Packing yourself may not save you as much as you think

By Jeff Walker

If you’re hiring a moving company and think you’ll save yourself some money by packing your
things yourself, you may want to think again.  Liability is a key issue in any move and can become a sticking point if something becomes broken during the move.  Boxes packed by you will be labeled as “PBO” or “Packed by Owner” and can seriously hamper the amount of liability for which the moving company must take responsibility.

To put it simply, the moving company is not responsible for the items in any boxes you pack because they were not packed by professional movers.  Because of this, if you arrive in your new home with a damaged item that was packed by you, any claim by the moving company will be denied.  Since you took the time to pack those items, you incur responsibility for those items and any damage may not be reimbursed by the moving company.

You can still save yourself some time and money by packing some items.  Take the time to discuss this option with your sales representative and see if they are open to your packing non-breakable items such as clothing or linens, and if doing so will save you any money on your move.  Allow the moving company to pack any breakable and valuable items that you might have difficulty replacing in the event of damage.

In addition to the liability issue, you may find that a professional mover is able to pack your belongings more quickly than you can.  If time is an issue, you may want to allow the moving company to come in and pack your things for you, rather than doing it yourself.

As always, we recommend that you sign up for Full Valuation Protection to protect your belongings during your move.

Knowing up front that packing yourself can create problems, can save you time and hassle at the end of your move and insure that any valuable items that were damaged during your move will be covered by the moving company.