Container or mover
Both work. They ask different things of you. The table below is how we would explain it to someone standing in their own living room deciding which way to go.
Side by side
| Moving container | Full-service mover | |
|---|---|---|
| Who loads it | You, unless you hire loading help | The moving crew |
| Who drives it | The container company | The moving company |
| Street placement | Your problem — many towns and buildings need a permit or a reserved space for a container sitting in the street, and some will not allow one at all | Handled as part of the job; the truck is there and gone the same day |
| How long it takes | Days, sometimes weeks — delivery, your loading time, transit, then unloading | Usually one day at each end |
| What it costs you in time | Every hour of packing, carrying and stacking is yours | A survey, then a day of answering questions |
| What it costs your back | All of it, unless you hire the lifting out | None of it |
| Best for | Flexible timing, a driveway you control, and a willingness to do the work | A fixed date, a building with rules, stairs, or anything heavy and awkward |
There is a third option most people do not realise exists, and it is the one we see work most often: rent the container, and hire a crew to load it. You keep the container pricing and the flexible timing, and you do none of the lifting.
PODS, U-Box, U-Pack, 1-800-PACK-RAT and SMARTBOX are trademarks of their respective owners. University Van Lines is an independent moving company and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. Brand names are used only to describe the containers we can load.
Moving consultation
Answer a few questions and see your range in about two minutes. As soon as you send it, we follow up.
Either way
We’ll load it. Want it done for you instead? We’ll move you.