Packing is the cornerstone of each house move.
In fact, the task of packing up a home for moving is so critically important that its successful completion almost guarantees the success of the entire residential move.
But here’s the tricky part: you may not always know for sure which way to go: to pack your things by yourself or to hire professional packers to do it all for you.
And to be able to make an informed decision which packing method is better for you, you’ll definitely need to know the cost to hire professional packers.
Using professional packing services is a great option to keep your valuable possessions safe and to free up a huge chunk of time in your moving checklist. However, that extra moving service will cost you money.
How much does it cost to hire packers? Read on to learn the average packing cost both for local moves and long-distance moves.
Why hire professional packers in the first place?
Before you can get a rough idea about the cost of professional packing services, it’s important that you understand why you should even consider hiring pro packers to protect your things for the upcoming move.
After all, that extra moving service will cost you money, so can’t you just save money by packing your own things by yourself?
You don’t have enough time
One of the major reasons to agree to pay professional packers is that you just don’t have the time to pack your things on your own.
Remember that professional packers are trained to work quickly and efficiently to save time. In reality, what those skilled professionals can do in a few hours to a day will probably take you many days or even weeks to complete.
Therefore, if you happen to be pressed for time – for example, having to move out quickly from the current place, then going with professional packers may be the only option available for you at the time.
You own many valuable, fragile or oddly-shaped items
Another reason to consider paying professional packers may be that you own a significant number of specialty items in your home – things that you will either find really hard or simply impossible to protect by yourself considering the complexity of the packing task.
When was the last time you managed to disassemble partially and pack safely a grandfather clock? Do you know what it takes to pack a piano for safe transportation?
If you happen to be moving an excess of large furniture pieces, especially antiques, that will need partial disassembly before they can be packed up, then yes, you’d be better off hiring packers. That’s also true for breakable and fragile items – glassware, kitchen plates, electronics, artwork, etc.
You don’t have any packing supplies
Although seemingly a weak reason not to pack up your things by yourself, the mere thought of having to spend quite a lot of time and effort to secure the necessary packing materials can convince you to opt for professional packing services.
Professional packers will come to your home with quality packing materials of the right amount and type – the extra guarantee that your valuables will be protected in the best possible way. What’s more, the price of those supplies will be included in the packing cost.
Read also: Should you hire professional packers?
What’s the cost to hire packers when moving locally?
Before you can agree to hire packers to protect your items for moving, you’ll find it very beneficial to know how much they will charge you for that additional service. Bear in mind that the cost to hire professional packers will depend on a number of important factors – see below for more information.
Remember that when you’re moving locally – within a move distance of 100 miles and never leaving the state of origin, local moving companies charge by the hour.
The national average cost to hire packers is about $60 per hour for one packer.
You may be able to find cheaper local movers than that if you have the time to do a more thorough research.
Note that hiring an extra packer will cost you more, of course, but not necessarily double the price of a single packer – some local moving companies will be willing to lower their rates if you request multiples packers. More packers will get the job faster, which in turn will decrease the final packing cost as it is calculated on an hourly basis.
The cost of the packing supplies – cardboard boxes of various sizes, bubble wrap, stretch wrap, wrapping paper, etc. – may or may not be included in the hourly rate for packing services. So, speak with the moving company you’ve chosen to find out that little yet essential detail.
See also: How much do local movers cost?
What’s the cost to hire packers when moving long distance?
When you’re moving across the country, your long distance moving company will quote you a flat-rate price that, upon your request, will include the cost of the packing service as well.
In order to get accurate cost estimates, don’t forget to request in-house surveys from the professional moving companies. During those on-site visits, inform the moving company representatives that you wish to have all or part of your household items packed professionally so that they can give you an estimate for that extra moving service as well.
How much does it cost to hire professional packers when moving long distance? The packing price will depend largely on the size of your home, which in turn will determine the approximate number of household items in it and their overall weight.
- 1-bedroom apartment. Packing labor alone should cost you roughly $300-$450 for approximately 3,000 pounds worth of household items. Packing supplies should cost around $100-$150.
- 2-bedroom home. The packing service should cost around $450-$600 for approximately 5,000 pounds worth of household items. Packing supplies should cost around $150-$200.
- 3-bedroom home. The packing service should cost around $600-$750 for approximately 9,000 pounds worth of household items. Packing supplies should cost around $250-$350.
- 4-bedroom home. The packing service should cost around $750-$1,200 for approximately 10,000 pounds worth of household items. Packing supplies should cost around $300-$450.
Note that the above packing costs are only rough estimates and are likely to be rather different than what you end up paying for the professional packing service when moving across the country.
The only way to know how much professional packers cost with any degree of accuracy is to get in touch with a reputable full-service mover by filling out our moving cost estimator.
See also: How much do cross-country movers cost?
How to pay less when using professional packing services
The cost of professional packers may prove to be more than you can afford. Don’t despair – there are a few cost-saving tricks you can try to lower the packing cost.
- Choose to pack and move only the items that you really plan to use in the future, that is – after the move. Get rid of anything unwanted – fewer items to pack means lower packing expenses too.
- Pack whatever items you can by yourself and leave only the most difficult and fragile items to pack to the professional packers. For example, packing your books, clothes, and shoes is something you can definitely take care of without any professional assistance.
- Secure free moving boxes to lower the packing cost. However, be mindful that in most cases, professional packers who pack with supplies that are not provided by them will not accept responsibility if anything happens to your things. Discuss this issue with your moving company in advance.
Good to know: How to negotiate with movers
