I Took the Cheapest of 4 New York to Michigan Quotes
Fact Checked by: 
Brooklyn, NY → Detroit, MI
$5,275
About 70 boxes, 2,200 pounds
$5,275
Plus $840 in cash tips
632 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared four quotes before I hired Clutter for my New York City to Detroit move, and Clutter was the cheapest by $844.
- Clutter’s portal tried to add a $3,900 transportation fee after loading, then $4,200. I held them to the $5,275 they quoted.
- 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 Esmé W., who moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Detroit, Michigan, in August 2023 using Clutter. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from New York to Michigan
I wanted a fresh start, less stress, and to live closer to my family, so in August 2023 I left a cramped one-bedroom in Brooklyn for a two-bedroom apartment in Detroit, 632 miles away.
I had four rooms’ worth of things, roughly 70 boxes, plus a water rower, a bike, and art pieces. I also had antiques to move, including a vintage chaise lounger. I’m a part-time dinner party cook, so specialty plates, ceramics, pans, and platters all had to arrive without a scratch. What mattered most to me was that my things got there safely and on time, and that I kept the cost down without compromising on quality.
I spent about a month Googling and searching Instagram before I found moveBuddha, which was a great starting point when I was clueless about long-distance moves and had no idea where to begin. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My Clutter experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with Clutter, good and bad.
- Communication: Split down the middle. The movers on the ground communicated excellently, and the sales reps and office staff were inconsistent, gave me incorrect information about moving protection, and mixed up my move date.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: I fought Clutter over a surprise transportation fee that appeared after loading, and in the end I paid exactly the $5,275 they quoted.
- Professionalism: The moving crew impressed me. Customer support was a different story.
- Timeliness: The crew showed up on time and my things arrived on time, one week after pickup.
- Loss and damage: I paid Clutter to pack, and I found one broken ceramic bowl while unpacking. A few items had black smudges, most likely from not enough furniture pads during loading.
- Would I use Clutter again? No. I’d use a different moving company, and it’s the customer service rather than the movers that decided that for me.
over my original Clutter quote, after a fight
Find out what a move from New York → Michigan actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose Clutter
Clutter was the cheapest of my four quotes, and it helped that a coworker had used them and had a great experience. Requesting the quote was easy: their website has a digital form where you enter where you’re moving, how many rooms you have, and what level of service you want.
I hired them for a full-service move including truck, transportation, and tolls, floor and corner protection, furniture wrapping and blankets, TV dismounting, disassembly and reassembly, packing and unpacking help, and boxes and packing materials. I upgraded for more experienced movers and concierge service. Rather than buying Clutter’s coverage, I checked my renter’s insurance and found my policy covered moving damage, though that varies a lot by policy and is worth confirming in writing before you decline anything.
The warning signs were there before move day. I had several confusing conversations with sales reps who gave me incorrect information about Clutter’s moving protection policies and mixed up my move date. Their tech had problems too: I’d log into my Clutter account to manage the move and nothing would load.
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my New York City to Detroit move.
| Move date | August 19, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Moved from | Brooklyn, New York |
| Moved to | Detroit, Michigan |
| Distance | 632 miles |
| Move size | One-bedroom apartment (900 square feet) |
| Moving company | Clutter |
| Moving quote | $5,275 |
| Actual cost | $5,275 (plus $840 in cash tips) |
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 got four quotes from full-service companies, which gave me a real sense of fair pricing. Clutter came in $844 below the next cheapest and nearly $3,000 below the most expensive.
| Company | Estimated volume/weight | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Clutter | 2,200 pounds | $5,275 |
| North American Van Lines | 2,200 pounds | $6,119 |
| Roadway Moving | 2,200 pounds | $8,194 |
| Two Men And A Truck | 2,200 pounds | $8,206 |
Something I learned partway through: moving quotes have expiration dates. That pushed me to book sooner than I’d planned. If you’ve never requested mover quotes before, know that they have a shelf life and won’t stay accurate if you sit on them, so ask for them when you’re genuinely ready to hire.
Pickup day
Clutter sent me a map and an approximate ETA half an hour before my window opened, and being able to watch the movers’ location before they arrived was genuinely reassuring.
The crew arrived right on time at 8 a.m., and they were gracious, efficient, and kind. They asked plenty of clarifying questions and reassured me when I started worrying about getting everything packed in time.
I packed alongside them for a while, then it got cramped and I felt like I was in the way, so I went upstairs and chatted with my neighbor. I’d do that differently now. Hanging around while movers pack feels awkward, and if I’d stayed and overseen the loading I might have caught the padding problem that caused the smudges I found later.
Then the real problem started. After loading, Clutter’s portal said I owed an additional $3,900 transportation fee, separate from the all-inclusive flat rate I’d been quoted. I called customer service in a panic. They had the wrong information, transferred me around, and then insisted the figure was actually $4,200, plus $199 an hour for unpacking help. They told me to file a claim with their Trust and Safety Team.
After a lot of phone calls I got it sorted, and Clutter honored the original $5,275 estimate. Read the fine print of your contract before you sign so you know exactly what your flat rate covers.
Delivery day
Clutter didn’t contact me while my things were in transit, which I gather isn’t unusual, since movers typically go quiet until it’s time to drop off.
It took one week for everything to reach Detroit, right on time. The two-person crew was kind, careful, and communicative, the opposite of my experience with the office.
Damage was minor. A broken pottery bowl was the worst of it, and some things had black smudges, which I put down to not enough furniture pads during loading. All in, I paid $5,275 plus $840 in cash tips to get everything from Brooklyn to Detroit essentially intact and on schedule.
Final thoughts
My complaint is with Clutter’s customer service, not the movers. The logistics were flawless, everything arrived on time and in solid condition, and the crews at both ends were excellent. The inconsistent support caused me a lot of stress that the move itself didn’t.
Some of this is the season. I moved in August, at peak, when communication and tech are stretched thin, and moving in fall or winter would likely have gone smoother. Tracking is sparse in summer too, so I’d tell anyone moving then to buy a few AirTags and tuck them in with your things. I could see where my belongings actually were without relying on the Clutter portal, which was slow to update. The movers themselves were worth every penny, and Clutter got me from A to B intact at a genuinely low rate.
Comparing full-service movers for your own move? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to get real quotes from vetted companies before you book.
My ratings
Here’s how I scored Clutter on a scale of 1 to 5 based on my end-to-end experience.
- Communication: 2 out of 5. Excellent from the crew, poor from the office, including wrong information about protection policies and a mixed-up move date.
- Timeliness: 5 out of 5. On time at pickup and one week to Detroit, exactly as promised.
- Quote accuracy: 2 out of 5. I paid the quoted $5,275, and only after Clutter’s portal demanded $3,900 more and a rep asked for $4,200.
- Overall experience: 3 out of 5. Flawless logistics, minimal damage, and a billing dispute that shouldn’t have happened.
More moving resources
Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Esmé W.’s experience:
- Screenshot your flat-rate quote before move day: Clutter’s portal demanded $3,900 on top of Esmé W.’s all-inclusive rate after the truck was loaded, which is the worst possible moment to be renegotiating. Keep the original quote where you can produce it instantly.
- Stay and watch the packing, even when it feels awkward: Esmé W. went upstairs when the apartment got cramped, and the smudges she found later trace back to padding she might have caught. Overseeing is not hovering.
- Don’t assume renters insurance covers a move: Esmé W.’s policy did, and most renters policies don’t cover moving damage. Get confirmation in writing from your insurer before declining a mover’s coverage.
- Put AirTags in your boxes if you move in summer: Tracking is thin at peak season and Esmé W.’s portal lagged. A few trackers gave her real-time locations the company couldn’t.
- Request quotes only when you’re ready to book: Esmé W. learned mid-search that quotes expire. Gathering them early means re-gathering them later.
- Move outside summer if your schedule allows: The office confusion, the mixed-up date, and the portal problems all point to a company at capacity. Fall and winter buy you better attention.
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