Anyone have experience with PODS for moving?

[LAX_Esq]

Considering them for a cross-country move. For one, a pod is under $5k all-in for the move, and all the professional moving companies are quoting me a minimum of 10k for the move (without labor). Second, we'll be in temporary housing when we arrive for an unknown amount of time, so the pod is simply an extra $300/month for additional months, whereas a moving company will charge a bunch of labor costs to move stuff in and out of storage.

Anyone have experience with Pods? Is there a catch?

[Yehoshua]

My brother in law and sister just moved from LAX to FLL and used pods from uhauk which were the cheapest. Pm me for more details.

[lubaby]

Not PODS, but I used Uhaul Uboxes (much smaller) for a cross country move and it worked exactly as advertised. Saved around $2.75 per cubic foot (that’s how you need to think about move size / cost) including labor, compared to traditional movers.

[yungermanchik]

The previous tenants in my apartment used https://www.wehaul.com/ to move to Cleveland.

[LAX_Esq]

My brother in law and sister just moved from LAX to FLL and used pods from uhauk which were the cheapest. Pm me for more details.

PMed you

Not PODS, but I used Uhaul Uboxes (much smaller) for a cross country move and it worked exactly as advertised. Saved around $2.75 per cubic foot (that’s how you need to think about move size / cost) including labor, compared to traditional movers.

Help me here, but why should I care about the cost per cubic foot? We have a specific amount of stuff, so the denominator isn't changing. Don't I just need an apples-to-apples comparison of the total moving cost (without labor) of PODS vs. Moving company #1 vs. Moving company #2?

[lubaby]

PMed you

Help me here, but why should I care about the cost per cubic foot? We have a specific amount of stuff, so the denominator isn't changing. Don't I just need an apples-to-apples comparison of the total moving cost (without labor) of PODS vs. Moving company #1 vs. Moving company #2?

A: It’s an easier way to get / compare quotes from moving companies..

When calling any moving company, do they each ask you for “your list of stuff”? They are calculating the cubic foot estimate and basing their price quote on that.

In simpler terms, your “stuff” isn’t stuff, it’s cubic feet of storage / truck space.

B: Also, once you know the cost per cubic foot, it helps you decide if something is worth taking along or selling / tossing and buying new.
I.E. if you have a piece of furniture that is 10cf, at a moving cost of $5 per cf = $50 to move it..

[LAX_Esq]

A: It’s an easier way to get / compare quotes from moving companies..

When calling any moving company, do they each ask you for “your list of stuff”? They are calculating the cubic foot estimate and basing their price quote on that.

In simpler terms, your “stuff” isn’t stuff, it’s cubic feet of storage / truck space.

B: Also, once you know the cost per cubic foot, it helps you decide if something is worth taking along or selling / tossing and buying new.
I.E. if you have a piece of furniture that is 10cf, at a moving cost of $5 per cf = $50 to move it..

I'm not sure this is applicable to us. We have a 2BR apt. PODS gives a flat rate for the 16' pod (largest pod they have, which is for up to 2BR). And the moving companies I spoke to give you use of an entire moving truck (whether you need all that space or not) and charge a flat rate for the transportation. So, neither PODS nor the movers cares how much or how little stuff you have. Nobody's asked for an inventory.

[Yehoshua]

Keep in mind that the pods take a while (it took like 3 weeks) to get to FL from CA, for example. They certainly take their sweet time, which is one of the reasons why it's so cheap.

[S209]

U-box is amazing. Using them right now.

[lubaby]

I'm not sure this is applicable to us. We have a 2BR apt. PODS gives a flat rate for the 16' pod (largest pod they have, which is for up to 2BR). And the moving companies I spoke to give you use of an entire moving truck (whether you need all that space or not) and charge a flat rate for the transportation. So, neither PODS nor the movers cares how much or how little stuff you have. Nobody's asked for an inventory.

I wonder if moving companies are doing that now due to Covid (no "cross-contamination" / sanitize truck in between customers). Also likely lots of extra trucks and drivers.
Any "regular companies" I got quotes with were offering shared space in 53' trucks (either their own or renting space from the "big guys"), so price was based off how much space we'd be using.

Keep in mind that the pods take a while (it took like 3 weeks) to get to FL from CA, for example. They certainly take their sweet time, which is one of the reasons why it's so cheap.

For some, that can be part of the benefit. I had to move out by a certain date to not pay extra month rent, and new place cross country wasn't ready until 3.5 weeks later. Timeline worked out perfectly without paying for extra month storage (although you can do that for extra fee with Uhaul).