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If you are planning a small move, such as a one-bedroom house, apartment, studio, or storage unit, you may be considering hiring professional movers to assist you with your move. Your upcoming relocation may involve just a few items, or you may need to rent a moving container or truck to move a larger amount of items.
While it’s possible to move your items without professionals, hiring movers can help simplify the process to help lessen the stress and difficulty that can come with a do-it-yourself move. To help you pick the right movers, we have compiled a list of the top moving companies for small moves from our research into the best long-distance moving companies and interstate providers.
The Best Moving Companies for Small Moves
Here is our list of the best companies for small moves, as determined by our research:
- International Van Lines : Best Overall Mover
- American Van Lines : Best for High-Value Goods
- Safeway Moving Inc.: Best for Condos and HOAs
- Interstate Moving & Relocation Group: Best for Major Cities
- Moving APT: Best for Coordinated Moves
- JK Moving Services: Best Mobile App
- North American Van Lines: Best Appliance Movers
- Allied Van Lines: Best Customer Experience
- 1-800-PACK-RAT: Best for Self-Service Moves
- Mayflower Moving: Best for Expedited Moves
- United Van Lines: Best for Home Office Moves
| International Van Lines | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | B |
| American Van Lines | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | A |
| Safeway Moving Inc. | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
 |
| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| Interstate Moving & Relocation Group | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | B |
| Moving APT | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
 |
| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | B |
| JK Moving Services | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
 |
| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| North American Van Lines | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
 |
| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| Allied Van Lines | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
 |
| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| 1-800-PACK-RAT | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
 |
| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | A |
| United Van Lines | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| Mayflower Moving | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Star Rating | |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
How to Pick a Moving Company for Small Moves
When deciding on a moving company to handle your small move, you should first determine the services you will need. For example, does your small move include transporting a car or boat? Do you have any rare or high-value items that will require custom crating or special handling? Is your move simple enough that a self-service company is sufficient?
Once you have a list of required services, you can begin contacting companies that match your criteria. International Van Lines and American Van Lines are among the full-service providers experienced in moving large or fragile items. If you decide you can handle most of the heavy lifting, companies like 1-800-PACK-RAT offer online calculators to help you figure out the size and number of moving containers you will need.
What is Considered a Small Move?
A small move usually refers to any move involving a smaller amount of items. This could include a one-bedroom house, studio apartment, one or two bedroom apartment, a small office space, storage units, or a dorm room. Small moves do not always require hiring professional movers, but it can save you a great deal of time and reduce your stress when moving homes. Hiring a moving company also spares you the risk involved with heavy lifting and driving a large vehicle over long distances.
What Factors Influence a Small Move’s Cost?
Many factors can affect the cost of your move, including distance. Moving companies usually use different factors to calculate the cost of a local move vs. long-distance move.
There are some cost factors that mainly apply to long-distance moves such as toll charges, but most moves usually involve the following cost factors:
- Weight and volume of the moving shipment
- Time of year and day of the week you are moving
- Moving distance
- Home size and layout
- Mileage
- Gas
Some other cost factors that may not apply to all moves but still worth considering are:
- Special handling of fragile or high-value items
- Difficult-to-move items
- Number of stories and flights of stairs
- Full-service packing services
- Tipping the moving crew
- Driveways with limited access for moving trucks
Is a Moving Company for Small Moves Worth It?
It’s possible to conduct a small move with the help of family and friends using a rental truck, van, or trailer. But hiring a professional moving company is a great option when large furniture is involved or you need to move specialty items. Trained moving crews can properly package and handle fragile items. Many full-service movers, such as American Van Lines, specialize in the white-glove treatment of items like pianos, antiques, and fine art.
Moving can be stressful even with a small shipment, especially if you are moving long distance. Having assistance with packing, loading, and transportation can help take a few items off your relocation to-do list and allow you to focus on other tasks, like changing your address and finding medical providers in your new location.
Hiring a moving company is worth it, especially if you are worried about high-value items. We surveyed 1,000 consumers who had moved in the last five years and found that transporting artwork and mirrors was the top concern.
International Van Lines
Our Top Pick
American Van Lines
Best for Antiques
Safeway Moving Inc.
Best for Condos and HOAs
Interstate Moving & Relocation Group
Best for Major Cities
Moving APT
Best for Coordinated Moves
JK Moving Services
Best Mobile App
North American Van Lines
Best for High-End Appliances
Allied Van Lines
Best Customer Experience
1-800-PACK-RAT
Best for Self-Service Moves
Mayflower Moving
Best for Expedited Moves
United Van Lines
Best for Home Office Moves
Is a Moving Company for Small Moves Worth It?
It’s possible to conduct a small move with the help of family and friends using a rental truck, van, or trailer. But hiring movers is worth it when large furniture is involved or you need to move specialty items. We surveyed 1,000 consumers who had moved in the last five years and found that transporting artwork and mirrors was the top concern. Trained moving crews can properly package and handle fragile items. Many full-service movers, such as American Van Lines, specialize in the white-glove treatment of items like pianos, antiques, and fine art.
Moving can be stressful even with a small shipment, especially if you are moving long distance. Having assistance with packing, loading, and transportation can help take a few items off your relocation to-do list and allow you to focus on other tasks, like changing your address and finding medical providers in your new location.
Our Recommendation
Our research shows that International Van Lines is a good fit for small moves. IVL has a long-standing reputation in the moving industry and can accommodate relocations of all sizes locally, long-distance, and internationally.
Similarly, Allied Van Lines made our list of best movers for small relocations because it provides partial-packing services and can customize your moving package with various add-on options. 1-800-PACK-RAT is a viable choice for a self-service move, particularly if you need short- or long-term storage as part of your relocation.
While JK Moving is a great place to start, we recommend you request quotes from at least three top moving companies to better understand the services you will receive for the price.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you move a small amount of things?
For moving a small amount of things from one home to another, you have more than one option. You can rent a moving truck and drive your items to your destination, or you can hire a moving company. Full-service moving companies provide movers to pack, load, and deliver your inventory, and self-service companies drop off portable storage containers that you will load yourself. The company will then pick up and deliver these storage containers on or around the date you agreed to in your moving contract.
What is the cheapest way to move a short distance?
The cheapest way to move a short distance in most cases is to rent a moving truck and pack, load, and drive your inventory on your own or with the help of family and friends.
How much does a small local move cost?
According to one of the top-rated providers in our guide, International Van Lines, a local move will typically cost around $150 an hour for a team of three movers. This rate assumes that you packed your own belongings in boxes before the movers arrived.
What are the benefits of hiring a moving company?
The main benefit of hiring a moving company is that you can streamline your move by allowing the company to pack, load, unload, and unpack your belongings. Many movers also offer partial-packing options if you prefer to handle some of your belongings on your own. The moving company will also haul your items to your destination, keeping you from having to drive a moving truck.
How We Chose the Top Moving Companies for Small Moves
We researched and analyzed dozens of full- and self-service moving companies and formulated a moving review methodology based on a number of factors, including package options, pricing, and reputation. We also identified customer pain points based on customer-review analysis, proprietary consumer surveys, and interviews with former and current moving professionals.
Speaking directly to a representative at each company, we determined the number of package options available, the coverage provided, the types of moves available (long-distance, local, and international), and any extra perks offered, such as mobile apps, moving checklists, and 24/7 customer service.
We also gathered pricing data from each of the companies and determined whether they provide ballpark estimates or binding quotes. To determine reputation, we evaluated companies based on their rating with the Better Business Bureau as well as their overall score on Yelp.
