PODS Moved My Stuff 1,400 Miles: Arizona to Washington
Scottsdale, AZ → Kirkland, WA
$3,252
2-bedroom apartment, 4 rooms
$3,252
$0 in add-on fees
1,400 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared four moving container quotes before I booked PODS for my Arizona to Washington move.
- My final bill was $3,252, exactly what PODS quoted me, with no add-on fees and nothing lost or damaged over 1,400 miles.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
See what your move really costs before a mover tells you.
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This account is based on a conversation with Kyle, who moved from Scottsdale, Arizona, to Kirkland, Washington, in November 2022 using PODS. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Arizona to Washington
My girlfriend and I moved from Scottsdale, Arizona, to Kirkland, Washington, on Nov. 9, 2022, a 1,400-mile trip with a two-bedroom apartment worth of stuff. I knew I’d probably be moving after finishing grad school in Arizona, so I had almost a year to think it through, and things locked in once we both landed jobs in the Seattle area.
What I wanted was a move that was predictable, affordable, and low stress, and I didn’t want to wait weeks to see my things again. I looked at renting a truck from U-Haul, but a long drive in a moving van with our friendly, high-strung dog wasn’t appealing, and a truck wouldn’t give us storage while we looked for a place in Washington. Full-service movers were out of our budget, so I focused on finding a top moving container company instead.
I built a rough budget around our relocation stipends before I contacted anyone, then compared four container quotes. moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator does that budgeting step in one shot, and according to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My PODS experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with PODS, good and bad.
- Communication: I’d give PODS 4 out of 5 here. They called and emailed to confirm details before the container arrived, but there was no proactive contact while my stuff was in transit and a couple of small mix-ups along the way.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: My quote was my final bill. No hidden fees, no last-minute charges, and nothing added at delivery, which is the single biggest thing I’d tell someone to look for.
- Professionalism: PODS did what they said they’d do. The value matched the price, and I never felt like I was chasing anyone to hold up their end.
- Timeliness: My container showed up at the new place inside the agreed delivery window, about three weeks after it left Arizona.
- Loss and damage: Nothing was lost and nothing was broken. We unloaded the whole container and found zero damage after 1,400 miles.
- Would I use PODS again? Yes. If I move again, PODS is the first call I make. You can compare PODS against other container companies with moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator.
over my original PODS quote
Find out what a move from Arizona → Washington actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose PODS
Two of my four quotes were way too high, and PODS and Zippy Shell came in about where I expected. I booked PODS because the price was reasonable and the online reviews were strong, and because the quote included door-to-door transportation, 30 days of storage, and $10,000 of coverage. I paid to raise that coverage to $20,000 for peace of mind.
PODS pioneered moving and storage containers back in 1998, and the things people like about them held true for me: a lenient cancelation policy, wide national coverage, and three container sizes. The one drawback is that capacity gets tight during peak summer moving season, so book early. My customer service calls were also a mixed bag, two good and one not great, though it never affected the actual move.
- 30 days storage included
- Local and long distance moving options
- Unlimited loading/unloading time
- Store on property or at a facility
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I ended up paying for my Arizona to Washington move.
| Move date | November 9, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Moved from | Scottsdale, Arizona |
| Moved to | Kirkland, Washington |
| Distance | 1,400 miles |
| Move size | Two-bedroom apartment (four total rooms) |
| Moving company | PODS |
| Moving quote | $3,252 |
| Actual cost | $3,252 |
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
My move details started firming up about three months out, and I vetted companies using moveBuddha, Reddit, and the moving companies’ own websites. Here’s what four container companies quoted me for the same 1,400-mile move.
| Company | Container size | Cost estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Zippy Shell | 16-foot | $2,900 |
| PODS | 16-foot | $3,252 |
| U-Pack | Freight trailer | $5,285 |
| UNITS | 16-foot | $5,800 |
Getting the PODS quote meant filling out the online form, doing a short phone consultation, and then getting an estimate by email. The container itself held about 40 boxes plus miscellaneous furniture, roughly 2,000 pounds.
How I got ready to move
My girlfriend and I started by decluttering and getting rid of things we couldn’t ship or didn’t need anymore. We also had a semi-valuable rock collection that would have needed special packing, so we moved that in the car with us.
Decluttering and donating items you don’t want is an often-overlooked moving tip and can make moving day much more manageable.
One small snag: I was told my credit card wouldn’t be charged until the day before my service date, but PODS ran a pre-authorization about two weeks out. It didn’t cost me anything, and the card wasn’t actually charged until later, but I would have liked to know it was coming.
PODS emailed again the day before delivery to reconfirm everything and tell me what time to expect the container. By then I felt good about the company I’d picked and the planning we’d done, even knowing a lot can happen between Arizona and Washington.
rating
4.8 / 5
Pickup and loading day
I got a courtesy call on move day letting me know the driver was on the way, and the container arrived just after 7 a.m., right at the start of the delivery window. Once it was parked near our apartment, we spent about eight hours filling it with boxes and furniture, with plenty of breaks.
The loaded container was originally scheduled for pickup on the evening of the 10th, then PODS told me the driver would come between 10 a.m. and noon instead. We’d planned to use that morning to finish loading, so we worked until nearly 11 p.m. the night before to get it done. It didn’t wreck our schedule, but sticking to the original window would have saved us a late night. If you’re booking a container, confirm the pickup time in writing and ask how much notice you’ll get if it shifts.
Delivery day
PODS didn’t reach out while my container was in transit, but I could check the online shipment tracker any time I wanted to see where my things were. When the container reached Washington, I tried to schedule final delivery online, hit a technical glitch, and had to call in instead.
My things arrived on schedule, about three weeks after leaving Arizona. We unloaded in the morning and found nothing damaged. Counting the PODS bill, hotels, and gas for our own car, the whole move ran about $3,500.
Final thoughts
My long-distance move with PODS was a success by almost every measure. The quote was accurate, the service was on time, and the whole thing felt professional. The one thing I’d change is the container pickup, which happened hours earlier in the day than we’d planned for, though PODS did collect it on the agreed date.
The payment mix-up was minor too. Neither issue cost me money, and nothing arrived broken. If you’re weighing containers, Bethany had a similarly positive PODS experience moving from California to Virginia, and Hassan used PODS for a long haul into Washington like mine.
rating
4.8 / 5
Compare a few companies before you book. According to moveBuddha, users who compare quotes with the moving cost calculator save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My ratings
Here’s how I scored PODS on a scale of 1 to 5 based on my end-to-end experience.
- Communication: 4 out of 5. The pre-move contact was good, but nobody checked in during transit, and I ran into a couple of small mix-ups on payment and pickup timing.
- Timeliness: 5 out of 5. The container arrived at the start of my window on move day, and my delivery landed on schedule three weeks later.
- Quote accuracy: 5 out of 5. I paid $3,252, exactly what PODS quoted me, with no add-ons.
- Overall experience: 5 out of 5. Nothing lost, nothing broken, no surprise charges, and I’d book PODS again.
More moving resources
Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Kyle’s experience:
- Start packing earlier than you think you need to: Kyle’s one regret was underestimating how long packing takes. Give yourself more time than seems necessary, especially if you’re loading a container yourself on a fixed pickup date.
- Compare containers against trucks and full-service movers: Price all three before deciding. Kyle chose a container because it saved money over full-service movers, took the driving off his plate, and included 30 days of free storage while he looked for a place.
- Confirm the pickup window in writing: Ask when the loaded container will be collected and how much notice you’ll get if that changes. A pickup that moves from evening to late morning can cost you a full working day of loading time.
- Book early if you’re moving in summer: Container capacity tightens during peak moving season, so lock in your dates as far ahead as you can.
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