Finding Cheap Long Distance Movers

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Finding Cheap Long Distance Movers

Staff Writer · Jan 12, 2010

Finding long distance movers to help you move across state lines isn’t difficult. The difficulty is keeping your expenses affordable, and finding movers that won’t charge you an arm and a leg. Fuel prices continue to go up, making it easy for moving companies to justify raising their rates in an effort to compensate for rising gas prices. However, you can still find a cheap long distance mover, who won’t take advantage of you and will actually deliver your goods to your final destination. Here’s how to find them:

Yellow Pages

Start with your local yellow pages, but avoid the advertisers with half or full page ads. A cheap long distance mover charges lower rates because they keep their costs to a minimum. That means no fancy yellow page ads. Take the time to go through the actual listings and call each company to get a quote. Skip the ones with the big ads as you go along. Get written estimates from everyone you wish to follow up with and references from previous customers.

UShip

You can get estimates for moving cars and personal belongings on www.uship.com. It’s a great option for finding cheap long distance movers, because movers bid on your move. You list your shipment, providers ask you more questions for points of clarification and then they place their bids. You can then research the providers and select the best bid for you. There’s also a provider directory for you to search for movers, in addition to the bidding process or as you go along.

Bulletin Board

The next time you’re at the grocery store, restaurant or coffee shop, check out the bulletin boards for cards left by movers. Sometimes, you’ll see a posted one page flyer detailing their services with contact information. It’s free for them to advertise there, which is another indication that they’re doing what they can to keep costs down.

Craigslist “Services” Ads

A major step up from a community bulletin board is www.craigslist.com, where people can also advertise their services. There’s a section under “Services,” titled “Labor/Move” where you can find individual and company movers. Check the ads for your specific city or town, such as anchorage.craiglist.com, for local long distance movers. Do your research and get references for the movers that advertise on Craigslist before letting them handle your move, because some are scammers and you won’t see your things again.

Word-of-Mouth

The best way to find a cheap mover is by word-of-mouth. Ask family, friends and co-workers who they used to move long distance. Get written estimates from every referral and select the cheapest movers that were recommended. You can also take an additional step of researching the company on www.bbb.org.

Finding cheap long distance movers requires more time and research on your part to ensure the safety of your things. It doesn’t matter how cheap the service is if your belongings are going to get lost or stolen. There are no guarantees with a more expensive mover either, but a cheaper move does pose more risk.

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