What full service covers
A long-distance move has a lot of steps, and full service covers most of them:
- Survey and written estimate. We review your inventory on site or by video.
- Packing. Fragile items or the whole house, with materials.
- Furniture preparation. Pads, wrapping and disassembly where needed.
- Loading. The crew builds an itemized inventory while loading.
- Transport. Your shipment goes on the road within the window stated in your paperwork.
- Delivery. Pieces go into the rooms you choose, and beds and tables go back together.
- Unpacking, if you've asked for it. Also removal of packing materials, where agreed.
Confirm in your estimate which of these steps are included. "Full service" has no legal definition, so the written list matters more than the label.
Full service or do it yourself?
| What you do | Your work | Cost effect |
|---|---|---|
| Pack everything yourself | High | Lowest |
| Pack, but leave fragile items to the crew | Medium | Modest increase |
| Crew packs everything | Low | Highest |
Full packing raises a typical planning range by about 18%, and fragile-only packing by about 6%. Those are the assumptions in our calculator; your estimate will use actual materials and time.
Why packing matters more on long distance
Your boxes will spend days moving on the highway and may be handled more than once. Boxes packed by owners generally get less protection under some valuation terms, so ask how self-packed boxes are treated before you decide. See valuation coverage.
Who chooses full service
- Families who are short on time, especially with a job start date.
- Households with lots of fragile, valuable or awkward items.
- Anyone moving out of a large home with a tight schedule.
If you have plenty of time and little that can break, you can save by packing yourself. See packing services.