My $2,540 California to Oregon U-Pack ReloCube Move
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Tarzana, CA → Beaverton, OR
$2,540
Two ReloCubes, 575 cubic feet
$2,540
Exactly my quote, $3,960 with labor
955 mi
Delivered in five days
- I compared four quotes for my California to Oregon move, and they ranged from $1,800 to $4,800.
- U-Pack charged me exactly what they quoted. My loading crew, hired separately and billed by the hour, is what took my real total to $3,960.
- 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 Shiri W., who moved from Tarzana, California, to Beaverton, Oregon, in June 2023 using U-Pack ReloCube. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from California to Oregon
My 11-year-old daughter and I wanted a change of scenery, and I’d had enough of keeping up with the cost of living in Tarzana. We settled on Beaverton for a fresh start, 955 miles north.
I was moving a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment on a tight budget, and what I wanted more than anything was for it to run on time with no surprises in transit.
I’d never planned a move this big, so I gave myself two and a half months. I worked through Google, Reddit, and moveBuddha’s guide to the best moving container companies to build a shortlist. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My U-Pack experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with U-Pack ReloCube, good and bad.
- Communication: Strong before the move and patchier once things were moving, which I put down to peak season. They said they’d call to confirm the pickup window and instead the driver phoned from outside my building.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: I paid $2,540, exactly what I was quoted, and not a dollar more. I rated this a 5 and I meant it.
- Professionalism: Genuinely flexible. When I fell behind on packing they let me decide whether to move my dates rather than pushing me.
- Timeliness: They picked up and delivered on schedule, and delivery came in five days against a seven to 10 day estimate.
- Loss and damage: Everything arrived safe and intact.
- Would I use U-Pack again? Yes, definitely. I rated the overall experience a 5.
over my original U-Pack quote
Find out what a move from California → Oregon actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose U-Pack ReloCube
I didn’t know at the start whether I wanted a full-service mover or a container company, so I gathered full-service quotes first just to learn the process. Every one came back higher than I’d expected, and they gave me something more useful than sticker shock: after a few of them I had a solid idea of my actual volume.
I took those numbers and used them to submit far more accurate quote requests to the container companies. That’s the part I’d tell anyone to copy, because it let me book exactly the right amount of space instead of guessing and paying for air.
U-Pack won on the combination. They were clear about the pricing tiers and the space each one bought, their customer service was consistently friendly, and they were one of the only companies that didn’t pressure me. U-Haul quoted lower, and U-Haul would have had me driving nearly 1,000 miles myself, which I had no interest in doing. I booked two ReloCubes: they’d drop them at my place, give me three days to load, then come back and take them to Oregon.
I also hired a third-party crew for the loading and unloading, since U-Pack moves the containers but doesn’t fill them. That decision is the one worth examining, and I’ll come back to it.
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My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my California to Oregon move.
| Moved from | Tarzana, California |
|---|---|
| Moved to | Beaverton, Oregon |
| Distance | 955 miles |
| Move date | June 19, 2023 (containers delivered) |
| Move size | 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment (1,000 square feet) |
| Moving company | U-Pack ReloCube |
| Moving quote | $2,540 |
| Actual cost | $2,540 (or $3,960 including third-party loading and unloading) |
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 for the same 575 cubic feet, cheapest first.
| Company | Estimated volume | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| U-Haul | 575 cubic feet | $1,800 |
| U-Pack ReloCube | 575 cubic feet | $2,540 |
| Budget Van Lines | 575 cubic feet | $4,350 |
| PODS | 575 cubic feet | $4,800 |
Every one of these is for the same volume, which is only because I’d done the full-service quotes first and knew what my volume was. The $3,000 spread across identical space is the argument for gathering four quotes even when you already know which type of move you want.
Pickup day
U-Pack sent me a moving plan ahead of time with my dates, times, and the container specs, plus a short checklist and packing directions. I got ready by selling the larger furniture that wouldn’t fit in two ReloCubes and packing a little every day.
It still wasn’t enough. With three days to load, I realized I’d fallen behind and called U-Pack to check my deadlines. They were completely accommodating and left it up to me whether to push the dates back. I finished in time and didn’t need to, and the fact that they offered took most of the pressure off.
They called the day before to firm everything up and arrived at 4 p.m. on June 19, right on schedule. Finding somewhere to put the containers took us about 30 minutes, which is longer than it should have. With street parking only, that’s a job to do before the truck shows up rather than while the driver waits.
The third-party crew came two days later to finish loading. I had a language barrier with a couple of them that made communicating hard, and I noticed they weren’t as careful about wrapping and handling my things when I wasn’t standing there. Loading the two ReloCubes took five hours, which was longer than I’d planned for and cost more than I’d budgeted, because they billed by the hour.
My one real complaint about U-Pack came at the end of that day. They’d said they would call to confirm the pickup window, and instead the driver phoned me from outside the building. It was June, they were running hundreds of moves that week, and I’d still have liked the call.
Delivery day
U-Pack gave me a tracking number that didn’t work, so I spent the transit period with no idea where my things were. Next time I’d put an AirTag in each container and check it myself.
Then they beat their own estimate. They’d said seven to 10 days and called on day five to say the containers were ready to drop, which gave me far more flexibility than I’d planned for. Delivery itself was prompt.
My Oregon crew was much better than the California one. They unloaded both containers in two hours, which kept that side of the move on budget. I did have to chase U-Pack to confirm when they’d collect the empty containers, and I didn’t need to be there for it.
Everything arrived safe and intact, and U-Pack charged me $2,540, exactly what they’d quoted.
Final thoughts
Here’s how I rated U-Pack on a scale of 1 to 5: communication 4, timeliness 5, quote accuracy 5, and overall experience 5.
On time and on budget across 955 miles in peak season is the whole job, and they did it. The 4 on communication is about the tracking number that didn’t work and the pickup call that never came, both of which are peak-season problems. If I could have moved in the autumn or winter I probably wouldn’t have hit either.
The honest number for my move is $3,960, not $2,540. U-Pack’s price was exactly right; the loading crew is what moved it, because they charged by the hour and took five hours to fill two containers. Anyone comparing a container quote against a full-service quote has to add the labor at both ends before the comparison means anything. On paper I saved money by splitting the job across companies. Once I count the hours my California crew billed and the care they didn’t take, I’m less sure.
What I’d do again without hesitating: get full-service quotes first, even if you’re fairly sure you want containers. Those quotes told me my volume, and knowing my volume let me book exactly two ReloCubes rather than guessing high and paying for space I didn’t need. It’s the single thing that kept this move cheap.
What I’d change: sort out where the containers go before the driver arrives, get traffic cones if you’re on street parking, put a tracker in each box, and if you use third-party labor, stand there and watch them work. And be proactive. Every time I was unsure about something I called U-Pack, and every time that call is what kept the move smooth.
My advice to anyone planning something like this is simply to take the packing seriously. Use every spare moment. I did and I still nearly ran out of time.
Weighing containers against full-service movers? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to price both on your route, and add loading labor to the container number before you compare.
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Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Shiri W.’s experience:
- Get full-service quotes first even if you want containers: Shiri W. had no idea of her volume until full-service estimators told her. She then booked exactly two ReloCubes instead of guessing, which is the main reason her move stayed cheap.
- Add loading labor before comparing a container quote: U-Pack charged Shiri W. exactly $2,540 and her real total was $3,960. A container price covers the box and the transport, and full-service quotes already include the crews.
- Agree a flat rate with third-party labor, not hourly: Shiri W.’s California crew billed by the hour and took five hours on two containers. Her Oregon crew did the unload in two. Hourly billing puts the cost of a slow crew on you.
- Watch third-party movers work: Shiri W. noticed her loading crew handled and wrapped her things less carefully when she wasn’t in the room. Nothing broke, and the difference was visible enough to mention.
- Sort the container’s parking spot before delivery day: Shiri W. spent 30 minutes finding somewhere to put her ReloCubes while the driver waited. Container companies publish the specs, so measure the space in advance and use traffic cones to hold it if you only have street parking.
- Put an AirTag in each container: Shiri W.’s U-Pack tracking number never worked. A tracker gives you the location without waiting on anyone to call.
- Call your mover the moment you’re unsure: Shiri W. fell behind on packing, called U-Pack, and was offered new dates rather than a penalty. Container companies are often more flexible than people assume, and they can’t help with a problem they don’t know about.
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