Collected Long Distance Household Moving: Is It Worth?

Do you need to move your personal belongings? Or send household appliances to another city? There are several ways to do it. Renting a whole truck is not the most economical way to move your cargo long distances. There is a more favourable principle of long distance moving when your cargo takes only part of the space in the body. In this case, you only pay for the space it takes up. Since the belongings are collected from different shippers, this method is called consolidated transport. In the slang of long distance movers, a car with such cargo is simply called a collector.

The Advantages of Sending Households as Part of a Groupage

• No need to overpay for the rental of a whole truck—your cargo will quietly reach the place in the company of other containers and bales;
• The moving company is usually in charge of solving all the problems related to the route. You do not need to think about transhipment, customs documents and other important but immensely tedious chores.

Minuses of Sending Prefabricated Shipments

Shippers are usually not eager to deal with small shipments. Any long distance mover has minimum profitability standards. In order for a voyage to pay off, he needs to load a certain minimum amount of belongings into the car. Different moving companies have their own restrictions: the weight is not more or less than the established limit, a certain volume;

Sending prefabricated cargo is unprofitable when the cargo weighs little and takes up a lot of space, and the cost of the service is calculated by volume. If your cargo weighs 50-100kg but takes up half a truck, specific belongings (e.g., a barrel of acid) may be difficult to send as part of a consolidated shipment.

If you decide to send your belongings as part of a consolidated shipment, it is important to choose a moving company that delivers specific goods. Moving companies usually transport furniture, household appliances, and other household items. Large moving companies with a wide range of services deliver industrial belongings.

Sending prefabricated belongings requires careful planning. Determine the time frame in which the belongings should be delivered to the final destination. Collective dispatch is convenient when delivery time is not limited. In this case, it will save a lot of money. However, with prefabricated dispatch, everything will depend on how quickly other shipments are found and the car is filled, which can take several days. An urgent collective shipment costs much more than a leisurely one.

The location of the shipment needs to be coordinated with the long distance mover. Many people order delivery to the warehouse, from where they pick up the cargo by themselves. Door-to-door moving can also be ordered. The first method is usually cheaper, and the second is more convenient (the movers will do everything for you). Usually, moving companies offer additional services in addition to moving, such as unloading, responsible storage, insurance, and so on. Decide in advance what from this list you will need and to what extent.

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Recommendations for Those Who Use Collected Long Distance Household Moving

1. The contract with the moving company should be signed only after reading it. Special attention should be paid to the section long distance movers’ liability and consignor’s obligations, as well as to the small print —they may contain many interesting things. If you don’t like things, it is better to discuss them with the moving company’s representative without leaving the cash register.
2. Measure and weigh your shipment before you send it. It will be very funny if an unscrupulous long distance mover charges you one and a half times more money, adding an extra center to the real weight of the cargo. To avoid such mishaps, you need your own preliminary measurements.
3. The container should be as rigid as possible. Collective shipment implies that in the back of the car will be a lot of heavy objects, and even lying on top of each other. If your cargo will be a toilet—you can be happy, it is not the worst option. But if it is an industrial air conditioner—then it will be fun. First of all, the sender and the recipient—because in all contracts, moving companies specify that the packaging must ensure the safety of the cargo.
4. It is better not to send fragile items like porcelain sets as part of collections at all, especially with unfamiliar long distance movers. But if you decide to do so, mark the packaging clearly and in detail. If you are sending fragile, breakable cargo—it must be marked on the packaging (signs such as do not roll, fragile, stacked in 1-2-3 rows, etc.). Employees of the moving company do not have X-ray vision. If you haven’t signed your container, they won’t know what’s inside and will put a cast-iron bathtub on top of your porcelain set. It’s not hard to guess what the recipient will get at the end of the journey.
5. Indicate the net and gross weight of the contents on the package. Put all necessary markings on the package. Labelling indicating the method of cargo handling. Then your belongings will have a better chance to reach their destination in one piece, not affected by what is described in the previous points. The freight forwarder’s movers are obliged to handle the belongings in accordance with the signs on the packaging. If this rule is not observed, you have the right to make a claim against the moving company.
6. It is also worth writing the name and phone number of the recipient on the package, especially if you send the cargo in a standard container—a box, crate, or container. There may be 25 such boxes in the body, and it is not a fact that the long distance movers will give the recipient exactly yours—he may simply mix up.
7. If you are sending the cargo in a collective way—seal the package. This can be done, for example, by using special sealing tape (ideally custom-made, with a logo and tamper-evident strip). A customer who is short of a quantity of belongings is unlikely to know who is to blame. It is likely that he will prefer to go to a more reliable supplier.
8. The recipient of the shipment should be contacted in advance. Give him as much detail as possible: shipment size, weight, number of units—right down to the colour of the packing tape. The recipient should also be aware of when the shipment will arrive. If not a specific day, the long distance movers must give a time frame. 

Conclusion

Is collected long distance household moving worth it? Maybe. It’s cheaper, sure—you only pay for your stuff’s space on the truck. But, it’s not that simple.

Moving companies aren’t huge fans of small, light shipments. If your stuff’s bulky but lightweight, it’s going to cost you. Choosing the right mover? Important, especially for odd items. And timing is everything. Need it fast? Pay more. Location matters too. Warehouse pickup is cheaper, door-to-door is easier.

Read your contract closely. Weigh and measure your stuff to avoid extra charges. Pack tightly; your fragile items might not survive the journey if not. Clearly label everything—handling instructions, weight, who it’s for. And seal your package. It might help if something goes missing.

So, is it worth the hassle for the savings? That’s a tough call.