Not all moves require huge trucks and lots of movers. Sometimes, all you want moved is just a few items. When you are in this kind of situation, you only need to focus on companies that specialize in small moves or companies that will consider such small moves. You know what? Most moving companies do not find small moves to be economically viable so many may not want to do it.
What Qualifies as a Small Move?
When we say “small moves” we are referring to either the movement of a few of your items or anything that falls below 2000 pounds. This can either be a few items as we stated above, or they could be contents of a room or a studio apartment.
It is estimated that the contents in a standard room will be approximately 1500 pounds. Regardless of where the load is from, once it is less than one ton (2000 pounds) it is considered a small load.
How These Companies Operate
Generally, moving companies that do not do small moves do not want to lose money. If they do not fill their truck or van, they will be spending the same amount without getting as much back. To counter this, companies that offer small moves operate like courier companies.
When you send a parcel via courier, the company does not just send your parcel alone. It collects your parcel as well as those from other customers going to the same destination and they are shipped together. You and other customers share the shipping expenses, ensuring the company makes profit.
For the small moving companies, they can get multiple small packages and fill their truck with these different packages. This ensures they have a full truck and will therefore find it easier to turn a profit after subtracting expenses.
Certainly, this poses some of its own challenges but what doesn’t?
Guide to Measuring for Shipping
Measuring for shipping can be a bit tricky. Shipping weight does not always refer to the actual weight of the object being moved. The actual weight is of course taken into consideration, but the dimensions are also very important.
The moving company is not just concerned about how heavy an object is. It is also concerned about how much space it takes in the van. Actually, while the actual weight is very important, the dimensions and space it occupies in the van is a bit more important.
To have an estimate of what your items will weigh (actual weight and dimensional weight), you can use this guide. We already mentioned above that you can estimate load from a standard room to be about 1500 pounds. Of course, this can be more or less. We are simply making estimates.
If you are not moving items from an entire room, you can measure the actual object(s) thus: measure the cubic area (also called volume) of the object. For example, if you are moving a rectangular box that measures 6 feet in length, 4 feet in height and 3 feet in width, the cubic area or volume will be 6ft x 4ft x 3ft = 72 cubic ft. Check here for how to measure cubic areas.
Moving companies generally put household items at about 7 pounds per cubic feet. This means that a 72 cubic feet box will have a shipping weight of about 7 x 72 = 504 pounds. Remember once again that this is a mere estimate. It could change when the moving company comes to check it out. However, the difference should not be way too much. This should be able to guide you with your calculations.
Benefits of Small Move Companies
Why would you want to choose a small move company? We’ve already mentioned a few of these above in this article. We will however list some of these reasons here for easy reference.
- You don’t always have to pay for a full truck or van. A small move company allows you pay just for what you are shipping.
- You can easily ship single items from any location to any location.
- You can enjoy the benefit of working with professional movers who will help you handle every aspect of the move. From picking up the item(s) from inside your home to delivering it to the destination.
The conclusion is simply that you get to enjoy the full services of a moving company but at a fraction of what it usually would have cost.
Choosing a Small Move Company
So, how do you go about choosing a small move company? To ensure you get nothing but the best service, you should consider the following factors when choosing a small move company:
- Look for a company that is duly licensed and certified to offer this service. Learn all you need to know about licensing of a moving company here: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/license-moving-company-2100.html. This covers the need for insurance cover as this is one of the requirements for being licensed.
- Look for a company with the right reputation. You can find out a company’s reputation by looking at review sites like BBB (Better Business Bureau) and even the Department of Transportation’s website. You most certainly want a company with good reviews.
- Compare quotes from different companies and choose one that offers the best value. Be sure to find out from the company if there are any other possible costs. You do not want to be ambushed with additional costs down the line. You should also be wary for very low quotes. These are the types of companies that may spring additional costs on you later.
- Avoid companies that request a substantial deposit or even a full deposit. The most you should be required to pay is a commitment and not a major deposit. This is a red flag you should take seriously.
After looking through all these, be sure to pick a company that will serve your needs perfectly. We all do not have the same needs, so we must focus on companies that can meet our unique requirements.
