New Zealanders are a nation of DIYers, so we tend to think that moving house means packing up everything ourselves. Even when we hire a moving company, we expect to pack and unpack everything. More and more moving companies are now offering professional packing services, where a team of specialists pack and label your boxes for you.
When is the right time to use packing services for moving instead of doing it yourself? Here are a few ideas.
Professional packing services
Moving companies don’t provide packing services as a nice add-on for people who can afford it. We provide these services because they are a necessary part of our industry. Moving is an exercise in logistics, so the safe packing of goods to prevent damage while in transit is an essential part of the process.
When moving houses, packing services are essential for people who don’t have the time or ability to pack themselves or when they don’t have access to a property. Generally speaking, there are two types of packing services we offer: household packing and speciality packing. Let’s look at each service.
Household packing services
Household packing involves having a team of packing specialists pack up your home so it’s ready to move. In most cases, we do this the day before you’ve booked to move. We supply the packing materials and pack up your home according to best practice packing procedures. This includes every item in your home, garage and outside, except for prohibited items, which we are not permitted to transport for you. This service can also be a partial pack, such as for your breakables. We do as much or as little as you need.
Speciality packing services
Speciality packing is for items that are difficult to transport safely, expensive or irreplaceable, such as family heirlooms, which have a significant sentimental value. In these cases, we construct packing specifically for the item, generally a custom-made crate with plenty of cushioning to protect the item inside.
When are packing services for moving right for you?
Long distance moves
When moving long distance, such as overseas, either by choice or when you get relocated for work, packing your house may not suit the schedule. Packing services remove the stress of getting your household relocated to you.
Time poor moves
Packing is a lot of work and takes longer than most people expect. If you’re time poor or know you don’t have a chance of getting your house packed up on time, packing services are the answer.
Families with young children
Anyone with young children will know how much time they consume. Packing services allow you to focus on your children to manage them through the move without worrying about the boxes.
Physical ability
Packing is also hard work. It involves bending, kneeling and lifting with weight. If you don’t have the physical strength or can’t do this type of work for any reason, you’re best to employ professional packers.
When your move doesn’t go to plan
This happens much more often than people expect. As packing is the largest task to complete, if your move isn’t going to plan, professional packing removes this burden from your to-do list and gets you back on track.
Insurance
You will need to use professional packing services if you want moving insurance to protect your belongings while they’re in transit or storage. Few, if any, insurance companies will insure your load if you’ve packed it yourself.
Convenience
You may want packing services simply for convenience. Packing is very disruptive. As we pack up your house the day before you move, you have full access to everything in your house up to that point, minimising the disruption to a single day.
Packing services aren’t a luxury, and they aren’t as expensive as most people think. Are you moving? Try asking us for a packing quote before you consider taking on the task yourself.