My $13,250 Washington to California JK Moving Experience
Fact Checked by: 
Seattle, WA → Marina del Rey, CA
$12,228
Non-binding, 6,719 pounds
$13,250
$1,022 over, I had more than I thought
1,100 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared four quotes for my Washington to California move, and they ranged from $4,100 to $12,228 for the same condo.
- I paid $13,250 against a $12,228 quote, and I saved a few hundred dollars by packing my marble tabletop myself, which cracked in half in transit.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
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This account is based on a conversation with Chloe D., who moved from Seattle, Washington, to Marina del Rey, California, in January 2023 using JK Moving Services. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Washington to California
My fiancé and I were moving 1,100 miles south to be closer to family. Our two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo was about 1,200 square feet, and the shipment turned out to be larger than most: close to 100 boxes and roughly 7,000 pounds.
Plenty of it needed care. Framed artwork, televisions, and a large marble dining tabletop. The bigger complication was the buildings. I was moving out of a high-rise condo in Seattle and into another one in Marina del Rey, which meant truck access limits and elevator reservations at both ends. I knew from the start that I’d need a coordinator who would actually work the details with me.
Price mattered, and communication mattered more. I wanted a company that would answer the phone and honor what it promised.
I spent nearly a month getting quotes from full-service movers, comparing companies head-to-head on moveBuddha and using the moving cost calculator to sanity-check the numbers. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My JK Moving experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with JK Moving Services, good and bad.
- Communication: My move coordinators were helpful and attentive early on, and the lines broke down as the move progressed. I rated this a 2, and it’s the thing that soured the whole experience.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: My bill came in about $1,022 over the $12,228 quote, because I had more than the original estimate accounted for. That’s inside the 10% margin the industry treats as accurate, and it still stung on a number that size.
- Professionalism: The movers and drivers were friendly, careful, and efficient at both ends. No complaints about the people doing the physical work.
- Timeliness: Pickup and delivery both happened on time, and JK gave me a guaranteed pickup day, which is why I could reserve my elevator with confidence.
- Loss and damage: I declined a custom wooden crate for my marble tabletop and packed it in mirror cartons myself. It arrived cracked in half.
- Would I use JK Moving again? Probably not. I rated the overall experience a 2, and I think I’d have been better off with a non-premium mover and a few thousand dollars back in my pocket.
over my original JK Moving quote
Find out what a move from Washington → California actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose JK Moving
I started by asking friends, family, and coworkers for referrals, then went through company websites myself and ran head-to-head comparisons. JK’s sales representative responded quickly and did a thorough virtual walkthrough, and during it we talked through condo parking, building insurance requirements, and how the crew would protect the floors, walls, and elevators. A few of the other companies didn’t seem interested in any of that. My impression was that they wanted to send a fast number and move on to the next prospect.
The other reason was history. I’d used JK five years earlier on a corporate relocation and it went well. Their estimate came in higher than I expected, and I thought the two cheapest quotes were probably unrealistic for what I was actually moving.
What sealed it was a guaranteed pickup day. Most of the others wouldn’t commit to one, and with an elevator and loading dock to book in a high-rise, a firm date was worth real money to me. The quote covered shuttles at both ends, because neither condo lot could take a tractor-trailer, plus furniture padding, standard disassembly of beds and tables, loading and unloading labor, door-to-door transportation, and full-value replacement coverage.
One line item I turned down: a custom wooden crate for the marble tabletop. I packed it in mirror cartons myself to save money. I’ll come back to that.
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my Washington to California move.
| Moved from | Seattle, Washington |
|---|---|
| Moved to | Marina del Rey, California |
| Distance | 1,100 miles |
| Move date | January 20, 2023 |
| Move size | 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo (about 1,200 square feet, nearly 100 boxes) |
| Moving company | JK Moving Services |
| Moving quote | $12,228 |
| Actual cost | $13,250 |
We found that when you use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, you can save 30% on moving costs compared to customers who go with the first quote they receive.
Quotes I compared
Here’s how my four quotes stacked up, cheapest to most expensive. The spread was almost $8,000 on the same condo, which is the widest range I’ve seen on anything.
| Company | Estimated weight | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| South Lake Union Movers | 5,000 to 7,000 pounds | $4,100 to $4,300 |
| American Van Lines | 5,000 to 7,000 pounds | $5,055 |
| Colonial Van Lines | 6,674 pounds | $8,464 |
| JK Moving Services | 6,719 pounds | $12,228 |
Notice that the weight estimates barely differ. Colonial and JK sized my condo within 45 pounds of each other and quoted $3,764 apart. The two cheapest gave me a range rather than a number, which is usually a sign nobody looked closely, and it’s why I discounted them despite the price.
Pickup day
I paid a small deposit to lock the date and then watched the communication get patchier as move day approached. Part of the explanation is that I had two coordinators, one at JK Moving and one at New World Van Lines. The two companies had recently started working together on long-distance moves, and I spent a lot of energy making sure both of them had the same information.
My move was booked for January 20, and the crew turned up unannounced on the 19th to build the inventory and pad-wrap the furniture. Not a disaster, and it was inconvenient, because I was working from home that day and they stayed about six hours. They wanted to start carrying things out to lighten the next day’s load, and they couldn’t, because I’d only reserved the elevator for the 20th.
They came back at 9:30 the next morning. I’d only booked the elevator until 1 p.m. and I was genuinely worried they wouldn’t finish. The crew was professional and fast, and in the end I was able to keep the elevator until the last box was on the truck.
Delivery day
I stayed in touch with both coordinators while my things were in transit, and there was real room for improvement there. My shipment arrived inside the agreed window, and then the truck couldn’t fit in my new building’s tight parking lot, so the crew had to drive back to the warehouse for a smaller shuttle.
They returned with an extra helper and carefully covered the floors before starting, which I appreciated. The unload was long and they handled it well.
Then I unwrapped the marble tabletop and found it cracked clean in half somewhere between Washington and California.
Final thoughts
Here’s how I rated JK Moving on a scale of 1 to 5: communication 2, timeliness 3, quote accuracy 2, and overall experience 2.
My things were picked up and delivered on time with minimal damage beyond the one piece, and the drivers and movers impressed me. The communication problems and the broken tabletop are what cast a shadow over all of it. Looking back, I spent far too much energy making sure the coordinators at JK and New World were both on top of my details, and that’s not what you’re paying a premium mover to make you do.
On the tabletop, I’ve thought about this a lot and I own most of it. Marble generally needs a custom wooden crate to cross state lines, and JK offered to build one. Crates like that can top $500 in materials and labor, and corrugated mirror cartons don’t give a slab that kind of support. When you pack an item yourself you usually sign a liability waiver, and movers are typically only responsible for what’s inside a packed-by-owner carton if the box shows tears, gouges, or crushed edges on the outside. I saved a few hundred dollars and lost the tabletop.
The $1,022 over my quote bothered me less once I understood it. It’s within 10% of the estimate, which the industry treats as accurate, and it happened because I had more than the original walkthrough captured. Knowing what I know now, I’d ask for a binding or guaranteed not-to-exceed estimate rather than a standard non-binding one. Movers aren’t obligated to offer those, and if a company won’t, you’re free to thank them and move on to one that will.
If I did this again I’d seriously consider a hybrid move, renting a truck from a company like U-Haul and hiring labor for the loading and unloading. And I’d tell anyone screening movers to make communication the deciding factor, especially if you’re dealing with elevators, shuttles, and building management at either end. My coordinators were excellent right up until the point where it mattered.
One more thing I underestimated: self-packing was more expensive, more tedious, and far more time-consuming than I expected. Set aside more time than you think you need, and if there’s room in the budget, hire professional packers.
Planning a long-distance move? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to see what movers are charging on routes like yours before you start making calls.
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Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Chloe D.’s experience:
- Pay for the crate on anything made of stone or glass: Chloe D. skipped a custom wooden crate for her marble tabletop and it cracked in half. Mirror cartons don’t support a slab, and a packed-by-owner carton usually only has a claim if the box itself is visibly damaged.
- Ask for a binding or not-to-exceed estimate: Chloe D. had a standard non-binding quote and paid $1,022 over. Companies aren’t required to offer a binding one, and you’re allowed to make it a condition of hiring. Our guide to binding vs. non-binding estimates covers the difference.
- Insist on a guaranteed pickup day if you’re booking an elevator: This was the single best thing about Chloe D.’s experience. A firm date let her reserve the loading dock and elevator without guessing, and it’s worth paying for in a high-rise.
- Ask who your point of contact is, and confirm there’s only one: Chloe D. had coordinators at two companies and spent the move relaying details between them. Get one name in writing before you put down a deposit.
- Be suspicious of a quote given as a range: Chloe D.’s two cheapest quotes came back as weight ranges rather than a surveyed number, and she discounted both. A company that hasn’t really looked will find the rest of your things on move day.
- Give self-packing more time than you think it needs: Chloe D. found it more expensive and far more tedious than expected across nearly 100 boxes. Professional packers are worth pricing before you rule them out.
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