International Van Lines
Customer rating
Great
Service availability
Excellent
Upfront pricing
Excellent
Customer rating
Great
Service availability
Excellent
Upfront pricing
Excellent
How much is a mover per hour?
Typically, you can expect to pay between $50 and $80 per hour for a professional moving company. This rate can change based on whether your movers are packing your things for you, whether they have to load and unload up and down stairs and how far they’re traveling.
How much does a moving company typically cost?
The cost of hiring a moving company will vary greatly depending on the size of your house or business, where you’re moving from and to and whether you want to use a traditional moving company or a moving container/pod. The cost of a local move is typically between $300 and $1,500, or $1,200 on average.
Long-distance movers can cost between $2,500 and $5,000 depending on how far you’re traveling and how much stuff you have. You can expect to pay more for a long-distance move than a local move, though some interstate moves can cost more just because you’re crossing state lines. Ensure that you can get a free estimate from each company you’re considering to get a better understanding of the average cost of your move.
Is it cheaper to buy new furniture or move it?
If you’re moving locally, it’s likely easier to keep your existing furniture. Many moving companies charge by mileage, which means the shorter your move, the cheaper it’ll likely be.
Weight and space are what cost the most money for a move, so depending on the amount of furniture you have and how far you’re going, you can do some research to determine how much you can expect to pay if you move your furniture versus how much you may be able to get by selling it.
How much should you tip movers?
How much you should tip greatly depends on how many people are working on your move (loading and unloading) as well as how many hours or days your move will take.
A good rule of thumb is to plan to tip $4 to $5 per person for each hour of work. To put this into perspective, $20 per person would be acceptable for a half-day move (four hours or less) while a full-day move will warrant closer to $40 per person.
Always tip more than this minimum if your movers were especially impressive (for good karma, if nothing else).
When should you hire movers?
If possible, try to schedule your move during off-peak times (usually in the colder months instead of the warmer months). Also, scheduling your move on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday can help you keep costs low versus moving on a weekend, when more people decide to move.
Can you negotiate with movers?
Like most other contracting services, moving costs can be negotiated. If you know how to negotiate and have the right leverage, you can lower your overall moving cost or be able to receive some extra services for free.
First, we suggest researching the average cost of your move by utilizing a moving calculator. If you get quotes from a handful of moving companies and your chosen company has a price-matching option, you will be able to negotiate down to a reduced price.
It’s always a good idea to ask for discounts and special offers, especially if you can use a competitor’s great deals as leverage. Also, you may be able to shave off some of the cost by offering to forgo some of the included services and do them yourself.