Controlling Moving Costs When You Have A Lot Of Books

Posted on: 18 July 2017

If there's one item that really inflates moving costs, it's a book. One book might not look like much, but multiply that one into an entire library, and you have some hefty cargo that needs transport. Given that so many movers charge by weight, that means you could be looking at a big moving bill. If your office is planning a move and has a lot of books and folders, take these steps to reduce and control the cost of the move now, so you're not hit with a surprisingly large bill later on.

Clean and Cull

Chances are some of those books and folders are old and out of date. Some may still be useful; hang on to those. But if you find old procedure manuals that are obsolete or old books that no one needs to reference anymore, you may want to get rid of those. Offices are just like homes in this regard; moves result in a lot of items getting trashed. Engage in that fully as you pack.

Get a Binding Estimate

Always get a binding estimate. This may seem higher at first, and you may be tempted to go with the lower non-binding estimate on the chance you'd save money. But that leaves you open to the movers claiming your books weighed a lot more than they had realized, and they need to charge you more. This might seem like a scam, but many times, it's completely legitimate. The weight of your office's belongings affects fuel economy in the moving truck. If you have a figurative ton of books, you're reducing the truck's mileage and increasing gas costs. The movers need to account for that.

Getting a binding estimate, though, eliminates the possibility of the bill going sky-high. If the movers underestimate, that's their problem, and your budget doesn't have to suffer.

Consider Mover Packing Services

This one might sound a bit counter-intuitive, but it can work. If the movers offer packing services, the company you're using tends to charge by time and space instead of weight, and if you don't need the books packed in a very specific order, have the packing service take care of them. Those movers are going to know the most efficient way to pack the books, resulting in more even weight distribution and hopefully fewer boxes. While you'll pay more for the packing, the boxes may be so much easier to move that the move itself goes faster and the boxes fit more efficiently into the truck.

Talk to the moving company about how they've handled books in the past and what they do to control costs. Don't leave this to chance—protect your moving budget.

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