If you are looking to move all your stuff to a different city or state, use only reputable companies that have good reviews.
Do not fall for the lower prices that some online ads will offer from obscure companies you never heard of. If you do, this is what you should expect (it happens more often than you think):
Let’s say the offer is $2,600. The movers come, get you to sign the contract, pick up your things and go. When they get to your new destination, they tell you that you have more possessions than expected and the charge is now $4,300. If you refuse to pay, they will threaten to drive away and drop your things at the first donation centre – and they are not kidding. They justify the new price by saying the shipment has “extra cubic feet”.
What’s perhaps even worse is that they could they tell you about the “extra cubic feet” as soon as they upload all your things in their trucks. “Sorry, it’s going to cost you $4,300”. When you try to call their bluff with “I don’t need it anymore, then. Just unload it again”, they will say the charge for uploading is $1,900, so you are left with no other choice. Basically, you are stuck, as the “uploading fee” is mentioned in the fine print of the contract you signed the second they came to your house.
How to avoid: hire only companies whose reputation can be checked beforehand. Internet forums are great for that.