{"id":4606,"date":"2016-08-15T16:39:37","date_gmt":"2016-08-15T16:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/?p=4606"},"modified":"2025-09-03T15:59:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T15:59:34","slug":"how-underestimating-your-will-cost-you-on-moving-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/tips\/how-underestimating-your-will-cost-you-on-moving-day\/","title":{"rendered":"How Underestimating Your Stuff Will Cost You on Moving Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the top issues household moves transporters<\/a>\u00a0face on uShip is customers who grossly underestimate their actual volume of stuff compared to what\u2019s described in their uShip listing. As I\u2019ve discussed this with transporters, I\u2019ve always made a mental note to avoid being \u201cthat guy\u201d on my personal moves.<\/p>\n

Well, recently, I was \u201cthat guy.\u201d And it hit me in the wallet.<\/p>\n

This was for an Austin-to-Houston move<\/a>\u00a0I was managing for my elderly in-laws. When posting the shipment listing on uShip, I classified it as a 1BR Bedroom move based on memory (I wasn\u2019t there in person) and the fact that they lived in a one bedroom condo. As I ultimately learned, I was pretty far off. My in-laws had enough stuff to fill at least a Large 1BR, maybe even a 2BR. So much for down-sizing.<\/p>\n

Hidden Moving Costs, So, why write about it?<\/h2>\n

I decided to write this post in hope of helping people avoid my inconvenient \u2014 and costly \u2014 truth. Moving is stressful enough, and it only makes it more so when a pint-sized truck shows up to haul a gallon-sized household and hidden moving costs arise.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, we Americans have too much crap. Way more than you might think. And probably a lot more than we need but that\u2019s a post for another day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Here are my 3 tips for avoiding hidden moving costs and dealing with Underestimator Syndrome<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Get It Right the First Time to Avoid Hidden Moving Costs.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Prior to posting on uShip, take a few minutes to seriously figure out how much stuff you\u2019ve really got. Physically, not just mentally. Walk through the house or apartment, room by room. Write it down. Take pictures. This includes storage units.<\/p>\n

Think you\u2019ll have \u201cmaybe 20 boxes or so\u201d once you\u2019ve finished packing? Double it. You\u2019ll thank me later. Got 3 or 4 chairs? It\u2019s probably more like 8. Books? Oh, your precious books. They\u2019re heavy and fill up boxes faster than you can say, \u201cWhere\u2019s my Kindle?\u201d<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t conveniently exclude the patio furniture, planters, workbench, or that broken neon Coors Light \u201cSilver Bullet\u201d sign from college, thinking the mover can just \u201ctoss it in at the end.\u201d It doesn\u2019t work that way. Your poor planning cuts into their livelihood.<\/p>\n

Use \u2018Additional Details\u2019 and Photos to Avoid Hidden Moving Costs.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When posting your shipment listing on uShip be sure to add your detailed list of items \u2014 box quantity and size, wall hangings, appliances, lawn mowers, standing lamps, the vacuum, everything \u2014 to the Additional Details section. This will put it in writing so you\u2019re covered if the transporter shows up with a Sprinter van for your 3BR house move.<\/p>\n

Likewise, if you list a Sprinter van\u2019s worth of stuff when you\u2019re trying to move a 3BR house, you\u2019ll be the one holding the bag, not the transporter. By the way, you\u2019ll find your checkbook in the kitchen drawer \u2014 you\u2019re gonna need it.<\/p>\n

Also use uShip\u2019s Photo feature to show several key items. Of course, you don\u2019t need to take a picture of a standard queen size bed, but if something is abnormal in size, weight or dimension, that whole \u201cpicture\u2019s worth a 1000 words\u201d thing comes in real handy.<\/p>\n

For example, \u201cqueen bed\u201d is great, but if it\u2019s a waterbed, take a photo. And putting \u201cstatue\u201d on your list is nice, but when it\u2019s a priceless, 350 lb bust of\u00a0Ben Franklin, a picture goes a long way toward avoiding problems on moving day.<\/p>\n

Remember, Mistakes Happen.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Work Through It. With 40 million Americans moving every year<\/a>, there\u2019s bound to be a lot of these situations where the estimates just don\u2019t match the truck making the move. Often times, van lines send out estimators, but on uShip, from my experience working with one-man-band owner-operators, that rarely happens.<\/p>\n

It just requires a few more details to make sure it\u2019s accurate. So if you find yourself in a situation where you\u2019ve grossly underestimated your stuff and the truck and\/or trailer simply can\u2019t take it all, it\u2019s important that you stay calm and work through the problem. It\u2019s no use getting mad at the transporter \u2014 they were just going based on your data.<\/p>\n

As hard as it is to do, simply admit your mistake (remember, you don\u2019t do this every day) and work with the transporter to solve the problem.<\/strong> You might be surprised how willing they are to work with you. That said, it\u2019s probably going to be a hidden moving cost to make the additional truck space happen.<\/p>\n

How do I know?<\/h3>\n

I know because it cost me for the transporter to rent a separate truck to make the move. We calmly thought through and discussed options, and in a few minutes, started working on a solution with clear expectations and timing in mind. It removed potential tension from the situation and we got my in-laws settled, albeit delayed due to my error, but settled nonetheless.<\/p>\n

Dean Jutilla does communications for uShip and has been with the company since 2009.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the top issues household moves transporters\u00a0face on uShip is customers who grossly underestimate their actual volume of stuff compared to what\u2019s described in their uShip listing. As I\u2019ve discussed this with transporters, I\u2019ve always made a mental note to avoid being \u201cthat guy\u201d on my personal moves. Well, recently, I was \u201cthat guy.\u201d… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"acf":{"blog_post_content":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}