How pricing works
You receive a free written estimate, with your hourly rate and terms in writing before moving day. The total follows the actual hours, and we confirm any change in writing first.
Estimates are free, in person or by video, seven days a week, day or evening. We do not publish a rate card, because two moves of the same size can need very different work. A third-floor walk-up with a long carry is not the same job as a tower with a loading dock.
What goes into your written price
- Size. How much is moving: rooms, furniture, boxes. An accurate list is the most important part of an accurate price.
- Distance and route. Door to door, including the bridge or tunnel when the move crosses the Hudson.
- Access. Stairs, elevators, the walk from the door to the truck (the long carry), and the move windows of both buildings. See high-rise moving.
- Packing. Full, partial or none, plus materials and crating. See packing services.
- Special items. A piano, marble or glass tops, large art, anything that needs a crate or extra hands.
- Date. We price the date you ask for. Weekends and holidays cost no extra.
Priced by the hour
The written price states the hourly rate, the crew and how the time is counted. Your hourly rate and terms are in writing before moving day. The total follows the actual hours, so we tell you our estimate of the hours up front, and good preparation keeps them down.
If you add items or services, we confirm the change in writing first. Questions about the hours? Ask on the call, and we walk you through the estimate.
What can change the price, and what cannot
Can change it, always confirmed in writing first
- Items you add that were not on the list.
- Services you add: more packing, crating, an extra stop or storage.
Cannot change it
- A new rate or a new fee announced on moving day.
- Tolls or travel costs that were not in the written price.
- Stairs, elevators or a long carry that we knew about when we priced the move.
- Moving on a weekend or a holiday.
That is why we ask so many questions about access before we write the price. On an hourly job, these things cannot change the rate or the terms; the total still follows the hours the job takes.
Tolls and travel from Brooklyn
Our trucks start in Brooklyn. Getting to your door, and crossing the Hudson on a move between New Jersey and New York, means travel time and bridge or tunnel tolls. Those costs are real, and we do not hide them: the written price shows how they are covered, before moving day. No toll shows up as a surprise at the end of the day.
Basic valuation coverage, and more protection
Every move includes basic valuation coverage at no charge. Know what it is: it is not full replacement value. On an interstate move, basic coverage is released value, 60 cents per pound per article. For light, valuable things like electronics or art, that is far less than the cost to replace them.
You can choose more protection at a higher price. On federally regulated interstate moves, the two options are Full Value Protection, under which the mover repairs or replaces a lost or damaged item, or pays what it costs to replace it today, and basic released value, which applies only if you choose it in writing. Ask us about the options and their cost. Your choice goes into the written contract. On a move inside one state, we tell you the coverage level in writing.
Payment
We take cash or Zelle. The written price shows what you pay.
Long-distance moves: your federal rights
A move from New Jersey to another state follows federal household goods rules, with one local exception: a short move between New York City and a nearby New Jersey town, such as Manhattan to Hoboken, stays inside the federal New York City commercial zone, and those rules do not apply to it. On a federally regulated move, you receive two federal publications with your written estimate: the brochure Ready to Move? and the booklet “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move.” The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration explains your rights and how to check a mover at fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move. You can look up any interstate mover there by its U.S. DOT number, including ours, U.S. DOT No. 967970.
Questions to ask any mover
- What is your U.S. DOT number? For a move inside New Jersey, what is your New Jersey public mover license number?
- Will I get the hourly rate and terms in writing before moving day?
- How is the time counted, and what exactly is included?
- How are travel and tolls charged?
- What valuation coverage is included, and what does more protection cost?
- Are you the mover, or a broker who passes the job to another company?
Get your free written price
Tell us about the move. A mover calls you back, confirms the details and sends your price in writing.