Shipping fam heirlooms cross country

[Chewucher808]

Seeking recommendations/advice on shipping some family heirlooms across country from Maryland to the Valley. It’s come time for a family elder in her 90s to sell her home. Specifically I’d like to ship 4 wood dinning room chairs (that cannot have legs removed), 1-3 large 8x10 wool rugs, an antique wood sideboard (heavy), and some paintings. When Ive looked online there are so many options, and some dont ship door to door (like pods and I think are too big for what I’m shipping). Any suggestions ideally that’s less than 3-5k are welcome from those who may have shipped family heirlooms, antiques, rugs, or paintings to the Valley from East Coast welcome.

Thanks in advance,
Natalia Tuller
Winthrop

[janeorme]

My dilemma some years ago. There was just too much and it was way too expensive. Instead, we took a family trip and rented a U-Haul for the trip back. Everything was intact upon arrival. Great way to see different parts of the US and was probably less expensive than the shipping costs. If that's not an option, maybe ship the paintings and rugs and forego the furniture.
Jane

[Reapward]

When I had my piano shipped from the mid-west, I was able to arrange for it to be on a shared load in a moving van. At that time, I called United or some such carrier and made the arrangements and friends on the other end met the van. It arrived a couple of weeks later.
I don't know if they do this now, but worth a try. I don't remember the cost.

[Chewucher808]

Thank you Jane & Pearl for the replys. It’s not enough stuff to make the effort to drive a uhaul cross country nor do our life parameters allow for such an adventure at this time. If all else fails the idea of just shipping the rugs & paintings does seem like a good compromise- thanks for that idea. Will check out United~ thanks Pearl~ glad your piano made to ya intact :)

Natalia

[carol k]

Call Eagle Moving and storage in Wenatchee.

[wildramble]

Shared load is a multi-logistics process and some companies (unsure about United) will farm out a few components that make that work - at origin location packing the items securely, putting them onto a pallet/shrink-wrapped and all that to a transport hub and then to destination transport hub and either you pick it up or arrange for final mile delivery. Generally the process relies on someone being on the starting end to be able to stage the items for pickup or just be there and then it is all a full service at cost process.

There are several versions of small load box-and-ship ( tsishipping.com can walk you through it ~ and try to sell their services ) and many carriers that offer this. The chairs & wrapped/corner protected art - possibly the rugs folded flat - would go into a cardboard pallet (about the size of an apple orchard bin) and the sideboard would get protected and secured onto a long pallet along with the rugs... the smallest footprint possible. Then it gets priced by weight and size AND how many hands involved in its transport.

You can have a look at uship.com too.

Mid-Atlantic round trip is up my possible alley in late spring/early summer and we could discuss that option of transport back and a possible win/win from door to door - depending on that sideboard's dimensions. Email me: wildramble@gmail.com