My $4,500 Ohio to Texas International Van Lines Move
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Columbus, OH → Plano, TX
$3,916
4,000 pounds, 572 cubic feet
$4,500
$584 over, for items I added
1,050 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared three quotes for my Ohio to Texas move, and they ranged from $3,916 to $5,500. The cheapest was also the one with the best reputation.
- I paid $4,500 against a $3,916 quote, because I added a large suitcase, more boxes, and a few specialty items after the estimate was set.
- 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 Suresh P., who moved from Columbus, Ohio, to Plano, Texas, in May 2023 using International Van Lines. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Ohio to Texas
Work asked me to relocate, so my family and I were heading 1,050 miles south to Plano. We were moving a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home, plus a kitchen and a living room’s worth of things.
Safety was my priority above everything else. I wanted movers who would handle my belongings like professionals, and the thought of damage to the big expensive pieces, my bed and my dining room table, is what kept me up at night.
The complication was time. I had 25 days from start to finish to plan the whole move. I didn’t want to make a rushed decision on something that mattered this much, so I gave myself two weeks of that to research companies and gather quotes, which left almost no margin for anything to go wrong.
I started on Google and Quora looking for recommendations and found moveBuddha, which had the comprehensive company comparisons I was after. I read several posts and used the moving cost calculator to work out what I should be budgeting. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My International Van Lines experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with International Van Lines, good and bad.
- Communication: The best part of the whole move, and I rated it a 5. They reached out regularly and kept me updated at every stage, including a daily update while my things were on the road.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: I was quoted $3,916 and paid $4,500, a difference of $584. That caught me off guard, and it happened because I added items after the estimate was set.
- Professionalism: The crew was professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. They offered suggestions to improve how things were packed and loaded, which I hadn’t expected and did appreciate.
- Timeliness: They arrived inside every window they gave me, at both ends.
- Loss and damage: Nothing. Not a scratch on anything, including a box of glassware I’d been worried about the entire way.
- Would I use International Van Lines again? Yes, without hesitating. I rated the overall experience a 5.
over my original International Van Lines quote
Find out what a move from Ohio → Texas actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose International Van Lines
Two things pointed the same direction. International Van Lines had dozens of positive reviews about their professionalism, and I had a friend who’d used them and told me to. Reputation was doing the heavy lifting in my decision, and it happened that they also came in cheapest.
I submitted a request through their site and they called to confirm my inventory. During that call I realized I’d left a few things off, so we updated the estimate on the spot. They spent 30 minutes on the phone with me building the most accurate picture they could, which is more time than anyone else gave me.
The quote came back at $3,916 for 4,000 pounds, or 572 cubic feet. That was in line with what I’d budgeted. The one surprise was that packing wasn’t included. I’m from a different country and I hadn’t understood that U.S. movers treat packing as an add-on service rather than part of a full-service move. Once I knew, I was happy to pack myself and keep the cost down. I also took basic liability coverage for the 1,000-plus mile trip.
rating
- 10% discount for veterans and seniors
- Very competitive rates due to their national coverage
- Services local, long-distance, and international moves
- Can service most domestic moves within 48 hours
- 24/7 customer service
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my Columbus to Plano move.
| Moved from | Columbus, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Moved to | Plano, Texas |
| Distance | 1,050 miles |
| Move date | May 23, 2023 |
| Move size | 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom home |
| Moving company | International Van Lines |
| Moving quote | $3,916 |
| Actual cost | $4,500 |
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
I reached out to three companies through their online forms. Here’s how the numbers came back, cheapest first.
| Company | Estimated weight and volume | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| International Van Lines | 4,000 pounds / 572 cubic feet | $3,916 |
| Midwestern Movers | 3,570 pounds / 510 cubic feet | $4,322 |
| Universal Relocations | 4,900 pounds / 700 cubic feet | $5,500 |
The volume estimates are what interest me looking back. Three companies sized the same house at anywhere from 510 to 700 cubic feet, a spread of more than 35%, and the priciest quote came from the company that guessed highest. If a number looks steep, the reason is often that they think you own more than you do.
Pickup day
International Van Lines sent me instructions for boxing everything up and stayed in touch about what to do next. I bought moving boxes from a big-box store and got to work. Rather than throwing things into whatever box was nearest, I sorted by category first. That made the packing faster and I knew it would make unpacking easier at the other end.
Two days out they emailed a confirmation, and we had a couple more calls to update the inventory and the estimate. On the day itself they called an hour ahead with the arrival window and the driver’s name, then turned up right on schedule at 9:45 a.m.
Their professionalism genuinely surprised me. They took care with everything, and they volunteered suggestions about how to improve the packing and loading as they went. I oversaw the packing and the furniture disassembly, and I ended up chatting with the crew as much as supervising them. Loading took five hours.
Delivery day
My things took four days to reach Texas, and International Van Lines updated me once a day while they were on the road. The truck arrived on time.
It was a big truck and they parked it carefully. A crew of four unloaded efficiently, checking items off as they came in so everything was accounted for.
I’d spent the whole move worried about damage, and there wasn’t so much as a scratch on anything. Even my box of glassware came through intact. That relief is the thing I remember most about the day.
Final thoughts
Here’s how I rated International Van Lines on a scale of 1 to 5: communication 5, timeliness 5, quote accuracy 4, and overall experience 5.
The only mark below a 5 is the price, and I’d point out that the $584 difference was my own doing. I added a large suitcase, more boxes, and a few specialty items after the estimate was locked, and more items cost more money. It still caught me off guard when the final number came through, which tells you something about how I understood the process at the time.
That’s my real advice for anyone in my position. The estimate process confused me, and I’d tell people to understand how moving estimates actually work before they sign anything, particularly the difference between binding and non-binding and what happens when your inventory grows.
Coming from another country, I also had to learn U.S. moving customs as I went. Packing being a paid add-on rather than part of a full-service move was the one that surprised me. It would have been nice to have packing included, and doing it myself saved real money, so I don’t regret how it went.
What I’d hold up as the reason this worked: they communicated constantly, they were professional at both ends, and nothing arrived damaged. Being organized about packing kept my cost down, and being present for the loading and unloading gave me control over how my things were handled. I’d hire them again.
Planning a long-distance move? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to see what movers are charging on routes like yours before you start filling in quote forms.
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Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Suresh P.’s experience:
- Lock your inventory once the estimate is set: Suresh P. added a suitcase, extra boxes, and specialty items after his quote and paid $584 more. Anything added after the estimate costs space and labor, so decide what’s going before you agree a number.
- Understand how estimates work before you sign: Suresh P. rated everything else a 5 and the pricing a 4, purely because the process confused him. Our guide to binding vs. non-binding estimates covers what can and can’t change after you book.
- Ask whether packing is included, because it usually isn’t: U.S. movers treat packing as a paid add-on rather than part of full service. Suresh P. found this out after his quote came back and did it himself to save money, which worked out, and only because he had the time.
- Sort by category before you box anything: Suresh P. grouped his belongings before packing rather than filling whatever box was closest. It made packing faster and unpacking in Texas far easier.
- Compare the volume estimates, not just the prices: Three companies sized Suresh P.’s home at 510 to 700 cubic feet. The highest guess produced the highest quote, and a steep number often means a generous estimate rather than an expensive company.
- Be there for the loading and the unloading: Suresh P. oversaw both, and his crew offered packing and loading suggestions he’d have missed otherwise. Being present is the cheapest quality control available.
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