Should I trust movers with my equipment?

We moved about 500 miles two years ago.  The moving industry is one with a lot of "bad actors" and ripoff artists.  First of all, I'd get three quotes and insist on a "not to exceed" estimate, and reject an open ended, or fixed price estimate.  I had a really good experience with my movers, a very legitimate company in the DC area.  I bought the insurance and provided them with a list of the high-priced items as part of the process of obtaining that.  I also packed all my equipment in the original factory cartons and was on premise for both the loading and unloading.

As someone who has moved more often than I'd like....NO. NEVER. ABSOLUTELY NOT. NYET!

Just mark all your boxes "Cash & Jewlery", see if you get any delivered.

You want to make sure that the truck its load on is the truck making the delivery. A lot of times a local crew will come and pick up your stuff only to take it  to a warehouse unload it and a another drive will load it then deliver it to you or possible to another warehouse local crew who will deliver it to you. No matter what you decide over kill on the packing a must. Make sure every box you shipped is on their inventory. They're are good moving companies and bad moving companies. It all comes down to the driver and his helpers.

Good Luck

Do I need to pack my TV? How do I pack my computer? Can I trust movers with my equipment?

We always hear these questions from customers. And, honestly, answering them can feel overwhelming because there's so much information out there and so many moving options out there. This is why we created MovingWise!

MovingWise is an app that helps you stay on top of every step of the moving process. You can request bids from several different moving companies, compare costs and ratings, see images of their trucks in advance, see how many reviews each company has received and even schedule your move with one click!

 

I'd recommend you those Express Packers https://murawaymoving.com/our-services/packing-services/express-packers/
They helped me a lot when I moved to LA

You want to make sure you don't get the same movers a neighbor of mine  had, they hauled her stuff alright, then held it for ransom offsite, and she had to pay a lot of money to get it back. They said that the estimate she was given was wrong and they needed more money.  

Yes, you can trust on professional movers with your equipment for a long distance move. They are expert in packing and moving services and use boxes for packing Goods. I live in Noida, India and when i have to move with my equipment I always hire the best packers and movers in Noida.

Absolutely NOT!

"Guys pay attention.. he moved 6+ months ago."

Actually, it was 7 YEARS and 6 months ago.
(I missed it too).

Sometimes you have to....carefully pack what you can in the shipping boxes that you got them in...buy new ones if you didn't save them......hand carry your cartridge/arm/turntable separately 

If it goes with the movers will you lose sleep worrying about it?
If yes, take it yourself.

Guys pay attention.. he moved 6+ months ago..

To "the Dark Side of the MOON"!!!

Yup,  bad reception up there!!

Regards

Let the movers take care of everything else. I would seriously consider packing your stereo gear into the car (or truck) and driving there myself. Consider this: once something is damaged (or disappears), it's too late!

It is best not to work outside of professional and reliable companies.

      ****** NO *****

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Rule no. 1 - Expensive electronics have about as much chance of making it all the way across country in one piece as a camel has of passing through the eye of a needle.

Better to inquire first about the reputation of the moving company. I don't think a company has years of experience could do this type of silly mistakes. What I think first you should prepare a list of whole things and keep it to you it would help you after the move to check out the status of each stuff. I would suggest better to ask prior, I mean who would pay the loss in case of any damage.

Nope,
when it comes to my gear, I’ll pack it up, and move it myself.
speakers, audio gear etc etc.  

trust no no one with high dollar audio gear!

There is nothing certain in someones else's hands that I wouldn't entrust firstly to my own.

Movers yes, shakers no.

If you are going with a huge experienced moving professional, you need not worry about it. For strong assurance, you should check their past customer reviews and experience feedback on listing sites. You can also know the feedback from their google listing and social page.

Thanks. I'll see if they do long distance moves. I appreciate the info.

I moved with great moving many times and never lost anything. Next time you can try them to see the performance.

Thanks again for the definitive answer.

No. Just no.

It's odd how most of my eqpt. has done just fine with UPS/FedEx/DHL, but moving companies manage to damage things. I was hoping moving companies would be at least as good as the major brand name shippers.

Why is this? Why should movers treat you worse than FedEx, etc.?

I have moved a lot in my life and I have never let a moving company move any of my stereo gear. They manage to damage enough of my other things not about to let them touch any of it. 

That's scary. I have moved several times  (even long distance cross-country, but not recently) and never had anything lost.
But thanks. Maybe things have changed for the worse...

For your sake, ignore the responses that tell you that all will be well if you entrust your equipment to movers. It simply isn’t true. Movers typically repack their truck with freight from multiple homes. They can even disassemble furniture to facilitate maximizing space. This is particularly true of long distance moves.

I speak from experience. We just moved 700 miles, only to find that some of our most valuable items didn’t arrive at our new home. We filed a claim for $4K, and received $165 from insurance. That didn’t include the damage to our antique furniture. In any case, my strong advice would be to load all valuables into your car or a rented truck. Don’t, under any circumstances, trust it to movers.

If you are using any reputed movers then you don't need to worry about safety. Read their past reviews and decide for moving. 

When I moved, I had the movers take the speakers each one was boxed and on pallets and the amp.  I took the turntable, which was boxed with the platter removed seperated - my wife personally carried the arm with cartridge attached, but with a stylus guard.  Everything got here safely.

Thanks all for sharing your views i recommend moving by own , i only rent moving boxes while moving and everything else would be done by them.

That's a great thing would always support your friends while relocation. I prefer reliable moving company for relocation because they are helpful in doing safe relocation.

Here is my thought. If I was to move ,relocate then for my staff (stereo gear and other valuables) I would take around myself ,for all the other household staff including the wife's shoes,furniture ,that would be the movers job.

"02-08-14: Jerico
I just relocated from the US to England, and moved my gear (and everything else) with a professional mover, most via sea container. Absolutely no problems with anything - everything arrived in perfect condition (TT, speakers, etc). I don't think I could have packed my stuff anywhere nearly as well as they did."

To be fair, you really didn't have a choice. I think most people are talking about a move that you can drive yourself, not overseas. What company did you use? Maybe there is a good one after all.

"02-09-14: Kodak805
Explain how this is any different than shipping from the manufacturer to the dealer or the dealer/seller to you. You had no control over UPS or Fedex. Why is there a problem with another shipper, assuming you use the original packing materials?"

From the factory to the dealer, the product is new. Its very easy to come up with an exact value for what something is worth. Once the unit is sold, its considered used and is up for negotiation as to what its worth. Kind of like when you have a car accident. The insurance company usually thinks the car is worth much less than what the owner does. Its no different with shipping. Also, the fact that you are moving plays a huge part. You're basically shipping something to yourself. If you sell an item on a place like Audiogon or Ebay the transaction info shows exactly what the unit sold for. You won't have that with moving.

If you want something done right.. do it yourself. That's what I've always heard.

"TUBE AMP ON BOARD" = 40 MPH
"SS AMP ON BOARD" = 50 MPH

Explain how this is any different than shipping from the manufacturer to the dealer or the dealer/seller to you. You had no control over UPS or Fedex. Why is there a problem with another shipper, assuming you use the original packing materials?

Onhwy61, That's a good one! :)

Next time I get on the interstate I'm going to start looking for the "Amplifier On Board" signs on the rear windows. They should be easy to spot, cars in the right lane going 40mph with their flasher lights on.

I guess I've been lucky. Moves fron CA to FL to MN to NC--all without any problems whatsoever. I packed all my gear in original boxes. Staged them all separately, explained the contents to the driver/lead mover. I have gear ranging in size/bulk from Vandy 5s and Maggie 1.6s, down to the 'delicacy' of Avid and W/B 'tables. I think this is where original boxes really make the difference, as well as tipping the moving crew at both ends.

No, do not trust them. I'm not kidding. I work for a Fortune 500 company with hundreds of locations that are constantly moving and remodeling. It's a high turnover, labor intensive low paying job. Most of the guys have an addiction problem. As I said turnover is high and there not much training.

Here's how I roll. Wife in the car... Check. Dog in the car...check. Amp, pre-amp, etc in the car.... Check. All the other crap goes with the movers. I have three boys all in their twenties and none of them live at home anymore......priceless.

Why should the this be any different than the method the manufacturer used to ship the equipment to the dealer or the dealer or original owner to you? You had no control over that result.