Ebay Advice - Pick Up Only

[thirsty moore]

I'm looking to buy some furniture through ebay but the catch is it's in another state and it's pick up only.  
 
 Has anyone on this board used a shipping company to pack and ship before?  Is it too much trouble?  Do you think someone that lists as pick up only would be against this?
 
 Any recommendations?

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

Ikea

[thirsty moore]

Funny you mention that.  Considering the furniture I'm looking at is exactly what Ikea rips off.

[Frank Gallagher]

I'm not speaking from experience but would imagine that anyone that lists 'pick up only' is just too lazy to arrange shipping and don't care  how, as long as it's paid for and the shit is gone.

[reggie]

econo are you into mid century modern?

[thirsty moore]

Very much so reggie.  I'm not saying what I found either until the bid is over!  I take it you are as well?
 
 Thanks for the answer Mankie.  Well said.

[6949]

{slight threadjack}
 Anyone have advice for a cross-country move? Shipping vs. driving a U-haul? Any recommendations on shipping companies or horror stories?

[reggie]

no worries. i just got a nice coffee table on the bay so i dont have any more money to spend.
 
 have you had any luck with anything on craigslist? every time i see an eames chair, it's gone in a heartbeat.

[thirsty moore]

True enough about Eames.  There are other cool things though!  I found four Goodform Aluminum dining chairs for a great price.  Also, I have found success with searching under Danish.
 
 What was the coffee table?

[Frank Gallagher]

Originally posted by 6949:
  {slight threadjack}
 Anyone have advice for a cross-country move? Shipping vs. driving a U-haul? Any recommendations on shipping companies or horror stories?

Having done two cross atlantic moves I would strongly recommend U-haul, or just sell your stuff and buy new when you get to your new place. We shipped a housefull of furniture from MD to Belfast, then trucked down to Cork....what a frigging nightmare. We had paid up 100% but because US broker owed Belfast shipper $280 our stuff was locked up for 6 weeks. When we moved back across we just sold everything except sentimental crap *(and my bike of course) and bought new when we got here. Once the movers have your stuff on their truck you're basically fucked until they say you can have it back, and I've heard of horror stories about moving costs mysteriously doubling once the stuff was on their truck. Besides, a cross country trip sounds like fun.
 
 Good luck though!!!  

[Frank Gallagher]

Originally posted by econo:
  True enough about Eames.  There are other cool things though!  I found four Goodform Aluminum dining chairs for a great price.  Also, I have found success with searching under Danish.
 
 What was the coffee table?

Okay, this is getting gay!

[Sir HC]

Recommend any trucks but U-Haul.  They have a pretty shoddy rep especially for distance moves.  Also find a friend who worked for UPS or the like to help make the pack "shiftless", they can do some amazing things to keep boxes from shifting around as you drive.
 
 How far away is the "pickup"?  Usually if they say pickup, they don't want to do *anything* other than meet someone at the door to take the stuff and give them money.  More than that and you are SOL.  I have driven pretty far for the pickup only stuff, as you get a better deal.  Shipping is usually quite expensive, and will make the price absurd (hundreds to ship some of the bigger things especially with handling thrown in).

[thirsty moore]

Yeh, that's pretty much what I thought when I typed it.
 
 

Originally posted by Roadbike Mankie:
 Okay, this is getting gay!

[serickson98]

Advice for picking out a legit moving company... don't accept any that provide a cost quote in cubic feet.  Legitimate movers will quote you with a weight estimate.  I just recently completed a local move and learned about this in my own research.
 
  MovingScam.com

[vansmack]

Originally posted by 6949:
  {slight threadjack}
 Anyone have advice for a cross-country move? Shipping vs. driving a U-haul? Any recommendations on shipping companies or horror stories?

When Smackette and I moved from DC to SF, we used the Pod system (Door to Door).  We rented one pod and limited ourselves to that one pod.  So each item we kept had to be either irreplaceable or worth it's weight in the pod.  All else had to go, so we sold it or gave it away.  It was hard getting your life into a 8 ft by 5 ft and 7 ft high pod, but it really was a good cleaning mechanism, especially for two single people who were starting a life together.
 
 Then, while the pod was being shipped across the country, we took a week long vacation to Mexico to forget about it all.
 
 Oh, and I recommend the night before you pack, getting trashed with Mankie while watching English football.  The wife loves that!