suggestions on the books. I have a LOT of books. Like 30 boxes. Out of those I want to keep a box or two. Mostly older genre fiction, sci fi, fantasy, crime, mystery, etc. I also have pretty much every Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1960 to 1990, keeping those though.

Edit: If anyone wants any books I'll gladly give them away. I have everything from old pulps like The Shadow to Elmore Leonard, EdMcbain, a ton of John Dickson Carr and Raymond Chandler, and pretty much every sci-fi author of note. (Pre 1990)

Well, since you asked... let me know if you have any old Jack Vance in there. I'm always scouring used book stores for early Vance novels.

[Signe]

I've lost count how many times I've moved.  I don't want to even try.  It's a lot and not even all in the same country.  I've lived in places where I couldn't even pronounce the address! 

Anyway,  congrats to Margalis on getting a new job!  I hope you love it for two years or more! 

[Margalis]

Well, since you asked... let me know if you have any old Jack Vance in there. I'm always scouring used book stores for early Vance novels.

Plenty. Give me a couple days and I'll make a list of the titles.

[Soln]

Besides what everyone is said, the one thing I would've done differently because I can't afford to give away alot of furniture would be:

1) store stuff with friends and family

2) pay $50-100/month to have it stored securely somewhere.

You can always pick that stuff later.  Particularly books, old files (taxes etc).


let us know when you ascend to Red Name-hood