Moving my collection across country

marumaru 1,450 Posts
edited July 2006 in Strut Central
As some of you may know, I'm moving from California to Philadelphia in a month. I'm currentyl shopping around for a moving company, but naturally, record collector's paranoia sets in and I begin wondering how my records are going to hold up driving through hot and humid midwest and east coast. Anybody have any experience with this, or have anything reassuring to say?

  Comments


  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    youll be fine. dont park the ride in full sun....look for shaded spaces. pack them snug and keep them out of window sunlight...maybe put a blanket over them. i never had a problem. drive safe!!!

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    If it's a moving company should be cool, just pack 'em tight and maybe throw a layer of bubble around the outside of each box.

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    cosign on everything already said. The "U-Haul medium Box" fits records perfectly, so they will be nice and snug, no empty space for being crushed. I moved during August in the south (I am sure it was well over 110 degrees in the truck where they were packed) and I had no problems whatsoever.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    As some of you may know, I'm moving from California to Philadelphia in a month. I'm currentyl shopping around for a moving company, but naturally, record collector's paranoia sets in and I begin wondering how my records are going to hold up driving through hot and humid midwest and east coast. Anybody have any experience with this, or have anything reassuring to say?

    Maru - if you haven't picked a mover yet, I'd check movingscam.com for potential carriers first. I've been doing all this research for my own move and they've been a good resource to finding the right company.

    It doesn't sound like you've had to do a big move with your records yet and just beware that once you go past 100 miles, the move cost is based on WEIGHT NOT SPACE so watch out for any carrier that's trying to charge you on cubic footage. The sucky thing though is that records, alas, are highly compact and very heavy. My family doesn't have a big apartment in terms of furniture or # of rooms but it weighs about 4.5 TONS, most of which is based on book and record weight. of: B/c of that, I blew past the amount budgeted to me by my school for the move and I'll have to go back with hands outstretched for more $$$.

    On the upside, I can now truthfully name a future mix-CD: "My Vinyl Weighs 3 Tons". Take that Peanut Butter Wolf!

  • gloomgloom 2,765 Posts


    On the upside, I can now truthfully name a future mix-CD: "My Vinyl Weighs 3 Tons". Take that Peanut Butter Wolf!


  • coffinjoecoffinjoe 1,743 Posts
    beware that once you go past 100 miles, the move cost is based on WEIGHT NOT SPACE so watch out for any carrier that's trying to charge you on cubic footage.

    is that the truth !!!

    interviewed 8 movers for our 200+ mile move
    lowest bid was from a slick dood who went by space not weight

    went with mayflower, second cheapest
    but
    they were the one company that didn't stress
    how long their movers had been with the company,
    experience, etc
    &
    we found out why
    (not too pro, but okay)
    all in all, only a couple of the 150 crates spilled or were stacked wrong
    but
    i did make 3 trips with the wagon loaded
    carrying my personal wax & 95% of the 7" stock
    the move was $$$$ (loads of books & artwork too)
    but it = 1% of the real estate sales price
    & getting yer shit to the new spot is key
    also
    it was funny with
    the movers tripping on so many records

  • phono13phono13 842 Posts
    cosign on everything already said. The "U-Haul medium Box" fits records perfectly, so they will be nice and snug, no empty space for being crushed. I moved during August in the south (I am sure it was well over 110 degrees in the truck where they were packed) and I had no problems whatsoever.

    In 2001, I made the summer move out of college in NC to Los Angeles. I tried to pack the records towards the middle of the truck (Penske Do-it-yourself) for a better center of gravity and away from the outside heat. I had no problems either.

    In August, I'm moving from AZ back to NC. I'm more concerned with getting the records loaded quickly (to avoid the oven-like AZ heat) than the actual drive across country. It's definitely going to be an early morning load before it gets too toasty.

    My school's given me $2K for the move which will hardly be enough. I'm gonna check out that movingscam site. I'd love to go with some folks that move it for you, but I have a feeling it's gonna be quite $$$$. I also have to ship an older vehicle that I'm not prepared to get rid of or drive that distance.

    For someone who loathes moving, I've done it way too much.

  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    cardboard wine boxes fit records perfectly also.

  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,391 Posts
    cardboard wine boxes fit records perfectly also.

    Absolutely. Tough enough not to fall apart and not so big that you can't pick the fuckers up without spinal trauma.

  • marumaru 1,450 Posts
    As some of you may know, I'm moving from California to Philadelphia in a month. I'm currentyl shopping around for a moving company, but naturally, record collector's paranoia sets in and I begin wondering how my records are going to hold up driving through hot and humid midwest and east coast. Anybody have any experience with this, or have anything reassuring to say?

    Maru - if you haven't picked a mover yet, I'd check movingscam.com for potential carriers first. I've been doing all this research for my own move and they've been a good resource to finding the right company.

    It doesn't sound like you've had to do a big move with your records yet and just beware that once you go past 100 miles, the move cost is based on WEIGHT NOT SPACE so watch out for any carrier that's trying to charge you on cubic footage. The sucky thing though is that records, alas, are highly compact and very heavy. My family doesn't have a big apartment in terms of furniture or # of rooms but it weighs about 4.5 TONS, most of which is based on book and record weight. of: B/c of that, I blew past the amount budgeted to me by my school for the move and I'll have to go back with hands outstretched for more $$$.

    On the upside, I can now truthfully name a future mix-CD: "My Vinyl Weighs 3 Tons". Take that Peanut Butter Wolf!

    fuck. i didn't know the moving industry was such a shady business. thanks for the heads up though. maybe we should just go with mayflower since i see those trucks all the time.

    o-dub, who are you going with? i realize they may not do cross country moves, but if they do i want to check them out.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Maru,

    I'm still waiting to hear from Atlas - if they come in around the same estimate that I've gotten from others, I'll probably go with them since they already contract with my university and paying them would be easier. Otherwise, I'd probably go with Moovers, Inc. (see below).

    Here's what I've heard:

    People really like Delancy St. Movers. They employ ex-cons (the moving company is part of their rehabiliation), which might worry some, but they've also gotten the highest service marks I've seen from any other mover practically. The problem though is that they don't have a large van fleet so to move you cross country means 1) you're almost certain to be sharing van space with other moves and 2) you'll have to be flexible about your move date.

    Moovers, Inc. is also highly regarded. They were also one of the few movers who gave me a binding estimate (meaning that they can't exceed the amount they estimate when they move you). They might have a larger van fleet which could mean more flexibility for when you want to go.

    Graebel is a big national firm (the first two were indies) with a solid reputation. Unfortunately, they also quoted me the highest cost even though their weight estimate wasn't that much higher than the rest. I don't plan to use them for this reason but like I said, they have a pretty good rep.

    Cor-O-Van is another firm we'd consider going with. Super professional, big firm...they handle all of Apple Computing's move (this info came from my wife) and for whatever reason, I take comfort in knowing this. Their rate was pretty much on par with everything else I got from other carriers and their in-house estimate agent had the most thorough (from what I could see) way to counting up the weight of what the move would be.

    Personally, I'd get three estimates (in-house), just to compare. If you want, PM me and I'll tell you what kind of rates I've been quoted.

  • Speaking of moving...

    I'm preparing for an imminent international move, within the next two weeks, still dont have a shipper.

    Right now, I'm boxing them up. I have record boxes that are ppretty sturdy, but theres still some space on one side...

    What to do to make it tight, or is that half inch negligible?

    Anybody ever line their boxes with bubble-wrap, or is that too paranoid?

    Peace...
    FNM

  • marumaru 1,450 Posts
    i'd probably fill in the empty space with something, whether it be shredded paper, bubble wrap or whatever.

    would anybody recommend shipping boxes of records via ups or dhl? makes me a little nervous but it's just an idea.
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