My Oregon to South Carolina move cost $4,561, not the $6,109 I was quoted
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Corvallis, OR → Seneca, SC
$6,109
4-bedroom home, 2,200 sq ft
$4,561
$1,548 under quote
2,800 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared three quotes before I hired U-Pack for my Oregon to South Carolina move.
- My final bill landed $1,548 under the estimate because I only needed 15 feet of the 28-foot trailer I’d booked.
- 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 Jason W., who moved from Corvallis, Oregon, to Seneca, South Carolina, in December 2022 using U-Pack. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Oregon to South Carolina
I had a new job waiting for me in Seneca, South Carolina, and a family that had never lived anywhere near the East Coast. We were leaving Corvallis, Oregon, packing up a four-bedroom, 2,200-square-foot house, and heading into territory none of us knew. I didn’t have anything fragile or oversized to move, no piano, no hot tub, but a 2,800-mile relocation still felt like the biggest logistics project I’d ever managed.
What worried me most wasn’t the packing, it was picking the right company. I needed movers who could give me a real number up front, stick to it, and get my family’s things across the country without losing or breaking anything. Full-service interstate movers quoted more than I wanted to spend, and I didn’t want to drive a rental truck across six states myself, so I started comparing moving container companies like U-Pack and PODS instead.
I used moveBuddha’s Moving Cost Calculator to sanity-check every number I was quoted, and it’s the first thing I’d point any long-distance mover toward now.
My U-Pack experience at a glance
Here’s the short version of how my move with U-Pack went. One number stood out more than any other: I paid less than I was quoted, not more.
- Communication: I gave U-Pack 5 out of 5 stars for how they communicated with me throughout the move. My questions never went unanswered for long.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: my final cost came in under the quote because I used less trailer space than I’d budgeted for, not more.
- Professionalism: every customer service representative and driver I dealt with was friendly, helpful, and efficient.
- Timeliness: my household goods showed up within the delivery window U-Pack gave me.
- Loss and damage: nothing in my shipment was lost or damaged between Oregon and South Carolina.
- Would I use U-Pack again: yes, without hesitation.
under my original U-Pack quote
Find out what a move from Oregon → South Carolina actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose U-Pack
I chose U-Pack because their quote for a 28-foot trailer came in more than $1,400 lower than PODS‘s quote for a 16-foot container, and I liked that I’d only pay for the trailer space I actually used. Their customer service representatives also answered every question I had about parking the trailer, setting up the ramp, and loading furniture so it wouldn’t shift in transit.
If I’m honest, the only real regret I had was on my own end, not U-Pack‘s. I would have started packing a week earlier so everything was staged and ready before the trailer and my loading crew showed up.
rating
- 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’s how the numbers on my Oregon to South Carolina move broke down, from the quote I accepted to what I actually paid.
| Move date | December 15, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Moved from | Corvallis, Oregon |
| Moved to | Seneca, South Carolina |
| Distance | 2,800 miles |
| Move size | 4-bedroom home, about 2,200 square feet |
| Moving company | U-Pack |
| Moving quote | $6,109 for an entire 28-foot trailer |
| Actual cost | $4,561 (I only used 15 feet of floor space) |
On average, moveBuddha users save more than 30% by comparing movers before booking. Comparing quotes is exactly what got me to a number I could live with, and it’s why I’d tell anyone moving long-distance to run their own numbers through the Moving Cost Calculator before they book anything.
Quotes I compared
I only seriously compared two companies, since comparing U-Pack and PODS side-by-side on moveBuddha let me narrow my list fast. Here’s what I found:
| Company | Equipment type | Cost estimate |
|---|---|---|
| U-Pack (freight trailer) | 28-foot trailer | $6,109 (with a $75 coupon) |
| PODS (container) | 16-foot container | $7,550 |
| PODS (container) | 16-foot and 12-foot container | $12,838 |
I got two quotes from PODS because I wasn’t sure a single 16-foot container would hold everything, but I felt confident a U-Pack trailer would have the room. I also priced out labor and a car shipment separately: AmeriFreight quoted $2,000 to ship my car, and LLAMA Movers quoted $996.13 for 3.25 hours of loading help in Oregon.
Pickup day
U-Pack’s driver called with an ETA the morning of pickup and arrived with the trailer a few hours later. Since U-Pack could only give me a multi-hour delivery window instead of an exact time, I scheduled my loading crew for the day after the trailer showed up, so I wouldn’t pay them to stand around if it ran late.
The next morning I got the house as organized as I could and set up the ramp myself before the crew arrived. They started at 9 a.m., and I spent the next three hours answering their questions and packing a few last-minute boxes while they loaded the trailer. When they finished, I called U-Pack to schedule the pickup and waited for the driver to help me put the bulkhead in place so my things stayed separated from any other shipment on the trailer.
Delivery day
U-Pack moved my trailer more than 2,800 miles in just 12 days, which felt fast for a move that stretched from the West Coast to the East Coast. My wife and I didn’t hire help to unload in South Carolina, and moving everything out of the trailer and into our new house went quickly. Nothing arrived lost or damaged, which was the outcome I cared about most.
Final thoughts
Looking back, this was about as close to a perfect move as I could have asked for. My things arrived on time and undamaged, and I ended up paying less than I was quoted because I used less trailer space than expected. If I’m being honest, I can’t point to anything U-Pack could have done better.
If you want to see what a move like mine would cost today, try moveBuddha’s Moving Cost Calculator before you talk to a single mover.
My ratings
- Communication: 5 out of 5.
- Timeliness: 5 out of 5.
- Quote accuracy: 5 out of 5.
- Overall experience: 5 out of 5.
- Would I use U-Pack again: yes, and I’d recommend them to friends, family, and coworkers.
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Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Jason W.’s experience:
- Pack a week earlier than you think you need to: Jason’s only regret was starting his packing too close to moving day. Staging boxes early gives your loading crew room to work and keeps pickup day from feeling rushed.
- Get a container quote even if you’re leaning full-service: comparing moving container companies against full-service movers can save you thousands on a long-distance move, especially if you’re willing to pack yourself.
- Ask whether you’re billed for the whole trailer or just the space you use: Jason’s bill came in under quote because he only filled 15 of the 28 feet he’d booked, so ask your mover how they bill unused space before you sign anything.
- Schedule loading help for the day after your trailer arrives, not the same day: freight and container companies usually can only guarantee a multi-hour delivery window, so booking your labor crew a day later avoids paying them to wait around.
- Get separate quotes for anything your container company won’t move: Jason priced out car shipping and a separate labor-only crew apart from his U-Pack trailer quote, and you should budget for those the same way.
- Declutter before you get a quote, not after: decluttering before a move shrinks the space you need, and the less space you need, the less you’re likely to pay.
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