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Put the emphasis on my comment on the "easiest" part. We had limited space for the container in Seattle so building a ramp was not a very good option. The logistics of moving meant we could not depart and arrive at the same time as the container - it had to sit for a few weeks until we arrived. Storage costs for Matson are astronomical. My wife arrived a couple weeks before me, and having the POD sit at ground level on our driveway in Maui was really easy for her to get things out of it. No way could I get her to build ramp so she can get at the toaster. And since we only had about 1000 cubic feet of stuff to ship, we only needed about 18-20' of length anyway.
One more thing - my wife and I are 60+, so for us convenience trumps cost-savings.
But if none of the above applies to you, go for a container.
Oh you are absolutely correct. PODS are by far the easiest way to go. If we decide to go lite, we might opt for the POD or that Uhaul box that OpenD suggested. That is another "lite" way to go.
The POD is nice because it sits flat on the ground so like you said, it made it easy for your wife. That is a great point.
I called a local mover here and they said they can provide ramps so we won't have to build a ramp. But a flat bed would still be best for loading cars for people who want to ship cars inside the container.
It's good to have a current thread about shipping so people can see their options and the POD is a great option
An interesting option popped up when when I was looking for their contact info, Google also suggested U-Haul's U-Box, which is similar to PODS and voila, their site lists "Starting at $575 for inter-island moves," and "Piece of Mind Shipping to Hawaii." So there's another option that might work for less-than-container sized moves.
As far as splitting up the car move from the household move, I don't see any disadvantage. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's any discount for shipping them together, and I don't think they necessarily even travel on the same ship, so they could have very different arrival dates. That being said, I'd check both Pasha Hawaii and Matson quotes on the car. Their tariffs are the same for the sea portion, but the overland portion from the east coast can differ, as well as ETA for delivery.
This is great info. I didn't even know about this option. Thanks for the great info. It said they are made with 3/4" OSB board so they are fairly secure. It's a great inexpensive option.
Getting to your other point about the discount with shipping both cars and household items together, I think you are correct, there is no discount to ship both together. Also, there would be no guarantee that they would arrive at the same time. You can bet if there were 2 spots for cars and none for the container, your cars would be shipped and the household goods would not.
I called Pasha yesterday and they said they would call me back and as of now, I haven't heard from them. So I'll post as soon as I hear from them regarding car shipping rates.
Put the emphasis on my comment on the "easiest" part. We had limited space for the container in Seattle so building a ramp was not a very good option. The logistics of moving meant we could not depart and arrive at the same time as the container - it had to sit for a few weeks until we arrived. Storage costs for Matson are astronomical. My wife arrived a couple weeks before me, and having the POD sit at ground level on our driveway in Maui was really easy for her to get things out of it. No way could I get her to build ramp so she can get at the toaster. And since we only had about 1000 cubic feet of stuff to ship, we only needed about 18-20' of length anyway.
One more thing - my wife and I are 60+, so for us convenience trumps cost-savings.
But if none of the above applies to you, go for a container.
2x4...do you mind sharing how your quote w/PODS compared to others? I called for a quote a few months
back from Maui to Santa Cruz, CA area and it was pretty high. They quoated rental fee plus $2,500 from
Maui to L.A then another $2,500 from L.A. to the Santa Cruz area. Whew...was I maybe not understanding their pricing?
Thanks,
Koale
I looked at 3 options: PODS, Matson, and a moving company. PODS only ships out of San Diego (at the time we did it) so there is always a road fee to the port. Matson ships from Long Beach, Portland, or Seattle as I recall so you have more options but there will still be a charge for driving the container to the port of departure. Since I lived in Seattle I did not pay attention to the Matson road charges. In any event it was the storage costs that ultimately sealed the deal for us. There was no way we could synchronize selling one house and moving into another house without storing for several weeks and Matson's charge for that was far more than the road charge for sending a POD to San Diego.
At any rate, I think what you are seeing is correct. It sounds higher than what we paid but in the ball park. I am pretty sure with Matson you will have to engage a local trucking company to drive the container (both ways) to Santa Cruz from Long Beach and you should compare that cost.
The moving company was way higher and we never went far with that option.
After quick est from U-haul just now... it's still well over $1,300.00 cheaper just to do a 20 ft container
w/Matson... we're six months out so just starting this process. We'll have to see how this all goes.
Thanks for all the input...
Koale
You mentioned that cars ship for $1,100 each. Is that from Sarasota? I though the cost was about $1,100 from Long Beech, CA. I wonder if it would be cheaper to drive to Long Beech and fly from there. The shipping cost might be lower, the airfare lower, but you have the extra time it takes to drive there and the hassle, plus some costs for gas, lodging, food, and mostly your time.
You mentioned that cars ship for $1,100 each. Is that from Sarasota? I though the cost was about $1,100 from Long Beech, CA. I wonder if it would be cheaper to drive to Long Beech and fly from there. The shipping cost might be lower, the airfare lower, but you have the extra time it takes to drive there and the hassle, plus some costs for gas, lodging, food, and mostly your time.
Yes, the $1,100 is from Sarasota.
I am not sure how much it is from CA but as you said, the air would be cheaper and it would be something to consider.
Plus I wouldn't mind stopping off in Vegas and LA for a mini vacation
Tomorrow I will call Pasha and see what they have to say. I'll post that info too so everyone will have a better idea of various carriers rates.
Did Pasha's jack up their rates too?
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If I may...
thanks 2x4...
