Moving Quote

We received the quote from the "professional" movers: $12,000 dollars, plus 3% to insure it... along with an "additional" charge if the weight is over what they estimated.

Of course it's going to weigh more than they "estimated".

I would guess the total will be closer to $14/$15,000+ when the final bill arrives, and that's only for the used goods. We still have to import windows and solar power equipment, which will nearly double that quote.

If we had a lot of designer furniture and cabinets, I guess that would be reasonable, but I'm pretty sure we could replace just about everything for less than the cost of moving. The only used items we "have to" take with us are the energy efficient appliances that can only be purchased in the U.S..

The charges add up fast because they pack everything into 7' x 6' x 4' tall crates. Each crate costs about $1000 to transport. One couch = one crate, one book case = another crate. It adds up very quickly. Small things like dishes and clothes are reasonable because you can pack a lot into one crate, but the larger items cost more to transport than their worth.

Even though our stuff isn't five star, we don't want to waste the $$ to replace it either, so it looks like it's off to plan "B": For $4000 we can buy a nice 18 foot utility trailer and do it ourselves. I really didn't want to deal with customs, or driving such a large trailer down that road, but we can't justify paying so much to move so little. Well still have to pay a few thousand in duty, but that's only a fraction of what we'd pay the movers.

Hm mm, wasn't is just a few days ago that I brushed off the mover who suggested we make several small trips pulling a utility trailer with his S.U.V. !