Packing looks like the simple part of a move, which is exactly why it causes so many claims. Who packed a box determines who is responsible when its contents arrive broken, and that single fact should shape your whole strategy. Under the liability framework FMCSA describes for interstate moves, a carton the mover packs is the mover's responsibility inside and out, while a carton you packed yourself is usually covered only if there is visible damage to the box, since the mover cannot vouch for how things were cushioned inside. This guide sorts your household into what is worth packing yourself, what belongs in professional hands, and what should never go on the truck at all, then covers the box strategy that makes unloading week bearable.
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Self-packing makes sense for things that are hard to break, easy to replace, or too personal to hand off. Books, linens, towels, clothing, shoes, toys, pantry goods in sealed containers, and garage miscellany are all forgiving cargo: pack them snugly in sound boxes with the seams taped and they will arrive fine, and if one book corner gets dinged, no claim was ever going to be worth filing. Sentimental but sturdy items, photo albums, files, kids' artwork, are also good self-pack candidates because you control where they go and can keep the most precious of them with you in the car rather than on the truck entirely. Documents, medications, keys, chargers, jewelry, and anything irreplaceable should always travel with you, a point FMCSA's consumer guidance makes as well. The economics are secondary to the sorting: self-packing trades your time for the crew's, so start weeks early and do a few boxes a day rather than an all-nighter that ends in newspaper-wrapped chaos.
Give the crew the fragile, the heavy, and the awkward. Dishes, glassware, stemware, mirrors, artwork, lamps, and electronics benefit from materials most households do not keep on hand, dish barrels, mirror cartons, TV boxes with foam corners, and from packers who wrap for a truck's vibration rather than a car trunk's. Large furniture should be pad-wrapped by the crew regardless of who packs boxes, and specialty items such as pianos, safes, grandfather clocks, and pool tables need equipment and technique that make them professional work by definition. The liability logic points the same direction: a mover-packed carton of stemware that arrives as shards is squarely the mover's claim to pay, and if you chose full-value protection, the remedy is repair or replacement value rather than sixty cents per pound per article. When you get your estimate, have the mover specify in writing exactly which packing services are included and which rooms or items the crew will pack; a phone call with a professional mover is the easiest way to walk through your inventory and settle that split before it appears on paper.
Movers and their tariffs commonly refer to self-packed boxes as PBO, packed by owner, and treat them differently in claims. The usual rule of thumb: if a PBO carton arrives with visible external damage, crushed, punctured, water-stained, the mover's liability applies to the contents; if the carton looks fine but the contents are broken, the presumption runs against you, on the theory that the packing, not the transit, failed. That presumption is why fragile valuables belong in mover-packed cartons if you want them covered, and why your choice between released value protection, at sixty cents per pound per article, and full-value protection interacts with your packing plan. Two more habits protect you: photograph the contents of high-value self-packed boxes before sealing them, and make sure the loading-day inventory records box counts and any pre-existing damage accurately, with your disagreements noted before you sign. Items of extraordinary value, per pound, must typically be declared in writing before loading or the mover may limit liability for them, whoever packed the box.
Good box discipline is what turns unloading week from archaeology into logistics. Use sound boxes with intact flaps, small boxes for dense things such as books and canned goods, large boxes for light bulky things such as bedding, and keep every box under a weight one person can carry safely. Label each box on the top and at least one side with its destination room and a two-line summary of contents; number the boxes and keep a running list, which doubles as your check against the mover's inventory at delivery. Mark fragile cartons on every face. Seal everything fully, since open-top boxes are a common reason crews repack or refuse items. Pack a clearly marked essentials box, or several, that travels in your own vehicle: medications, chargers, basic tools, toilet paper, a change of clothes per person, and the paperwork folder with your estimate, order for service, inventory, and bill of lading. Note that movers will not transport hazardous materials, propane, gasoline, paint thinners, aerosols, ammunition, so plan to use up, give away, or properly dispose of those before loading day.
Q & A
Generally only in a limited way. If a self-packed carton shows external damage, the mover's chosen liability level applies to the contents, but if the box arrives intact and the contents are broken, claims are commonly denied on the grounds that the packing failed. If something is fragile and matters to you, have the crew pack it, or carry it in your own vehicle.
Hazardous materials top the list: propane tanks, gasoline, paints and thinners, aerosols, fireworks, and ammunition. Most movers also decline perishables and strongly discourage shipping cash, jewelry, medications, and irreplaceable documents, which should travel with you. Many companies have policies about plants as well, partly because several states restrict bringing plants across their borders. Ask for the company's non-allowables list in writing when you book.
For a full household, start three to four weeks before moving day, beginning with storage areas, off-season clothing, books, and anything you will not touch before the move. A steady few boxes a day beats a final-weekend scramble, and early packing reveals what you should sell or donate instead of shipping. Leave daily-use items for the last two days, and build your essentials box first, not last.
A professional moving company serving your area can answer what no general guide can — your dates, your building, your inventory.