Moving from Canada to US - keep or sell?

[mrskent 11]

Hello my fellow Canadians!

I just got my Case Complete (YAY!) and I'm waiting for my interview date for Montreal.

In the meantime, my husband and I are trying to see what our options are to moving our things back to New Jersey.

I'm open to hearing of your moving experiences - did you use a moving service? Sell everything?

I'm only 31 and haven't accumulated much in my condo here, I just need a small van or 4x4 to move our clothing and some household items that I've inherited from my family that I don't want to part ways with.

I've been quoted 4k to move everything from New Brunswick to New Jersey and it would take 3-4 weeks for us to receive our goods in America.

Not sure if it's truly worth the cost.

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

What is the one way cost for rental of a u-haul or rider truck or trailer. Since you do not have much, maybe it is just better to pick out what you can't give up and sell, donate or abandon the rest. 4K, will go a long way to replace possessions with no sentimental value

[mrskent 11]

What is the one way cost for rental of a u-haul or rider truck or trailer. Since you do not have much, maybe it is just better to pick out what you can't give up and sell, donate or abandon the rest. 4K, will go a long way to replace possessions with no sentimental value

That's what we were thinking, we have a VERY long 16 hour drive ahead though - so we're hoping to rent something like a van or a SUV so we can park at a hotel and not have people be interested in the goods, not like a U-HAUL which just screams the fact all our possessions are in there.

Was wondering if any Canadians had used moving services with a decent rate as well.

[samack 79]

I'm a fellow New Brunswicker and I'm going through this now. Depending on where you live in the province (i.e.: close to a major center), you might have some more options available to you, but my experience is coming from the middle of nowhere. I've called around to a lot of places and they're all pretty set on charging for a truckload, so several thousand dollars, even if you don't have a truckload worth of stuff to ship. The cheapest option I've seen is Upack, but the closest location is in Dorval so I nixed that idea pretty quickly.

My fiancé is driving up to get me and we also have a long trip (20 hours, give or take). I moved out of an apartment and in with family before Christmas, so I'd already downsized considerably, but I'd been planning on getting a small uhaul trailer to hitch to my fiancé's car to bring the rest with me. We've since found out that his car has zero towing capacity, so that idea also went out the window. I'm now planning to downsize even more and ship the majority of the rest right before I leave, probably through Canpar just in case Canada Post decides to strike/lock out, so I'm over there before my things are. My suitcases, things with a lot of sentimental value, and cat will be coming with me in the car. My one piece of furniture that I absolutely refuse to give up is a small cedar chest my uncle made for me for my first Christmas and it holds all of my most precious possessions from childhood. I was looking into putting it into storage (the local storage place will waive the moving fee if I can get my stuff there myself but charges based on set minimum weight, so 1,000 pounds no matter how much you actually have. That works out to a one-time $70 set up fee and then another $35 a month. It could be an economical idea if you think you can figure out a way to move things later, or know of someone who might be able to bring it down on a visit at a later date), but I've found someone who's willing to keep it for me as long as I need.

I had several small panic attacks over the idea of having to give up my stuff in order to move, but I know a lot of that is because of personal reasons related to the very, very emotionally difficult year I've had. I sort of felt like I was being asked to give up my entire life while my fiancé got to go through the experience with very little change to his, to the point that I was crying on the phone and he was assuring me that he'd give up everything he owns if it meant I could keep my things. I've come to realize that they really are just things, though. Whereas I was once thinking "but why would I get rid of this coffee maker when it would mean buying another one there?!", I'm now at the point where I'm telling myself "it's just a coffee maker and you can buy a much better one there for $20". There's also the very simple fact that I have the chance to be there with him within the next few weeks, and there isn't much that would make me be okay with delaying that. If selling my things in a yard sale, or even just donating them, means that we can put an end to being apart, I'm fine with getting rid of the majority of it. It's exciting to think about picking out things together, and I know that he already has a lot that will last us just fine until I start working and we can start replacing what I left behind.

Anyway, I'm sorry this got so long! I guess it's because I'm in the thick of it now and I have a lot of feelings, haha.

[PickleChips 56]

I had the feelings too! It was hard to downsize and get rid of a ton of my things, especially when they were nicer than my fiances. I felt like the previous poster, that I was doing all the sacrificing. But, a year has gone by and we have nicer things now. Things that we have bought together that are not from my single life.

I ended up renting a U-haul truck and parked it overnight right outside my hotel room. I backed it in so I could hear if anyone was rifling through it and put a big padlock on it. Yes, I was apprehensive about someone stealing the whole truck but hey, you have to take chances sometimes. The likelihood of that happening was rather low in my case. I think an unmarked van or SUV is a great idea though, that would definitely bring less attention to itself.

Something to keep in mind about U-haul is that they don't guarantee the exact size you need, you may end up getting a bigger one. They give you what is available on the lot unless you go to another lot nearby, which in my case was impossible since I lived in a remote area and would have had to drive and ferry over to the mainland to get the truck then do the same to get back $$$. I got a bigger truck than I wanted but it all worked out. Just wanted to give you a heads up about them, I have also heard this from other posters.

I didn't think it was worth having someone else move my things when I could do it myself for a fraction of the cost. I knew when it was arriving and didn't have to worry about coordinating schedules with movers and such.

Good luck on your move!!

[mrskent 11]

I had the feelings too! It was hard to downsize and get rid of a ton of my things, especially when they were nicer than my fiances. I felt like the previous poster, that I was doing all the sacrificing. But, a year has gone by and we have nicer things now. Things that we have bought together that are not from my single life.

I ended up renting a U-haul truck and parked it overnight right outside my hotel room. I backed it in so I could hear if anyone was rifling through it and put a big padlock on it. Yes, I was apprehensive about someone stealing the whole truck but hey, you have to take chances sometimes. The likelihood of that happening was rather low in my case. I think an unmarked van or SUV is a great idea though, that would definitely bring less attention to itself.

Something to keep in mind about U-haul is that they don't guarantee the exact size you need, you may end up getting a bigger one. They give you what is available on the lot unless you go to another lot nearby, which in my case was impossible since I lived in a remote area and would have had to drive and ferry over to the mainland to get the truck then do the same to get back $$$. I got a bigger truck than I wanted but it all worked out. Just wanted to give you a heads up about them, I have also heard this from other posters.

I didn't think it was worth having someone else move my things when I could do it myself for a fraction of the cost. I knew when it was arriving and didn't have to worry about coordinating schedules with movers and such.

Good luck on your move!!

Wow it's so great to hear of everyone's experiences! It's really helpful and I agree, some of my 'single' furniture, I really want to get rid of and have no emotional attachment to.

So I might be ok to rent like an SUV for a few days and drive down to the US!

I've heard stories where moving companies can take FOREVER to get the goods to you and I'd rather know that everything is safe and sound with me instead. It would probably take me less time to just buy new things in the US and have it delivered at our new place.

[Ontarkie 14,383]

The only issue I can see is many rental companies will not let you go one way with a car/suv or across the border at all. You need to look into that and and the expense.

[mrskent 11]

The only issue I can see is many rental companies will not let you go one way with a car/suv or across the border at all. You need to look into that and and the expense.

Yeah I was worried about that as well, but National does really great rates and you can return it one way, to an airport. Which works for us

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

Best of luck in the move and marriage

[NikLR 13,231]

We got a uhaul. It was about 2k for what was an 18 hr straight through drive. I didnt keep most of my furniture and some we got rid of when we moved into our house from our apartment. They have 10ft uhaul trucks which is what i ordered but ended up with a larger one at the same price.

Uhaul also has vans and trucks you can look into.

[samack 79]

We got a uhaul. It was about 2k for what was an 18 hr straight through drive. I didnt keep most of my furniture and some we got rid of when we moved into our house from our apartment. They have 10ft uhaul trucks which is what i ordered but ended up with a larger one at the same price.

Uhaul also has vans and trucks you can look into.

I really wanted to rent a uhaul van so that I'd have a bit more room to work with, but the site always says it's not available for the move I requested. As far as I can tell, they mean because of the drop off location and not the dates requested. Maybe it's because I'm looking at the uhaul places in a remote area, but it was pretty disappointing. I think it even said that when I was considering renting a van to drive my things to Dorval in order to use Upack.

[oncefuturealien 45]

Car rental companies also have vans, but they tend to be pretty costly. Still probably cheaper than a moving company though!

[vanee 13]

Back in 2007, I used U-Pack, which was suggested in this forum. I hired 2 movers to pack the trailer, and they got everything I was bringing -- tons of boxes, home office furniture, computer, 2 bikes, etc. -- into 5 feet of the trailer (see the site for how this works). From Vancouver to Michigan, it cost about $1500. I just got an online quote now for the same move to see the price difference, and it would be about $2500 now. But it's still a lot less than a moving company would charge.

I'm so glad that I read about them here. They saved me a ton of money and allowed me to bring more with me, including the computer desk I'm still using now.

[teama&a 3]

Hello, this is our plan:

Sell or get rid of large items and buy new ones later to make the move easier. I originally wanted to fly with a few suitcases with my belongings but that's no longer realistic due to weight restrictions and cost of extra baggage checked-in. I managed to downsize so that we don't need a van/truck so all of my belongings can still fit into a car/suv.

We'll be driving down from southern Ontario to south Jersey, in a rental. As mentioned above, some Canadian car rental companies don't allow for one-way rentals into the US, while others don't even allow leaving the country regardless of the returning location. That being said, my husband will rent a car from upstate New York and return it to south Jersey (this is significantly cheaper than renting from Canada and returning to the US). My sister will drive us in her car (with all of my belongings) to the border crossing. Once we cross, we'll pick up the rental, transfer the belongings and head down to Jersey, while she returns to Canada in her vehicle.

This seems to be the most economical and efficient way to go about it. I have chosen not to bring my car along, otherwise I would have simply drove that but fresh start = new car!

I hope this helps