My child will be starting school on the West Coast. We live on the East Coast. We will certainly bring many things with us and take advantage of BB&B’s West Coast pick-up. There are some things, however, that we will have to ship (Probably 5 or 6 boxes). I would greatly appreciate advice on best method of shipping (UPS, FedEx, Post Office, etc.) Thanks so much.
I had to do the same for all three of my kids. I found the post office to be the cheapest, and often fastest (depending on the efficiency of the local post offices) method.
If you need to ship books, check if USPS still has “book rate.” I had no idea there was such a thing until a nice lady at the PO in kiddo’s college town alerted me to it. It is slow (took 7 days for the box to get from MA to WA), but it was the cheapest rate.
USPS flat rate boxes, USPS book rate, and FedEx were the cheapest ways, depending on what we were sending.
Also check out Greyhound Package Express if there are Greyhound stations at both ends of your route.
Really (REALLY) think about if she needs that much stuff. We lugged it all on SW free bags, and this year daughter is taking about half that. Never used much of it. It probably is cheaper to buy anything she needs on the west coast.
We also needed to ship some things. We found UPS and FedEx ground for the big boxes were the cheapest, check both. But try hard to ship one or two boxes, not five or six.
One thing to consider is that everything has to be repacked up every year and stored. Not fun with lots of stuff.
When I ship for Ebay, I have always found Fedex ground to be the cheapest for large/heavier boxes.
Sent my kid east for college (from Pacific NW). Two duffle bags. Four years later, six book boxes came home USPS and two duffle bags. Speaking seriously, reconsider every single item you’re thinking of sending.
@Ronniegirl-I agree with the previous posters that less is better. If you need to bring more, then you parents should try and survive with just a backpack each and use the extra room to haul your child’s items.
How big are the items you need to ship?
is this stuff that you have already purchased if not order and have sent to the college or order and have picked up at store closest to the college. UPS will ship a trunk as long as it is locked.
We also moved a kid cross country. We shipped nothing. Flew southwest and had two suitcases each (kid and one parent) plus two carry on bags and two personal items. Bought everything else at the west coast site.
Re: book rate. My kids learned that one the and way. Don’t use it for anything needed more quickly. Both ordered textbooks and chose book rate. ONE time. And in both cases both had to buy the book at the bookstore…the book rate one didn’t arrive until well into the term. Like weeks later. Fortunately, they returned the used books…but really they would have preferred to not buy from the bookstore.
Book rate can be fine…or it can be very slow…and there is no way to know.
When DD graduated, there were three of us flying…with two bags each. We were pretty clear…if it didn’t fit into the three suitcases, it was staying on the opposite coast.
I would encourage your daughter to reduce what she is taking.
In our suitcases…
Suitcase one- linens including a quilt DD wanted to take.
Suitcase two and three- clothing
Suitcase four- school supplies.
Carry on one- my “stuff” for my visit there.
Carry on two- stuff DD didn’t want to check that was hers.
Personal item one- computer bag
Personal item two- instrument case
Purchased on the other coast- printer, bed pillow, desk chair cushion, one set of sheets, mattress pad, TV, all toiletries, bed pillow, desk lamp, any school things DD didn’t remember.
All books.
Thank you all for the very helpful advice. As many of you advised, it turns out that it will be less expensive to purchase some of the items new on the West Coast rather than pay the shipping charges. I don’t know that we can avoid shipping boxes at all, but hopefully not more than 2!