New Jersey moving and storage, quoted in writing

Full value protection is the level where the mover has to repair the piece, replace it, or settle in cash. It costs extra, and it is what you hold unless you waive it in writing. The alternative, released value protection, is included free and pays 60 cents per pound per article, so a large canvas that weighs very little is worth almost nothing under it. That gap is the whole reason coverage gets priced with the scope here instead of raised on loading morning.

It depends on three things: whether the piece is rigid enough to hold its own shape, whether glass or a finished face is exposed, and whether it can travel flat with weight planned around it. A small framed print with corner board and a foam face travels fine in a carton. A six foot canvas, a marble top or a cased instrument does not, because whatever sits above it in the truck decides the outcome. A crate is cut to the dimensions of the object, so the answer comes from the survey rather than from a phone call.

Yes. Books, linens and clothing are the low risk end of an inventory and there is rarely a reason not to take them yourself. The trade-off is evidentiary rather than practical. A crew that did not fill a carton cannot say how it was filled, so concealed damage inside a box you packed is much harder to establish than damage to a piece the crew wrapped, listed and photographed. The sensible split is that you take the low risk cartons and the crew takes anything fragile, heavy or valuable.

Because an interstate mover is required to give you a written estimate and the booklet Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move before the move, and because a price quoted over the phone with no inventory is one of the oldest warning signs in this trade. A written scope also fixes what was agreed, which is the only thing the final invoice can be checked against: materials, crate sizes, crew hours and the protection figure.

That depends on which estimate you are holding. A binding estimate fixes the price for the inventory listed, so anything added sits outside it and the estimate has to be reissued. A non-binding estimate can change once the shipment is weighed. A binding not-to-exceed estimate means you pay the lower of the estimate and the actual cost. Whichever one you hold, get the revision in writing before load day rather than negotiating it at the tailgate.

It depends on how many pieces need a crate and whether the crew has to travel to measure them. Crates are cut to the object, so they are built ahead of load day rather than found on a shelf that morning. The survey is what sets the schedule: once the inventory is fixed and the crate sizes are known, the build can be dated. Ask for that date in writing with the rest of the scope so it is not a verbal promise.