How Much Does a Moving Company Cost in 2023?

When moving to a new home, the physical demands and laborious tasks can be overwhelming. However, a professional moving company can help alleviate much of that stress. Despite the cost, many people find it a worthwhile investment. To determine the moving company cost, it’s crucial to consider both local and long-distance moves, along with other relevant factors, when hiring movers for the job.

Here, we look at the typical cost of a local and long-distance move, other factors to consider when hiring movers, and how much a moving company cost in 2023.

7 Important Considerations That Affect Moving Company Costs

1. Add-ons  The number of movers involved, services required for disassembling and reassembling furniture, and any additional services provided by the movers, such as a stretch wrap, felt pads, and mattress bags, will affect the cost of hiring movers (labor costs). The movers may include these add-ons in the original quote, so checking first is essential.

2. Supplies Consider the moving supplies you’ll have to purchase, such as cardboard boxes, plastic bins, plastic wrap/packing paper, and other necessary supplies. You should add these costs to the equation since they can quickly add up.

3. Date Choosing a specific moving date can affect the price of your move. Therefore, you should follow these general guidelines to determine your moving date.

4. Move during the morning hours To avoid increased costs, it’s best to avoid scheduling your move on a weekend when the demand for movers is high. Instead, aim for a weekday move between Monday and Thursday, which is typically more affordable.

• Plan your move for the middle of the month when demand is lower, as leases often start and end at the beginning and end of the month. Peak moving season is from May to early September when families tend to move due to school schedules and activities.
• Rates for moving companies are usually higher due to the high demand from families and students who are either leaving or returning for the school year.

5. Travel fees When planning a long-distance move, it’s essential to remember that travel fees can quickly add up.

• Therefore, your movers should provide a moving quote that includes these fees intended to cover the labor and fuel costs associated with traveling from one location to another.
• The travel fees typically amount to one hour’s worth of work for local moves and are included in your moving quote. These fees are calculated based on the time the movers travel from house A to house B.

6. Liability and valuation coverage You will likely need to purchase liability coverage when working with a moving company. Moving companies usually offer different levels of protection, including:

• The hourly rate for a local move will include Basic Released Value Protection, which provides cargo liability coverage of 60 cents per pound as the bare-minimum coverage.
• The movers are held accountable for any damaged items. They must replace the item or reimburse the customer with its current depreciated value under Full Value Protection, which is more comprehensive than Basic Released Value Protection.

7. Gratuity for Movers When considering the moving company costs, it’s also important to remember to budget for gratuity. Most customers want to reward the movers for a well-done job since moving heavy boxes and furniture can be challenging. If the company arrived on time and showed utmost care and attention when handling your belongings, you will most likely want to express your gratitude with a generous tip. Here are some suggestions for tipping your movers:

• The industry standard for tipping movers is typically 5 percent of the total moving bill. It’s important to remember to divide the entire tip between the individual movers. If you choose to give a flat fee instead of a percentage-based tip, consider the complexity and distance of the move when deciding on the amount.
• As tipping advice can vary depending on who you ask. Ultimately, the decision of how much to tip should be based on your level of satisfaction with the service and your budget. If you do plan to tip, be sure to withdraw cash from an ATM before moving day.

Cost-Saving Tips for Moving

Professional movers can be costly, but you can still save money and reduce expenses by implementing these five tips:

• Purge unused belongings before the move.

.Therefore, removing items, you don’t need before moving will save you money. The reason is that the more belongings you have, the heavier the load will be and the longer it will take to load and unload. Therefore, by reducing the amount of stuff you need to move, you can lower the overall weight of your belongings and reduce the time it takes to move them.

• Pack your boxes and label them clearly.

We recommend that you pack your boxes before the movers arrive to cut costs, as paying movers to pack your boxes may be convenient but is also quite expensive. Also, label the boxes clearly to save time during loading and unloading.

• Discounts on moving supplies

One way to reduce moving company costs is by offering discounts on moving supplies. Moving companies often have partnerships with suppliers, offering discounts to their clients. Additionally, some moving companies may offer discounts on supplies, such as boxes and packing materials. To ensure you get the best deal, you must inquire about these options when obtaining quotes from different movers. Utilizing these discounts can save money on moving supplies, ultimately reducing your overall moving company cost.

• Choose a less expensive date and time to move.

However, moving on a weekday during the late fall and winter months is usually cheaper to save money. You can check here for more detailed insight on the best moving time.

• Obtain quotes from multiple companies.

To ensure that you get the best possible cost from a moving company, it’s recommended to interview multiple movers. We suggest obtaining quotes from at least three moving companies before signing a contract. You can check here for tips on interviewing a moving company when getting estimates.

How to Avoid Fraud

When hiring a moving company, avoiding rogue movers and scams is essential. To steer clear of moving company fraud, we suggest keeping an eye out for these red flags.

• The company isn’t licensed and insured.
• The movers need more professionalism.
• The estimate needs to be more good-to-be-true.
• The contract doesn’t include valuation coverage.
• The mover demands to be paid upfront.
• They can’t provide references.
• The company has terrible reviews and a history of customer complaints.

The last thing you want is to entrust your precious belongings to untrustworthy movers. Thankfully, there are several ways to protect yourself from moving company fraud. First, to ensure a long-distance hauling company’s legitimacy, we recommend checking their U.S. DOT number with the FMCSA. You should check with your state’s Department of Transportation for a local mover to ensure they are correctly licensed.

Local Move (Intrastate) vs. Long Distance (Interstate)

• The average cost of a local move, defined as a move within the same state, is $1,250 for a two to three-bedroom move weighing around 7,500 pounds. However, if you’re moving less than two to three bedrooms, you may require fewer movers, resulting in lower labor costs.
• The cost of a local move is typically based on an hourly rate, but this may vary depending on the state. For example, some states calculate the price of a move based on the weight of the shipment if it exceeds 50 miles. Therefore, it’s essential to research your state’s moving regulations, and your moving company should be able to explain what constitutes a local move and a long-distance move in your state.
• On the other hand, a long-distance move refers to any move from one state to another. Moving companies typically charge $4,890 for a long-distance move.
  To ensure you will only have to pay what is expected, movers should provide a written estimate of the total cost of your move. Additionally, it’s recommended to ask for a binding not-to-exceed estimate.

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