What actually decides the price of an interstate move

Interstate household goods pricing has been deregulated since 1980, which means there is no public rate table and no official price for any move. Anyone quoting you a firm number without asking about your stairs is guessing.

The base: weight and distance

Most interstate quotes start from an estimated weight and the mileage between origin and destination. Weight is estimated from the size of your home and how densely it is filled, then confirmed by weighing the truck. On a non-binding estimate this is where the price can move after the fact.

Access, which is where estimates break

Access charges are the most common reason a final bill lands above the estimate, and they are rarely volunteered unless you ask.

• Stairs, usually charged per flight at each end.
• A long carry, when the truck cannot park near the door. Thresholds vary by carrier, and the charge often starts around seventy-five feet.
• Shuttle service, when a full-size trailer physically cannot reach your street and a smaller truck has to ferry the load. This is expensive and it surprises people constantly.
• Elevator use, and whether the building requires a reserved service lift or a certificate of insurance.
• Parking permits. Some cities require them for a truck over a certain length, and getting one is usually your responsibility, not the carrier's.

Specialty items

Pianos, safes, gun cabinets, pool tables, large appliances, treadmills and oversized art are typically priced as individual line items rather than folded into weight. An upright piano is commonly a few hundred dollars; a grand is more, and sometimes needs crating.

Packing

Usually the largest optional line on the estimate. Full packing costs materially more than transport-only. Partial packing — where the carrier handles fragile items and you do the rest — is often the sensible middle. Note that carriers may limit liability on boxes you packed yourself, because they cannot verify what went in or how.

The date, which is free money if you are flexible

• Summer is the peak. Late May through August is the busiest stretch of the year and prices reflect it.
• Month-end is the peak within the month, because leases turn over. The last three days and the first are the most expensive slots.
• Fridays cost more than midweek.
• Moving in the second week of a month, midweek, outside summer, is the cheapest combination available to almost anyone.

Getting a quote that survives moving day

• Insist on a visual survey, in person or by video. A quote from a room count over the phone is the least accurate kind there is.
• Volunteer your access problems rather than waiting to be asked. An estimator who knows about the third-floor walk-up prices it now instead of on the day.
• Ask which type of estimate it is, in writing. Binding, non-binding and binding not-to-exceed produce three different outcomes.
• Ask specifically what is not included. That question surfaces more than any other.