ncsewer

What if you call the moving company and tell them your concerns and request their best crew? I moved 3 times (for work) and the first and third time the movers were a family owned company and they were great. No problems. The second time the timing was not right and we had a local company with day workers and it was not fun! Also have a couple of your quilting buddies come over and help you supervise. Once you explain what you want to them, they can help you supervise because they will understand and can help you keep things in order.
I was told the same thing about packing, they had to re-pack everything I had already packed and put into storage. We did have a few special things that we moved in our cars.

jaciqltznok

DO IT YOURSELF...having moved about 20 times in my life, let me tell you what can happen if you let them do it...all the stuff in drawers will be dumped into boxes...have fun sorting that out...books will be crammed into boxes, however they can get them to fit...wait till you see those corners and covers.
If you want it to look like it does now, then YOU have to pack it...they do not get paid to sort, arrange, organize, etc...they get paid to dump into boxes, tape them shut and put them on a truck!
It took my mom 3months to sort her sewing drawers..and that is all she, 4 drawers..

JanetM

I completely understand you're wanting to pack your things.

Twice we have moved cross country and both times I did all of the packing. When I was a child we did some large moves and always there was damage to our things. I really thought I could do a better job if for no other reason...I have a vested interest in having everything arrive safely. And everything did.

The movers were dubious when they arrived to load the truck. They could see that we packed ourselves (didn't use their boxes), but once they handled our boxes, they could tell that I had done a good job...nothing shifting and the boxes felt solid (no air). You can insure all of your household goods...even if you do the packing. We used Allied.

As for how much time it takes..it really can go quite quickly if your things are already organized. I packed all of my sewing things in several hours, and trust me, I have a bunch of stuff. I numbered every box and created a list with a short summary of each box. It made it very easy to unpack what was most important first at the other end.

Good luck with your move. :D

Jim

I would want to pack my own as well...them being professional movers means nothing. When I was 20, I too worked for a few months for a moving company...being the professional I was then..LOL...I was trained to pick it up the correct way and throw it in the truck where it would fill it up best...if something got broke or messed up they had insurance to cover it...that was gist of the training

pam1966

I haven't read through the replies, but I completely agree with you. Is there something that he's passionate about that you could compare this to? Would it help if you organized things in the way you want it to be packed, if packing it yourself is not an option?

Sadiemae

I would supervise and make them do the work.

Ramona Byrd

Take care of your arm, make sure it is not overly strained.

BUT with movers, you never can tell. Most of my family, me included, have been moved by military movers, and almost ALL of the time we've lost something valuable. My son was moved by the Navy and lost a lot of stuff, including a lot of his childhood Boy Scout medals and other household furnishings, wound up with a very nice foldaway bed sofa, but lost the water bed plastic mattress. One of my brothers was moved by the AF and lost all his wife's gold jewelry she'd collected for many years.

Suggestion..beg, borrow, or rent a cam corder, and stand outside the house where you can see the open part of the truck, and get good pictures of each thing carried out, PLUS the faces of each man who is doing the carrying.

I'm not saying all movers are like that, but do a lot of careful pruning of the stuff you are sending, and what you are taking with you. Wear all your best jewelry and don't leave it in purses or pockets in coats, and be sure to get pictures of your household stuff when it is unloaded.

Do a lot of Internet checking on the correct way to do a move from here to there. And I would put duct tape over my plastic tubs, with perhaps an ink mark along each line of the tape, just to see if it's been removed and put back on.

Take care of yourself and make time for sitting with your arm in it's most comfortable position for at least 15 minutes at a time.

tuesy

Being retired AF, I don't think anything is wrong with you. We did that same thing, along with what they packed up, we packed what we were moving ourselves.. computers, software, things that we wanted to get there safe and sound without the possibility of being broken or stolen (yeah, it happens), so we had the movers, plus we did a small DITY..
PS at the time I wasn't sewing, had only quilts that my grandmother had made and yes, those came with me, not the movers!

Berta48

Perhaps you can let the movers know that you want your things a certain way? You are paying them to move you, so it wont hurt to try!Good luck and let us know.

akrogirl

I am totally with you. I helped a friend with her "professional" move this past November and was present for both the packing and unpacking. It was horrifying how poorly some of her most valuable pieces of glass and china had been packed - and that was after the movers had been told how valuable they were. I always take care of such items myself.