Moving cross country from ATL to PHX

My relatives are relocating from Atlanta to Phoenix this summer to be closer to family and they asked me to help them look up prices for hiring moving people to get their stuff moved cross country to Phoenix + get 1 car transported there.

I have 0 idea anywhere to start so I googled some moving services and asked for some quotes but they're all giving me price ranges from $3000+

And they don't have much to move: just 3 mattresses, 1 fridge, 1 freezer, kitchen stuff, clothes, and kid's toys.

Any one have some experience to share on how to approach this or should I just tell them to rent a UHaul and drive cross country to save them money in the long run?

$3K doesn't seem like that bad of a deal. A uhaul is going to cost you $1K or more plus $400 to tow the car ($200 if you don't mind dragging the tires and get a dolly). Add in insurance and gas and you are well over $2k to schlepp it yourself.

If they don't have that many big items, your cheapest option is probably to sell the big items, load up the car and drive, then rebuy everything off of craigs list.

I did exactly the same; i moved from OR to NC last week. i took a long hard look at what my stuff was worth and in the end decided to sell everything and move.

Some personnel possessions i shipped in the car. And others i shipped through busfreighter.com. On busfreighter.com it roughly about 60cents per pound of shipping and the boxes arrived in reasonable good shape with no damage. Tape the hell out of them.

Don't get scammed! There are plenty of sleazy outfits out there that will give you a price, load your stuff up, then disappear only to contact you and say if you want your stuff you have to pay them a ransom - as in up to $50,000.

Here are a few tips to keep your relatives out of trouble and on the right track when moving:

Get a binding estimate in advance specifying the cost of your move. This is the most important thing regarding your move. An estimate is worthless since the company can, ultimately, charge you whatever they want in the end. Make sure you get a binding estimate instead.

Check to make sure the mover you pick is a certified member of the American Moving and Storage Association's ProMover program [moving.org].

In your contract, require the mover to pay a penalty if he doesn't deliver your belongings on or before a specific date.

Buy replacement value insurance on your possessions, in case something breaks during the move.

Before you choose a moving company, get a clear understanding from that mover what happens if something is broken that you've packed yourself.

When the mover drops off your furniture at your new residence, do not sign the release form until you've examined your furniture piece by piece.

The best way to protect crystal, china, and any other extremely valuable and delicate possessions is to move them yourself in your own car.

If you want to risk your back and move yourself, be careful about what packing materials you buy for the move. You'll generally do better renting the truck from the rental company and buying your boxes and other materials somewhere else.

To save money on truck rentals, move during mid-month or during the week.

For many people, a good solution is to rent portable storage units that you load up yourself. These units are then moved for you to your new home, where you unpack them yourself. This not only saves money over full-service movers, but prevents the dangers of driving a large truck that you may not be too familiar with.