Portland to San Jose

[movingtosjc_pdx]

Hi -

I am moving from Portland to San Jose by end of the year. Self move, and we will be packing ourselves, so not a full service move.

Have contacted, Chipman, Suddath, Lile International Companies, Jordan river, Seaport moving and have got estimate from $1900 to $2700. Highest been Chipman, they said they have more capacity and most moves in west coast, so they can move faster, if time was high on my consideration.

Estimated weight is 3K lbs. So this comes out to be $.66 to $.9 per lb. I searched on this forum and saw a move from San Jose to portland quoted for 40 cents or so. Am i quoted too high?

I have asked 3 of them to come and provide an in house estimate.

Would appreciate any input/recommendation on good movers between Portland and San Jose.

I do plan to update this forum regarding my moving experience, till I got my stuff in San Jose

thanks in advance for your help!
Sean

[NYCMover]

To movingtosjc_pdx,

1) You are going in the right direction by scheduling a few in-home estimates (which is also your right by federal regulations.) Internet- and/or phone-based quotes are notoriously unreliable and many of them are purposely low-balled.

2) Personally, I like Chipman (but then again I am also with a United agency.)

3) Please try not to shop for your mover based on a price per pound. Shopping that way implies that all of the products you are comparing are the same - and the services provided by each different mover can vary considerably.

4) Definitely, come back to this thread after you get a few in-home-based estimates and we'll be able to give you more advice.

Happy holidays and good luck with your move!

[MusicMom]

Movers will NEVER quote high. NEVER. They'd not get business that way. Some movers, the ones that can't get business by their good reputations alone, will undercut others by lowballing the legitimate movers, then raise the price to what it truly costs to complete the service after the load has gotten onto the truck. That's the 40 cents per pound comment you saw. An average price for a long distance move is roughly a dollar per pound, if not more.

For example, in 2003 when I got swindled by a moving broker, I was offered 65 cents per pound, or about $1350 for my move from Portland to Virginia. The final bill was almost $4,000, which was just about what I'd been quoted by the United agent in Portland.

Do not waste your time with any company that will not send a representative to your house to see everything you're moving.

[movingtosjc_pdx]

Thanks MusicMom, appreciate the insights. I will post what in house estimates are.

What's perplexing to me is: I moved from Kansas to Portland 5 years ago, and I paid less, as compared to portland to san Jose move quotes. Portland to San Jose is roughly 1/3 the distance. Not sure if moving prices have gone up significantly since 2010 - fuel prices are about the same, if not cheaper, when I moved in late 2009.