We have been professional vagabonds, having moved 27 times. The Navy and my second job (worked for a packaging manufacturing plant) moved us frequently. We have done major household van lines, pods and UHaul. With the latter 2, it is entirely on you to securely pack all the items. Four recommendations .... (1) rent many more packing pads than you think you'll need. They're cheap to rent but they will save your valuables and furniture from damage. The extras can be used to separate fragile pieces from the other furniture or the wall of the truck/pod. (2) If you purchase packing boxes, make sure they are "double-walled" cartons. If you do not know what they are, look at the cut edge on the flap. A double-wall has two distinctly corrugated (i.e., wavy) plies. A single-wall carton has only one. A double-wall carton is a bit more expensive, but is much, much stronger and protects your valuables better. When buying cartons, inspect each one. If you see a crease in the panel or a dent in a corner, don't buy that carton. Likewise, don't use previously used cartons. They are most likely damaged. Dents and creases significantly reduce the weight bearing capacity of the carton. The bottom carton in a vertical stack carries all the weight from the loaded cartons on top of it. You don't want it collapsing and damaging its contents. (3) When loading the truck or pod, place as many of the heavy cartons on the floor. Even the best cartons can collapse with too much weight on top of it and/or the thumping it takes over the road. (4) When stacking cartons, place the same size carton on top of the one below it, aligning the corners above one another. This isn't always possible but it is the best way to load them. If the carton is misaligned or a different size, the cartons above may cause the bottom carton(s) to collapse due to disproportionate weight distribution. Hope this did not scare you about self-moves.
Relative to professional movers, my wife and I were always at the truck and checked each piece of furniture and all boxes for their numbered stickers. We had our list, and the mover had the manifest. Then at the end, we compared the numbers against one another. You obviously want an exact match. (This helps with your insurance claim should a box of valuables or piece of furniture does not show up at the other end.) It also gives you an opportunity to check the coding for dings and scratches on furniture (get familiar with the coding symbols). In one move, we had just purchased a new chair. It was pristine. The mover's manifest was coded for 2 or 3 scratches. I contested the coding. They had a choice of unloading the truck to find the piece or removing the coding. They chose the latter. Lastly, do not ship any valuable jewelry or other expensive items. Pack them in your car, or rent a small trailer and tow it behind your car. In that trailer, pack boxes with a small amount of bed linens/pillows, kitchen utensils, pots, pans and dishes you may need to live in the house while waiting for the shipment to arrive.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
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