<p>I will be moving to DC from LA in a month. I found a 1-br apartment in DC already, so I have an address that I can send my stuff to. I won’t take any furniture with me. I will move/ship about 20-30 boxes of boooks, clothes, and maybe desktop computer and printer. I will sell my car before I leave.</p>
<p>I plan to ask UPS to pick up my boxes two days before I fly to DC. Does this sound like a good plan? Are there other cheaper but reliable alternatives?</p>
<p>I mailed several boxes that were about 24X24X24 earlier this year - cost me about $30 each to mail them through the United States Post Office. </p>
<p>Books you can mail media mail through the US Post Office - rate is less expensive.</p>
<p>You can also use flat rate boxes - three sizes and as much weight as they will hold for a flat rate.</p>
<p>So far - the post office has never lost anything although boxes mailed at the same time show up on varying days.</p>
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<p>That will cost you a lot to ship…probably close to $1000. Have you considered renting a van and driving one way…maybe with a friend? It might be more fun and it probably won’t cost more than shipping the stuff.</p>
<p>^I thought about that before but I’d have to find motel/hotel along the way and with the gas, it may cost me more at the end. I may hit a snowstorm…etc too and I’d have to drive alone.</p>
<p>Thanks singersmom. It’s helpful that you mentioned how the boxes could show up on varying days with USPS. That’s a huge turn off for me as the idea of sitting in an empty apartment just to wait for boxes for several days sound really terrible. But I’d still consider it, especially for the books if the UPS rates get too ridiculous.</p>
<p>If you want to save money (but it won’t be as convenient), check out Amtrak. You’ll have to take your stuff down to the station, and pick it up, but I’ll bet it won’t cost you half of what you’re willing to pay UPS. I know someone who did it between Chicago and LA.</p>
<p>If you are flying I suggest you take the maximum size carry on luggage plus your personal item. Also, take three suitcases even if you have to pay the fee - it is about the same as shipping boxes.</p>
<p>If you don’t have three suitcases go to a thrift shop - Goodwill, Salvation Army and buy some - you can donate them when you arrive.</p>
<p>So, if you are charged $25 for a 50 lb suitcase - that is about the same as paying $30 or more to ship a box.</p>
<p>Pay the fees to have the airport staff - I can’t think of their name - to help you get your bags or just get a rental cart.</p>
<p>The reason I shipped 30 boxes of my D’s belongings home was after I compared how much to rent a truck with lodging, gas, etc. - shipping was way cheaper.</p>
<p>I have heard you can ship boxes by Grayhound - you might want to look into that also.</p>
<p>“I plan to ask UPS to pick up my boxes two days before I fly to DC”</p>
<p>You may want to ship a day or two earlier than that. FedEx Ground or UPS will take 3-4 business days from LA.</p>
<p>Here’s the link to Amtrak’s express shipping:
[Amtrak</a> - Traveling With Amtrak - At the Station - Amtrak Express Shipping](<a href=“Amtrak”>Amtrak)</p>
<p>When my S moved to LA from NY he shipped everything, books included UPS. It was not inexpensive. When he returned east 5 months later (long story), he mailed all the books USPS media rate, as suggested. He probably paid a total of $25-30 for 2 LARGE boxes of very heavy books. All arrived in short order, with no problems. If money is no object, ship the most convenient way, if it is, check out the post office.</p>
<p>Are you moving for a job or to go to school? If you have a job…be sure to keep all of your receipts related to moving. The expenses may be tax deductable.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions!</p>
<p>teriwtt,
Thanks! That’s interesting to know. But I won’t take that route because I won’t have a car in DC. So I need my stuff to be sent straight to my DC apartment.</p>
<p>2boysima,
I will be moving to go to school. </p>
<p>Hopefully, I can dump as many books as I can. I am saying good bye to engineering so I can leave all those engineering books behind :)</p>
<p>the other option you have is to contact a moving company.</p>
<p>When my mom was downsizing and we inherited some stuff, we found that the cheapest way to get it from Houston to Chicago was through a moving company. We had to deliver everything to the place, but then they put it on a pallet, shrink (shrunk?) wrapped the whole pallet, and it was delivered to our house here, on the pallet with shrink wrapping still around it. I want to say it costs around $400, but there was a dining room table, a garden tiller, a small etergie, and several boxes of misc. items. This was about five years ago.</p>
<p>Which moving companies are known to be relaible? One of my coworkers just warned me for that last week. He said one of the expensive items was missing when he moved and he couldn’t do anything about that. Granted, he put it in the original box so people knew what’s in it!!</p>
<p>When I was in Houston, I made some phone calls to various moving companies. It wasn’t a big chain company; I remember finding it in the yellow pages after calling several places. We had to do an inventory and sign off on it, both when we dropped everything off, and when it arrived. I say moving company… but perhaps it was a shipping company. I’d try looking under moving and/or shipping in the yellow pages.</p>
<p>media mail can take a very long time to arrive. At best it may show up in a week; but it could just as easily be 30 days. </p>
<p>Here is how a postal employee explained to me: media mail is last priority. If there is room on a truck, then the box will be packed on along with everything else. But if there isn’t room, then the media mail box will be left for the next shipment. And, depending on what else is coming through, that can be a while. </p>
<p>So its a good option to save money for books & CD’s, but be prepared to wait.</p>
<p>I have moved about 30 times in my life time. It is such a pain. When my son goes off to prep school we will move again (we will live where ever he goes and he’ll be a day student). My husband and I have agreed we will take a few books, our kitchen stuff, our Christmas stuff and very few clothes. If you were driving I’d say just take what will fit in the car. If you don’t need it, don’t take it. I have moved coast to coast three times and the next time I move I am relishing taking nothing. Truly it is not worth it to take a lot. For the coast of shipping 30 boxes you could replace a lot of whatever you are shipping.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the comments. Thanks for the heads up, calmom. UPS is still winning mostly because I want to get everything delievered to me all at once, not in varying days.</p>