The most obvious is to hire Express Movers Inc’s fine professionals to do the packing for you, while you relax in a comfy chair with a cool drink and good book. (I know, it’s a blatant plug, but where else can we indulge in such gratuitous self-promotion?)

If you plan to pack, begin well in advance:  Eliminate anything extraneous – why pay good money to move things you won’t ever use? If you’re a sentimental packrat type (like me) you must be brutal – do you really need the broken desk you always meant to refinish, or the old skis you haven’t used in ten years? Did you wear that shirt the year you graduated? Are those dresses two sizes too small? Why not donate them to charity ? You can help someone in need and save money on your move, what a deal! For items you rarely use but can’t bear to part with, consider sending them to Express Movers Storage where they’ll be safely out of the way.

Reserve your move date well ahead to insure you don’t end up packed, but with no one to move you.  Spring and summer are very busy for movers and weekends especially tend to fill up weeks in advance.

Create a “packing station”; one place where you’ll collect all of the tools you’ll need for the job: big black marking pens, rolls of packing tape, box knives, zip lock bags, colored labels, lots of packing paper – use blank newsprint, never printed newspaper (the ink rubs off), plenty of boxes in varying sizes. HINT: you’ll be surprised to find you need a lot more of all these supplies than you think, so get plenty. It’s much better to have it and not need it than to run out at a critical moment.

Plan to keep valuables, medications, important papers and irreplaceable items with you and move them in your personal vehicle.

When packing, seal box bottoms securely with several pieces of tape. Place heavy items, books, for example, in the smallest boxes . Never put heavy items in large boxes – the movers may not be able to lift them, and the bottoms can fall out, scattering and possibly damaging your goods. Use large boxes for pillows, comforters and other bulky but lightweight items. Luggage is great to pack clothing.

Designate one box as “Parts” – label it boldly and/or cover it with a rainbow of colored stickers so it won’t be misplaced. Put all the small but important items in zip-lock bags and place them in the parts box …TV remote, computer mouse, wires, controllers or connectors for electronics, picture hooks, brackets that support shelves in a bookcase, hardware from any furniture that gets dismantled. Seal each box and label it clearly but briefly: “Kate’s shoes”, “pots and pans”, “towels”, etc. Keep the parts box with you on moving day to insure it does not get misplaced in the confusion of moving.

Designate a color for each room in the new home, such as yellow for kitchen, orange for dining room, etc. Apply colored stickers on the box near the written description. In your new home put a matching sticker on the door to each room. The movers will know where to put everything when they arrive. It’s also helpful to post a big sign on the wall in each room where you want boxes stacked, (“Boxes here please”) to keep them out of furniture and traffic areas.

Following these steps will help keep your pack and move simple, and allow you to relax on moving day.

“We scheduled our move with XYZ Moving Company, but they never showed up!  We have to be out of our condo today.  Can you help us?”

Here’s how it typically happens: You are moving out of an apartment, condo or small house. You felt lucky to find Seattle movers whose price seemed like a real bargain. You carefully chose a date.  Time off work and utility changes are arranged, elevators reserved, and a friend is pet sitting.  Everything is packed and ready to move to your new home and storage.  You’re just waiting for the moving team, but they don’t arrive.  You call and leave messages, with no response.  Eventually it becomes clear: the movers you counted on are not going to show up.

That’s when we get “The Call”

Many moving companies will schedule your small move, but when a larger, more profitable, move comes along they dump you.  It’s an unfortunate fact that many companies put profit before ethics or quality.  Some of these are otherwise reputable businesses, but they are so large they can afford a few unhappy customers for the sake of higher profits.  Others are habitually unethical, often unlicensed and, when caught, they  simply close up shop and reopen under another name.  (Bait and switch pricing, holding goods hostage for more money and delayed or missing shipments are also common to unethical operators.)

Express Movers, Inc. does not engage in the practice of “dumping”; your deposit guarantees your move date and, regardless the size of your move, we will be there as promised, providing good service, every time.  As a small, local company we rely on repeat customers and a reputation for excellence to succeed in a highly competitive industry.

If  you’ve been dumped, call us.  We’ll schedule your move on the next available day.

Better still, avoid the headaches and schedule with Express Movers to begin with.  Isn’t it better to know that your move will happen when it’s supposed to, at the price you expect?

All other entrants have won $10 or $20 Starbuck’s gift cards, expect to see these in your mailbox next week. This drawing was such fun that we expect to repeat it soon. Watch for your invitation to enter!

Our family established this company in 2003 and quickly achieved our goal of making the Express Movers name synonymous with superior quality and service. Our small business takes great pride in being chosen as “The Best Movers in Seattle” in several different consumer choice venues.

Moving is stressful, but we strive to make it more pleasant for you by bringing a cheerful demeanor and sense of humor to our work.