First time hearing moving container? Yes, they exist! Here, we guide you on how to choose the best company for your next move. Relocating long distance from another state or just the same town, a moving container is a budget-friendly and effective way to make your moving experience a lot easier.
Best Cheap Moving Containers
4.5 Stars
1. U-Pack Review
When compared to other finest moving container companies, U-pricing Pack’s save you around $400. You’ve probably heard the adage, “More money, more problems,” and now you can find out whether it’s true.
However, it does not end there. U-Pack also features a pay-for-what-you-use policy, which means that you only pay for the space you utilize. You may even order more containers and return them for free if you don’t need them. U-Pack also delivers excellent customer service and rapid online quotations to make your life simpler (who likes to wait on hold these days?). On the disadvantage, U-Pack does not allow you to store the U-Pack ReloCube at your house (which is an issue if you want to empty the container over several days) and only provides long-distance relocation.
More savings and price matching deals are available with 1-800-PACK-RAT than through any other moving container provider. Its high-quality containers come at a premium price—but only at first. Because of several reductions, 1-800-PACK-costs RAT’s for moving containers are frequently lower than the national average. And that’s saying a lot for a moving firm that uses the toughest containers on the market.
1-800-PACK-RAT also provides both local and long-distance delivery (some companies do only one or the other). The major disadvantage is that 1-800-PACK-invoices RAT’s can be confusing (it divides your invoice into so many separate costs that you may leave feeling unsure of your ultimate pricing).
PODS goes above and above to provide you with an exceptional client experience. PODS provides three container sizes to give you greater choice, and its customer service representatives receive the greatest ratings in the industry. PODS is also accessible in almost every state, and it provides both local and long-distance coverage. On the negative, it does not include taxes in your estimate, and for moves above 50 miles, you must phone for a quotation. However, with such excellent customer service, this is less of a disadvantage than it may be with other organizations.
The second-cheapest moving container business on our list is U-U-Box. Haul’s U-Box came in first place for long-distance movements of up to 1,850 miles.
Zippy Shell is the moving container company you can trust to get your stuff from point A to point B with no hassles. Our goal is to simplify the long-distance moving process for you by moving on your terms and budget. No renting a truck for long-haul driving or packing and loading multiple times. No worry and no stress – your belongings are always safe and secure and moved quickly when you work with Zippy Shell.
U-Pack ReloCubes are regularly among the cheapest we’ve encountered. We requested 120 price quotations to compare, and U-Pack was the lowest 70% of the time.
There were just two occasions when U-Pack was not one of the two most affordable options:
Moves under 150 miles (U-Pack doesn’t offer local services)
Moves for a three-bedroom home
In every other case, U-Pack consistently outperformed the competition by charging roughly $140 less than the average.
Average cost per room
U-Pack
Our top container companies
$950
$1,090
Data current as of 5/4/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
It has a pay-for-what-you-use policy
Understanding how size works is one of the most difficult aspects of the moving container industry. Because each firm provides different moving container sizes, it can be difficult to determine how many you require and how to compare pricing.
U-Pack removes the uncertainty by charging you just for the ReloCubes you utilize. So, if you order three ReloCubes but only use two, you just pay for two.
If you’d rather go to the dentist than calculate square footage, U-flexible Pack’s usage policy will provide much-needed relaxation.
There is one disadvantage: ReloCubes are only available in one size—small.
Although any regular mattress will fit, many sofas, tables, and bookshelves would not.
This implies that if you own an 8-foot bookcase, you must either sell it or locate another moving container business.
1-800-PACK-RAT
What sets 1-800-PACK-RAT apart?
Prices are lower than they seem
On the surface, 1-800-PACK-RAT is our most costly overall moving container business, but when you dig a bit deeper, it’s actually a decent deal in many cases.
Why? Two reasons:
For practically every relocation, 1-800-PACK-RAT suggests their largest (and most costly) container. As a result, 1-800-PACK-RAT is significantly more expensive than other businesses for modest transfers, and its average price skyrockets.
For price comparisons, e uses pre-discount pricing. So, even if the corporation throws out discounts and price-matching like beads at a Mardi Gras parade, such savings aren’t factored into our pricing comparisons.
It has below-average prices for big moves
Because it nearly always suggests its largest (and most expensive) container, 1-800-PACK-RAT has higher-than-average costs for modest residences. However, when it comes to bigger home sizes—anything more than three rooms—for transfers of 1,000 miles or more, 1-800-PACK-RAT outperforms the average by roughly $40.
When you consider that 1-800-PACK-RAT employs superior all-steel moving containers, this is not a terrible deal.
Cost for 3+ rooms
1-800-PACK-RAT
Our top container companies
$4,210
$4,250
Data current as of 5/4/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
It has the most discounts
During our investigation, no organization aggressively provided discounts more aggressively than 1-800-PACK-RAT. Its customer care representatives gladly led us through methods to save money, such as move-specific discounts like transportation savings and free container rentals.
1-800-PACK-RAT promises consumers that it will endeavor to match or beat the pricing of PODS, the only moving container company it deems a legitimate rival (they both have similar materials and national availability).
So, if you don’t like your 1-800-PACK-RAT quote, see if you can match it with your PODS quotation. You may wind up with higher-quality containers at a lower cost.
PODS
What sets PODS apart?
It has the lowest prices for short-distances moves
It makes no difference how big your house or apartment is. PODS outperforms the competition in all sizes:
Small (one-room apartments)
Medium (two- to three-room homes)
Large (five-room homes)
PODS costs for 24 transfers were compared to those of its competitors on our list of the finest moving container businesses. PODS outperforms the average by over $500!
Prices for moves under 150 miles
Home size
PODS
Nearest-priced competitor
Small apartment
$820
$1,080
Medium home
$940
$1,620
Large home
$1,940
$2,760
Data current as of 5/4/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
It has the second-lowest prices for moves under 500 miles
Given the increased expenses associated with its tougher container materials, PODS remains one of your best alternatives for relocation of less than 500 miles. U-Pack is the only provider with lower pricing, however it has significant downsides like as poorer materials, just one container size, and no movements under 150 miles.
For relocation of fewer than 500 miles, PODS’ cost per room is about $60 less than the average of all the providers we looked at.
U-Box
What sets U-Box apart?
It has low overall costs
U-Haul is well-known for its inexpensive moving truck rental rates, but it also makes a significant U-Hole in moving container pricing: U-Box has a per-room cost that is approximately $60 less than the average of the firms we looked at.
The price benefit is much more pronounced when only 1–3 room home or apartment sizes are considered. By using U-Box, you may save more than $300 on a one-room apartment.
Average cost by home size
Home size
U-Box
Savings (amount below average)
One room
$1,680
$320
Two rooms
$2,340
$230
Three rooms
$2,940
$260
Five rooms
$4,420
$80
Data current as of 5/4/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
It has the best prices for long-distance moves
We couldn’t discover a provider with cheaper pricing for transfers of roughly 1,850 miles than U-Box in our investigation.
Cost for moves of 1,850 miles
U-Box
Nearest-priced competitor
Our top container companies
$3,060
$3,420
$3,910
Data current as of 5/4/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
U-Box quotes don’t include mandatory fees
U-Box has reasonable costs and a convenient online quote system (you never have to call the company to get your total), but the amount you’ll really pay is more than what you see up front.
The biggest reason appears to be what U-Haul calls a delivery fee—a $99 per-container payment that isn’t included in your price. Because the U-Box is famously tiny, those expenses might quickly pile up if you have a lot of items to pack.
U-Box delivery fees
Home size
# of U-Boxes
Extra delivery fee
One room
2
$200
Two rooms
3
$300
Three rooms
4
$400
Five rooms
7
$690
Data current as of 5/4/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
If you’re relocating a five-bedroom house, the ultimate cost will be around $700 more than your first estimate.
That implies that if you use your government stimulus check to relocate during the COVID-19 epidemic, more than half of it will go toward expenses that aren’t even included in your quote.
We included U-additional Box’s costs in our pricing comparisons since they are part of the overall cost, but it’s crucial to note that the firm does not provide these figures up front.
Taxes are frequently left out of moving container quotations. Check your invoice (for online quotes) or ask your representative (for phone calls) to ensure that your quotation includes anticipated taxes.
U-Boxes are flimsier than other containers
One of the reasons U-Box has such low pricing is that its moving containers are built of plywood, which is significantly less expensive than firms like PODS (steel frames and wood containers) and 1-800-PACK-RAT (all-steel containers).
This limits the amount of weight that each U-Box container can handle, requiring you to utilize more containers than you would with most other firms.
And, as we’ve seen, each extra container costs a hundred dollars. Make careful to account for this when making your own pricing comparisons.
Conclusion
U-Pack is our choice for the most affordable moving container business overall. Despite the fact that it just contains one little container constructed of low-quality materials, its typical cost is around $400 less than the industry average. U-Pack also receives some of the best evaluations in the industry. Customers frequently praise U-Pack for its courteous customer service and on-time delivery, in addition to its inexpensive costs.
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