My Georgia to Illinois Move With U-Pack Cost $1,438
Athens, GA → Chicago, IL
$1,438
1-bedroom, 308 cu. ft.
$1,438
$0 in add-on fees
800 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared two container quotes before I booked U-Pack for my Georgia to Illinois move, which needed two months of storage in the middle.
- My final bill was $1,438, exactly what U-Pack quoted, though I had to rent a Penske van to collect my container after door-to-door delivery fell through.
- 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 Freddy S., who moved from Athens, Georgia, to Chicago, Illinois, in August 2023 using U-Pack. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Georgia to Illinois
I finished graduate school in Athens, Georgia, in the summer of 2023 and took a job 800 miles away in Chicago. As a student I hadn’t accumulated much, roughly two rooms’ worth of belongings, but there was a catch: I planned to spend a couple of months in Massachusetts in between. I needed someone who would move my stuff and store it in the meantime.
I thought about hiring full-service movers, but they were too expensive for my budget, and they still left me with the storage problem. A moving container company was the most economical and convenient option. I also knew I was moving into a part of Chicago famous for its parking regulations, so I wanted a company that could handle a tricky delivery and communicate well about it.
I found moveBuddha while I was researching and liked that I could compare container companies in one place. Its moving cost calculator does the same work, and according to moveBuddha, users who compare movers that way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My U-Pack experience at a glance
U-Pack gave me an affordable, high-quality move that covered both transportation and storage. Here’s how it broke down.
- Communication: Getting a real human on the phone was easy, which I appreciated. The one real gap was door-to-door delivery, which the national office told me was available and the local branch said wasn’t.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: U-Pack quoted me $1,438 and I paid $1,438, exactly. No add-ons, no adjustments.
- Professionalism: Everyone I dealt with was friendly, efficient, and helpful, from the phone reps to the freight center staff who handed my friends and me safety vests.
- Timeliness: The delivery partner’s truck broke down on drop-off day, so my container came the next morning instead. It didn’t really affect my move.
- Loss and damage: A bookshelf was damaged beyond repair and my table got dented. I packed everything myself with tape and bubble wrap, so that’s on me, not U-Pack.
- Would I use U-Pack again? Yes, though I’d want more consistent communication. You can compare U-Pack against other container companies with moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator.
over my original U-Pack quote
Find out what a move from Georgia → Illinois actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose U-Pack
I went with U-Pack because it offered everything I needed at the best price, and because a friend who made a similar post-grad move recommended the company to me. The quote was more than I expected, but it was still the best value of the two I got.
What I paid for was drop off, pick up, shipment, storage of one U-Pack ReloCube, and damage coverage at $0.10 per pound. I talked with the U-Pack team a few times by phone, and how easy it was to reach an actual person went a long way while I was deciding.
- Long distance moves only
- Only pay for the space you use
- No deposit or initial fees
- Fast delivery time frames
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 Georgia to Illinois move.
| Move date | August 1, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Moved from | Athens, GA |
| Moved to | Chicago, IL |
| Distance | 800 miles |
| Move size | One-bedroom home |
| Moving company | U-Pack |
| Moving quote | $1,438 |
| Actual cost | $1,438 |
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 knew for about a year that I’d be relocating, and once the job offer came through I had five months to plan. I spent a leisurely month researching movers, starting with Google and several Reddit threads, and asking friends for opinions. moveBuddha’s container company guides helped me narrow the field to two: Zippy Shell and U-Pack.
I submitted my information online and U-Pack emailed a quote: $1,138 for shipping plus $150 per month to store one ReloCube. Zippy Shell figured I’d need more than twice the space and came back higher.
| Company | Estimated volume | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| U-Pack | 308 cubic feet | $1,438 |
| Zippy Shell | 680 cubic feet | $2,000 |
How I prepared
U-Pack walked me through the process and answered everything I asked. They told me how many locks to buy for the ReloCube, that I needed to be present for drop-off but not pickup, and that I should secure a parking spot before drop-off day so nothing got held up. They gave me a phone number to call with questions and an online dashboard for tracking move details.
On my end, I got to work packing and planning how to organize the cube. I bought a lock, boxes, tape, and bubble wrap. I didn’t want to paint myself into a corner, so I made sure the things I’d need first sat near the front of the ReloCube. I didn’t have much, but I asked a friend to help with two larger pieces. Those went in first, then the smaller stuff.
I didn’t get much additional communication before drop-off, but that felt reasonable for a storage container company rather than a full-service mover.
rating
5 / 5
Pickup day
My ReloCube drop-off was scheduled and the crew didn’t show, so I called the trucking company number listed in my U-Pack dashboard to ask about a delay. Their delivery truck had broken down en route, and they said they’d bring the container in the morning. The driver was friendly and helpful about it, and the cube showed up the next morning so I could start loading.
Aside from that, drop-off was easy. The driver arrived, I confirmed my information, signed a document, and pointed him to the parking spot. The whole thing took 10 minutes. From there I spent a few days loading, though the actual work added up to about two hours. Minimalist graduate school life has its advantages.
Delivery day
It took 12 days for my things to reach the U-Pack freight center in Chicago, right on time. I tracked the location and progress in the dashboard, which made it easy to keep tabs on.
Here’s where it got complicated. I’d spent a few months in Massachusetts, and when it was time to collect my belongings, U-Pack told me I’d need to pick them up at the freight company center. Door-to-door delivery had been presented as an option earlier, but the local branch said it wasn’t possible.
So I rented a cargo van from Penske and drove to the freight center, where staff gave me unloading instructions and handed my friends and me visibility vests. They let me pull the van right up next to the container, which made unloading much easier. Then I drove to my new Chicago apartment and unloaded it again.
I still don’t know why door-to-door was floated when it wasn’t actually available. I understand deliveries in Chicago are tricky. I just wanted to know that upfront. If you’re moving into a city with strict parking rules, call the local freight warehouse rather than the national office, because U-Pack locations set their own policies and a national rep may not know what’s true at your address.
There was some damage. A bookshelf was ruined and my table picked up a dent. I packed everything myself, so U-Pack isn’t at fault, and I wouldn’t have grounds to file a damage claim. That’s the tradeoff with DIY packing.
Final thoughts
A few small hiccups aside, U-Pack knocked this one out of the park. My cross-country move cost $1,438, exactly what I was quoted, which is not what most people can say. If your budget is tight and your load is small, this is a solid way to do a big move cheaply.
I’d use U-Pack again. My one piece of advice is to call and get clear confirmation about whether door-to-door delivery is actually available where you’re going. If I’d had a bigger budget I would have hired full-service movers to handle everything, but for what I paid, I got real value.
The damage was my own doing. I used tape and bubble wrap and nothing more, and an 800-mile trip calls for something heavier duty like moving blankets. What I did get right was researching container companies properly and planning how to pack the cube, so I never had to tear everything apart looking for one document.
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.
rating
5 / 5
My ratings
Here’s how I scored U-Pack on a scale of 1 to 5 based on my end-to-end experience.
- Communication: 4 out of 5. Reaching a person was easy, but the national office and the local branch told me different things about door-to-door delivery.
- Timeliness: 5 out of 5. A broken-down truck pushed my drop-off to the next morning, and my shipment still reached Chicago in 12 days, right on schedule.
- Quote accuracy: 5 out of 5. I paid $1,438, exactly what U-Pack quoted, with no add-ons.
- Overall experience: 4 out of 5. Great value and friendly people, with one avoidable miscommunication about delivery.
More moving resources
Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Freddy S.’s experience:
- Confirm door-to-door delivery with the local branch: Container company locations set their own policies, so a national rep may not know what’s possible at your address. Freddy S. was told door-to-door was available and ended up renting a Penske van to collect his own container.
- Ask locals which container companies work in your neighborhood: If you’re moving somewhere with strict parking rules, check Reddit or Nextdoor and call the local freight warehouse. Every area has quirks, and the best company on your route may not be the biggest name.
- Take a friend’s recommendation with context: Freddy S. found U-Pack through a friend’s post-grad move, which was good sourcing, but no two moves are identical. His friend didn’t hit the Chicago delivery limitation.
- Invest in real packing materials for a long haul: Tape and bubble wrap weren’t enough for 800 miles, and Freddy S. lost a bookshelf. Moving blankets and proper wrapping matter more when you’re packing the container yourself, since the company isn’t liable for your packing.
- Plan the load order before you start: Put the things you’ll need first near the door of the container. It costs nothing and saves you from unloading everything to find one box.
- Call when something seems off: Freddy S. moved during peak season, when companies run hundreds of moves a day. He called when the truck didn’t show and got a straight answer the same day.
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