Moving? How to you move/ship your stuff?

[totallyfrozen]

So we're planning on moving out of Alaska next year and so we've started to plan our move. My wife is of the mind to sell pretty much everything we own and start over when we hit the Lower 49 (the 48 or Hawaii) states. I'm not willing to simply get rid of ALL of my music gear. I'm willing to get rid of alot of stuff and I will be selling my synth and other stuff but the bass gear and guitar gear I want to keep. She's afraid that it will cost way too much to move it anywhere.

If it were up to her, I'd get rid of my Am. Std. Strat, my MTD bass, my little combo amp, all my pedals, EVERYTHING...literally everything.

I know some of you have moved interstate and have some experience. Not including the military (since they move all your stuff free anyway), how have you guys done it?

How would you move your music gear? It's fragile and heavy.

Keep in mind that since I'm in Alaska, pretty much any move will require air travel. It's not as simple as putting everything in the back of a U-Haul and driving a few miles to another state.

Thoughts, experience, advice, anecdotes?

Thanks in advance, my low-end kin.

[Spraeg]

When I moved from California to Illinois, I hired a "professional" moving company to ship everything.... HUGE mistake. As soon as my stuff got to Chicago, they stuck in in a warehouse and tried to **** me over with fees and such to deliver it. The moving company I used was supposedly a major carrier, but what they don't tell you is that they subcontract out to local carriers, who can tack on all SORTS of crap. They were careful with my stuff, including numerous computers, 2 vintage cabs, a head, and a full drum kit, but with all the bull**** I went through to get everything I own out of their storage warehouse, it wasn't worth it. Your best bet would probably be a professional freight carrier; crate everything up in hard cases, with LOTS of packing material, and ship it. Ideally, I would say U-haul it and make the drive- thats the only way to absolutely ensure that nothing will be damaged, and it may be cheaper in the long run. But if thats not an option, get a pallet, build yourself a nice big crate out of sturdy plywood, and ship it.

[MrDOS]

I used a Pod to get my stuff from CA to CO, and it was a great experience.

It's a buyer's market now, IMO, so if you sell your stuff in AK you will not get much cash for it.

[MalcolmAmos]

No idea how much stuff both you and your Wife want to move. If you sell expect less than 1/2 price. That pulls shipping back in line pretty fast.

I, scratch that. We moved 13 times before we retired. Mayflower type movers, i.e. name brand agents. Pay the money leave the packing to them. Cost is large, but, they get it there in one piece.

From Alaska, I would not trust any cheapo agent. Yes fly and meet the van in the lower 48. Or drive one vehicle and let them ship the other. You just have to weigh all the options. Get some quotes.

Good luck.

[Pilgrim]

I have no problem with using a pro moving company - done it a couple of times - no problems, no issues. I used North American's "you pack, we move' deal last time - we packed it, they came, loaded, delivered.

Alternative...find a national firm that will rent a truck one-way. You load it, you drive it. Takes a week or more, but that's life. Drive and deliver the critical stuff yourself...let the movers so the rest.

[totallyfrozen]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

...Alternative...find a national firm that will rent a truck one-way. You load it, you drive it. Takes a week or more, but that's life...

Well, the issue with driving out is that my wife is pretty set on moving to Hawaii. In reality, even if we left with a couple of peanut butter sandwiches and a backpack, I don't see how we'll be able to move to Hawaii without it being expensive. I'm just trying to figure out how we can pull this off without:
A) Me having to part with every musical thing in my life
B) Going complete broke in the process.

P.S. For those who might fear for me, I understand that Hawaii is not the land of opportunity for most and 90% of the population ends up working in hotel or food service. My wife and I are both medical/allied health professionals so we aren't too worried about ending up sleeping in a cardboard box. Our research has shown that there are...I believe the technical terms is...BUKU!! jobs available in medicine and allied health in Hawaii.
Of course, anything can change, I suppose.

Thanks for the helpful hints so far, too.

[NateS]

make sure you have a job secured and waiting for you to start when you get down there. My entire family went from VA to NC, on the hope that my parents would have jobs..when we got down their both of them fell through. It sucks. There may be lots of jobs for medical care, but make sure YOU have one of them.

as far as how to move, from AK to HI, a plane or a boat. Take your pick, and pack tightly. I'll be a lot cheaper than trying to sell everything...in Alaska? You must already know both of the other bassists there, right?

[totallyfrozen]

Originally Posted by bassk81976

make sure you have a job secured and waiting for you to start when you get down there. My entire family went from VA to NC, on the hope that my parents would have jobs..when we got down their both of them fell through. It sucks. There may be lots of jobs for medical care, but make sure YOU have one of them.

as far as how to move, from AK to HI, a plane or a boat. Take your pick, and pack tightly. I'll be a lot cheaper than trying to sell everything...in Alaska? You must already know both of the other bassists there, right?

For sure we'll secure jobs before moving.

Yeah, I know the other 2 bassists up in Alaska. There are only 8 people living in the whole state; 4 of them are guitarists and 1 is the dummer but he's never sober enough to play. Tough place to get a gig. Only one igloo is licensed to sell alcohol and the dog sled parking is very limited.
I usually just make a snowman band and stand on the street corner playing for donations of smoke salmon and whale blubber. Problem is I keep having to change corners because the I'll get a parking ticket if I leave my moose tied up in one place too long.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by totallyfrozen

So we're planning on moving out of Alaska next year and so we've started to plan our move. My wife is of the mind to sell pretty much everything we own and start over when we hit the Lower 49 (the 48 or Hawaii) states. I'm not willing to simply get rid of ALL of my music gear. I'm willing to get rid of alot of stuff and I will be selling my synth and other stuff but the bass gear and guitar gear I want to keep. She's afraid that it will cost way too much to move it anywhere.

If it were up to her, I'd get rid of my Am. Std. Strat, my MTD bass, my little combo amp, all my pedals, EVERYTHING...literally everything.

I know some of you have moved interstate and have some experience. Not including the military (since they move all your stuff free anyway), how have you guys done it?

How would you move your music gear? It's fragile and heavy.

Keep in mind that since I'm in Alaska, pretty much any move will require air travel. It's not as simple as putting everything in the back of a U-Haul and driving a few miles to another state.

Thoughts, experience, advice, anecdotes?

Thanks in advance, my low-end kin.

what part of the lower 48.....if it's east of the rockies i'd trailer it thru the yukon/bc/alberta.....you can avoid customs hassles by sealing the trailer as "in transit".....i've run that road and it's decent highway

[Jim Nazium]

Originally Posted by Spraeg

When I moved from California to Illinois, I hired a "professional" moving company to ship everything.... HUGE mistake. As soon as my stuff got to Chicago, they stuck in in a warehouse and tried to **** me over with fees and such to deliver it.

I had the same thing happen when I moved from CA to PA. Never again. My strategy now is to rent a truck, hire people to load it, drive it myself, then hire people to unload it. I have the keys at all times; no one can hold my possessions hostage. I moved from PA to FL that way, and from FL to VA. Driving from Alaska would take much longer and be more costly, but I still think it would be doable.

[xgator4u]

POD for the win. they can fly, or ship it via freighter. And you have the convenience of packing everything up at your leisure, then call for pick up when it's ready.

[Stumbo]

The question remains: Why are you moving to Hawaii?

Seems like your wife is pushing the move, not you. Doesn't really sound like it's a mutual agreement. And she wants you to sell all your stuff. What's up with that?

I suggest taking an extended vacation there to get the real feel for the islands. Living in the land of vacation is not all what it's cracked up to be.

I've been there many times. Once you get over all the touristy stuff, the weather changes daily, many social clicks, lots of discrimination both ways (howlies vs. locals-http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=howlie), limited educational opportunities for kids, lots of poor people(not pejorative), living basics are expensive, housing expensive, limited social opportunities, local culture can be oppressive, limited musical opportunities, etc.

All this even if you have a "great" job. How many professional opportunities are available?

You can send your basses and other stuff through the U.S. Post Office. Crate your amps/cabs and put them on a ship. Not many options that I can see.

Or maybe you can use the move to replace all your stuff when you get there? I suspect that anything you have shipped there from the mainland will end up costing as much or more than if you just shipped your stuff.

I'd develop a work sheet, run some numbers and do a comparison so you can speak from facts rather than your opinion vs. your wife's. Seems like she's pretty aggressive in getting things done based on her non-factual opinions, something that's easy to over come with data.

If you haven't done so already, I suggest a whole lot more research before you move from the refrigerator to the BBQ.

[NateS]

Originally Posted by totallyfrozen

Yeah, I know the other 2 bassists up in Alaska. There are only 8 people living in the whole state; 4 of them are guitarists and 1 is the dummer but he's never sober enough to play. Tough place to get a gig. Only one igloo is licensed to sell alcohol and the dog sled parking is very limited.
I usually just make a snowman band and stand on the street corner playing for donations of smoke salmon and whale blubber. Problem is I keep having to change corners because the I'll get a parking ticket if I leave my moose tied up in one place too long.

i wish i could sig this whole thing.

[funk generator]

Originally Posted by totallyfrozen

For sure we'll secure jobs before moving.

Yeah, I know the other 2 bassists up in Alaska. There are only 8 people living in the whole state; 4 of them are guitarists and 1 is the dummer but he's never sober enough to play. Tough place to get a gig. Only one igloo is licensed to sell alcohol and the dog sled parking is very limited.
I usually just make a snowman band and stand on the street corner playing for donations of smoke salmon and whale blubber. Problem is I keep having to change corners because the I'll get a parking ticket if I leave my moose tied up in one place too long.

That was the funniest thing iv read in a long time thank you

[funk generator]

Oh and my brother used to be a bush pilot in alaska and flew in anchorage for a year. Ill ask if he knows how to move big things back state side

[Pilgrim]

Hawaii is one of the most expensive places in the US to live. Don't worry about getting there cheap - if you have to do it cheap, you can't afford it!

You obviously aren't going to sell everything before you move. Make a deal with your wife to define the stuff each of you will keep - and yours will include the items you deem essential in your musical gear. She should respect that...nothing else is acceptable. This stuff is yours to decide about, not hers. I've been married for 25 years and respecting the property and priorities of my spouse is a given.

[totallyfrozen]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

The question remains: Why are you moving to Hawaii?

Seems like your wife is pushing the move, not you. Doesn't really sound like it's a mutual agreement. And she wants you to sell all your stuff. What's up with that?...

We love alot of things about Hawaii. We both have been to Hawaii (I've actually been 5 times--thanks to Uncle Sam). We both want to move to Hawaii; however, I'm just looking at the fact that the move alone is probably one of the more expensive moves to make (as opposed to moving to many of the other states). The reason that she wants us to sell everything is that she understands that moving is very expensive and shipping lots of stuff via air or sea to Hawaii is going to cost a bundle. Housing there is more expensive too which means that for the same $$ you'll get a smaller place to live--which means less room to have a bunch of crap. We have over a decade of crap accumulated when you count furniture, entertainment gear, musical gear, outdoor rec gear, 2 vehicles, etc.

We are both dead set on leaving Alaska (been here a LONG time already). Honestly, at this point, both of us are not dead set on Hawaii (we are looking at some other places too), but since Hawaii will probably be one of the more complicated and expensive moves I'm looking into that one the most now. As I see it, if we can plan a successful move to Hawaii then we can (probably more easily) move anywhere else too.

I'm probably not making any sense. It's hard to communicate via the written word only sometimes.

[totallyfrozen]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

Hawaii is one of the most expensive places in the US to live. Don't worry about getting there cheap - if you have to do it cheap, you can't afford it!...

Understood, but it's best to try not to be wasteful in the process. It'll be expensive but it would be foolish to heap up unnecessary expenses do to poor strategy or lack of planning. We expect it to cost quite a bit of money to move anywhere from Alaska, but it's best to try to control expenses as much as possible. The economies of Alaska and Hawaii are very similar, actually (when you look at living expenses). The major, noticable difference is that there are more college graduates making higher wages in Alaska than there are in Hawaii. On paper, Hawaii looks like an expensive hell hole to live in, but in reality, it's no worse than Alaska...you just have to have a profession that pays a respectable salary. Nobody would fare very well in Alaska working in a hotel with nothing more than a high school diploma either...unfortunately, that's the career situation with much of the Hawaiian population.

[totallyfrozen]

So when you guys have moved, have you sold off your amps and replaced them when you got to your new home?