What Moving from New York to Florida with U-Pack Actually Cost Me
Fact Checked by: 
Garden City, NY → Weeki Wachee, FL
$2,582
One ReloCube, lower of two quotes
$2,582
Exactly my quote, no hidden fees
1,110 mi
Delivered in nine days
- I compared two container quotes for my New York to Florida move and picked the cheaper one.
- U-Pack charged me $2,582, exactly what they quoted, with no fees added anywhere along the way.
- 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 Steve, who moved from Garden City, New York, to Weeki Wachee, Florida, in 2022 using U-Pack. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from New York to Florida
I knew six months ahead of my pickup date that I was leaving New York. A new job and a new home were waiting in Weeki Wachee, 1,110 miles south, and I had two bedrooms’ worth of furniture and boxes to get there.
A few things needed extra care: a statue, some artwork, and several musical instruments and amplifiers. The rest was straightforward, and nearly everything was already packed in a storage unit, so the only real job on move day was loading it into the container.
Finding a mover took about a day. I read reviews on the PODS and U-Pack sites, then found moveBuddha and submitted estimate requests through their moving cost calculator. Two quotes came back by email. 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, good and bad.
- Communication: The one area I’d flag. A promised call-back confirming my pickup window never came, and U-Pack made up for it with prompt, professional service at both ends.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: No hidden fees and no surprises. My final bill was $2,582, identical to the quote.
- Container placement: No issues at either end. Both drivers asked where I wanted the container positioned and which way I wanted the doors facing.
- Timeliness: They hit every service commitment at pickup and at delivery, and my container arrived in nine days.
- Loss and damage: Nothing damaged, even though a few things weren’t packed especially well and a little water had seeped into the front of the container.
- Would I use U-Pack again? Yes.
over my original U-Pack quote
Find out what a move from New York → Florida actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose U-Pack
Price decided it. Of the two quotes that came back, U-Pack’s $2,582 was the lower one.
Reputation backed it up. U-Pack operates under ABF Freight System, a name I recognized, and their shipment tracking meant I’d know where my things were across 1,110 miles rather than wondering. For a container move where nobody from the company is with your belongings, being able to look up where they are counts for a lot.
I didn’t buy any additional services and took U-Pack’s basic liability coverage of $250 per container. I wasn’t especially nervous going in, though I did want the instruments and the artwork to come through intact.
After I reserved the container, U-Pack emailed a genuinely useful rundown covering parking requirements and packing and loading tips, with links to tutorial videos. I didn’t need any other help getting organized. As the date got closer I got a pickup confirmation by email and a follow-up phone call a few days before the ReloCube was due to be dropped off.
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 are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my New York to Florida move.
| Moved from | Garden City, New York |
|---|---|
| Moved to | Weeki Wachee, Florida |
| Distance | 1,110 miles |
| Move date | 2022 |
| Move size | 2 bedrooms of furniture and boxes, one ReloCube |
| Moving company | U-Pack |
| Moving quote | $2,582 |
| Actual cost | $2,582 |
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 only got two, both for container moves, and U-Pack’s $2,582 was the lower. I’d started by reading reviews on the PODS and U-Pack sites before requesting anything, so I’d already narrowed the field to containers before the numbers arrived.
Two is fewer than I’d recommend to anyone else. What made it work for me is that my move was unusually simple: everything was already boxed and sitting in a storage unit, so there was no packing service to price and very little for an estimator to get wrong. If your shipment is still spread across a house, get more numbers than I did.
The thing worth comparing on a container move isn’t just the headline price. Ask what the liability coverage is per container, whether tracking is included, and how many days you get to load and unload. Those decide whether a cheaper quote is actually cheaper.
Pickup day
Once I’d loaded the container I called U-Pack to schedule the pickup. I’d been told to expect a call-back confirming a window, and that call never came. All I had was the 8 a.m. to noon window written on my contract.
Luckily I was already up when the truck pulled in just before 8.
That morning I’d planned to add the comforter I’d slept under the night before. The driver loaded the container onto the truck while I was in the bathroom, and that was that. Mailing the comforter separately cost me $70. I don’t blame U-Pack for it, and a heads-up before loading would have made all the difference. A narrower pickup window, or a call from the driver on his way, and I’d have had the thing in my hands.
Other than the drivers who dropped off and collected the ReloCube, I had no direct contact with anyone at U-Pack. Everything else went to plan, so that wasn’t a problem in itself. The communication around pickup timing is the one thing I’d ask them to fix.
Delivery day
My container arrived in Florida on time, nine days after it left New York.
The day it landed, a U-Pack representative called to confirm delivery for the following day. That morning I got a text saying it was on its way, and before unloading the driver asked how and where I wanted it positioned.
When I opened it up I found a small amount of water had seeped into the front of the container, near the door seam. Nothing of mine was damaged, and it’s the reason I’d tell anyone to load fragile or moisture-sensitive things toward the back. A container isn’t sealed the way a room is.
U-Pack didn’t follow up after the move. I called a representative myself to schedule collection once the container was empty.
Final thoughts
I’d have liked a shorter pickup window and a call from the driver before he arrived. That gap cost me $70 and some last-minute stress I didn’t need. Those are the only real complaints from an otherwise smooth move.
U-Pack delivered on time, charged me exactly what they quoted, and handled the container professionally at both ends. A few of my items weren’t packed especially well and nothing got damaged anyway. I’d use them again.
The thing I’d underline for anyone considering a container is that the company is never in the room with your belongings. That’s the trade: you save money and you own the loading, the timing, and the quality of the packing. It worked for me because my things were already boxed and I was ready early. It’s a worse fit if you need someone to take responsibility for the whole thing.
Weighing container companies against each other? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to price your route, then compare liability coverage and loading days as well as the headline number.
More moving resources
Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Steve’s experience:
- Be fully loaded before the pickup window opens: Steve’s driver arrived just before 8 a.m. on a window that ran to noon, and took the container while he was out of the room. A last-minute item cost him $70 to mail. Assume the early end of the window.
- Load moisture-sensitive items toward the back: Steve found a little water had seeped into the front of his container near the door seam. Nothing was damaged, and the back is the furthest point from the one place water gets in.
- Use small and mid-size boxes rather than large ones: Smaller, sturdier boxes stack tighter and are far easier to maneuver inside a ReloCube. Large boxes waste vertical space and are harder to load securely.
- Ask for the pickup window in writing, then ask for a call: Steve’s promised confirmation call never came and his contract window was four hours wide. Request a call from the driver when he’s en route, and treat the contract window as the real commitment.
- Compare coverage, not just price: U-Pack’s basic liability was $250 per container. On a shipment with instruments, amplifiers, and artwork in it, that’s worth knowing before you decide a quote is the cheap one.
- Check the tracking before you book: Steve picked U-Pack partly because shipment tracking meant he’d know where his things were. On a container move nobody from the company travels with your belongings, so tracking is the only visibility you get.
- Book the collection yourself: U-Pack didn’t follow up after delivery, and Steve called to have the empty container picked up. Put it in your calendar rather than waiting to be prompted.
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