Moving scams happen all the time. With the number of moves that occur every year . Granted, they do represent a very small percentage of the total moves every year it’s still likely that someone is being scammed right now. Unfortunately many of the scammers are never caught but recently I came across this article from Phoenix news station KPHO Channel 5 regarding an instance of catching the foes in the act and a saved consumer.
The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures in conjunction with authorities in Kennewick Washington foiled a scam involving three different moving companies working together to pull a scam involving hidden charges and other violations. Of course there was a moving broker involved which doesn’t surprise any of us here as you know we feel about them (check our article on moving brokers and tips for hiring a mover).
Recently I wrote an article with tips for selling your car but there are times when it makes sense not to sell your car but rather to trade it in, presuming you actually need another vehicle. As it happens I encountered just such a situation last week. Although automotive transactions are not the purpose of this blog, I feel this issue makes sense to address because of it’s tendency to coincide with moving and I wanted to share my experience.
I have sold several cars in the past as a private seller and they have all been successful with the vehicle selling within two weeks at the most and fetching a reasonable value. But a few weeks ago I had an episode with my vehicle that caused me to trade it in. Of course I didn’t get quite the money for it that I could have gotten had I sold it myself but I had good reason to not to try.
In my case the number one reason for attempting to sell it myself was that I felt I could no longer trust the vehicle. The same part in the vehicle failed twice within one week and left me stranded and I was somewhat afraid that it or another part would fail soon. Even though prior to that it had been a great vehicle I now wanted to get rid of it fast. Mostly, the vehicle was reaching a point in its life where many parts were reaching the end of their life. And if I wanted to sell it I would have had to disclose to the buyer what work was needed and it would have reduced the price of the vehicle equally.
Almost just as big a factor is time. Between kids and work, the extra time required to sell it myself was not worth the possibility for a little extra money. With a trade-in you can easily get it done in few hours rather than a few days or weeks.
Finally, trade-ins typically make negotiating the price on a new car easier. Often the dealer will work with you a little more on a discount because they know they can also make a little on the sale of your traded in vehicle. And lower financing rates can be available when you put more down on the purchase of the vehicle.
So we traded it in and got almost exactly what we expected based on trade-in blue book value. It was slightly less than what I would have wanted but the trade-offs were well worth it. Most importantly, the transaction was actually relatively quick and painless and the stress of the old vehicle was behind us.
Sometimes moving is the best time to sell a car. Which really just gives you one more hassle. But by heeding the advice below you can take some of the pain out of the process. Of course most of this advice does not apply to near junkers and is only for those seeking maximum value out of their vehicle.
First and foremost (and this is probably the most obvious) make sure to thoroughly wash your vehicle inside and out. If you have time, detailing the interior really makes a difference in the way your car feels to a potential buyer. Like a clean home for sale, you want people to be able to envision themselves in the vehicle, you don’t want them wondering what you did in the vehicle that left the goo in the cupholder or the stain on the seat. And many buyers feel that cleanliness is a reflection of how well the entire car has been cared for. Furthermore, and as much as possible, try and keep the vehicle clean until it’s sold. It doesn’t just need to look good in the pictures for the ad but also when meeting a potential buyer.
Second, consider what maintenance or repairs the vehicle needs and determine what, if any, work makes sense to complete before a sale. For example some minor repairs (or ones that fix funky sounds), oil changes, air filters and other routine maintenance will help sell the car quickly and maximize value while new tires or suspension might not give good return on investment. Another good tip is to have a friend drive and critically examine the vehicle to provide a more objective viewpoint since they’ll probably notice things you don’t.
Then, when advertising your car put yourself in the buyers shoes. Regardless of if you advertise in print, online or parked on the corner you will still need to establish a price and write a brief overview of the vehicle. Typically you’ll be limited by space so be sure to include the essentials like the make/model, color, number of miles and key features. Determine your asking price by considering both Kelley Blue Book value and actual prices of vehicles for sale. Searching used car websites like autotrader.com or eBay will give you a great idea of market value which may be higher or lower than KBB. Remember too that certain vehicle market prices will vary based on geographical areas (eg. four wheel drive vehicles demand higher prices in snow prone locals).
When potential buyers come to look at the car be sure you are ready for them. You might want to check with your insurance to see if you are covered if the buyer takes a test drive. You’ll also want to check with your local DMV to establish what paperwork is required to transfer ownership and license, you DO NOT want your name to be on a vehicle after you’ve sold it as this can have potentially harmful legal consequences depending on the new owners proclivity for illegal activities. Before you meet the potential buyer, be sure to let them know which method of payment you require. Be prepared to respond to low ball offers and be firm on what is the lowest amount you’ll accept.
These steps are designed to help you prepare properly and get the most out of your car. Yes, it’s a fairly substantial amount of work but it’s really not all that hard or time consuming, except for maybe dealing with phone calls and potential buyers, but then again if you’ve got interest in your vehicle that’s a good sign it will move soon. Of course if this sounds like too much work you do have the option of selling it a used car dealer or donating it to charity, just don’t expect to be satisfied with what ends up in your pocket afterward.
Moving is an ideal time to free yourself of unwanted items and Craigslist really is a great way to do it. I frequently use Craigslist to sell items I no longer have any use for and I’ve had success with almost every sale. It’s most ideal when you have several semi-large ticket items and you want a fairly simple selling transaction.
Craigslist is easier and less time consuming than a yard sale and is more powerful and widely used than any other auction/classifieds site. This is especially true when you desire a quick local cash transaction for household items. If you have plenty of time and really big ticket items or specialty pieces eBay may be a better option.
Most importantly, if you’ve never sold anything online don’t dread the process. Craigslist is especially easy to use, partially because of its limited features and the minimal time required to open an account and post an ad.
Benefits of Craigslist
- Anonymous posting – You do not have to give anyone any personal information until you are ready to sell.
- Sell on your time – As opposed to garage sales where you need quite a bit of prep plus an entire day to devote, you just set up the ad and reply to inquiries through email or by phone at your leisure.
- Easy set up – Probably the easiest account setup for any online classifieds service.
Tips for selling on Craigslist
- Research prices of comparable items – A brief search through other Craigslist postings can give you an idea of the items for sale and there prices. Obviously if you have time you can price your item more aggressively than if you have to sell within a couple of days.
- Include pictures – If possible for the item, include any decent pics you have or take some if necessary. Any pic is almost always better than no pic.
- Describe your item well - You don’t need a sales pitch here but be sure to include make, model, year, condition, color, size, maintenance history or any other info of interest and as required.
- Tell shoppers why it’s for sale – Potential buyers are on the look out for people unloading items because they are broken or trashed so if you’re selling because of a move be sure to say so.
- You don’t need to include a phone number or email address! – Although including a phone number or personal email might get a little more response than just allowing people to reply through Craigslist’s anonymous reply process, you will almost definitely work harder as well. This is because you will be forced to work through the selling process on the potential buyer’s time as opposed to on your own, negating one of the big benefits of this method. You’ll get calls and emails from hagglers and halfway interested folks and can waste substantial amounts of time. Instead I recommend just waiting for email inquiries to come through Craigslist’s anonymous reply process and then reply to potential buyers that seem like the best fit. Remember though that when you do finally reply directly to potential buyers you will have to give up your email address, so if you’re really concerned about privacy you may want to use a secondary email account to send ad inquiry replies from to protect your primary email account information.
Hopefully this helps for those who have been hesitant to try this site. It’s a fantastic option for getting cash for items you aren’t using and don’t want to move. With Craigslist you can make money by selling your stuff while saving money by moving less all without spending a lot of time.
We enjoy giving our readers green moving info because we understand the importance of the movement. I found this article on Mother Nature Network (MNN) about residential movers finding ways to go green which discusses some of the most recent trends the moving industry is experiencing in their push to be more green.
While trucks are slowly getting cleaner and more efficient the biggest change is the push for reducing the enviromental impact of the packing process. Rental and used cardboard boxes have been around for a while and can sometimes be found from local movers and from companies like Ecobox which focus primarily within their local service area. Several new “buy and sell” moving box websites such as usedcardboardboxes.com, boxcycle.com and freecardboardboxes.com have popped up lately and some are easier to use and offer more than others with regards to services and ease of use.
Beyond that are companies such as Earth Friendly Moving in the Los Angeles and Orange County Area and Frogbox in the Seattle and Vancouver areas which offer rental plastic bins. These bins can be used hundreds of times before going to a landfill instead of being used once and then contributing directly to the estimated 18% to 26% of landfill space that cardboard and paper consume. Earth Friendly moving also makes their boxes entirely from 100% recycled plastic and offers a variety of recycled products including packing peanuts, paper, bags and other moving supplies. In addition to being green these products provide a competitively priced alternative to traditional packing supplies.
In speaking with moving companies over the past several years it has been made very obvious that times have not been good them. Although that’s no surprise, the most recent edition of the quarterly publication Industry Trends put out by the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) reveals exactly how tough it has been.
According to their research the number of shipments from individuals (COD) is down a significant 26% from 2004. It probably needn’t be said that the factors believed to have the greatest affect on the industry are the housing and jobs markets.
The rust belt and interestingly the Los Angeles area have been most affected and had the highest percentage of outbound versus inbound moves. Conversely southern areas from east to west, and primarily North Carolina, generated the most interest and had the greatest percentage of inbound moves.
It’s no surprise that the trends of the moving industry mimic the greater trends of the US economy but it is an interesting indication of the cascading effects of the market meltdown. However there is one last slightly more positive trend that average shipment size continued to see an increase. So even though money is tight people continue to accumulate possessions.
The tough economic times have taken quite a toll on the moving industry. The Chicago Tribune recently published this article about the effect of the economy on movers in Illinois. The effect appears to be doubled for moving companies since not only have home sales and thus the overall need for moving services declined but the decline of needs for other services has lead to a poaching of sorts of household moving jobs. This is evidenced here by the case of the carpenter posting his availability for moving services.
Opportunities abound for the extremely price conscious looking to save a buck and willing risk their belongings. “What’s a matter with saving money?” you may ask. There’s always a cost and in this case it’s the gamble that your move will go well. Here are the top three reasons to be concerned about hiring unlicensed movers for your next move.
No insurance – Even if you don’t pay for additional insurance, in most states and for all interstate moves, licensed moving companies must insure your belongings for some minimal value, typically $.60 per pound. It’s not much but at least it’s something. Furthermore, a licensed mover will inform you about this and supplemental coverage that provides more adequate reimbursement.
No experience – Hey, if I had a truck and maybe a trailer I could move your stuff too, but it might not arrive at your new home looking like it did when you left your old home. At least some of the staff at a licensed moving company will have many years of experience and most larger van lines require fairly substantial training regarding proper packing and loading to ensure protection of your valuables.
No reputation and no concern about reputation – Fly by night operators won’t have a reputation to fall back on and they aren’t looking to build one. They’re main concern is getting the next job and they’ll entice new customers with prices substantially lower than those of licensed movers. They may change names as necessary to escape a reputation that has gotten so bad as to garner publicity.
The main point to all this should come as no surprise…buyer beware.
When moving, one of the biggest tasks is getting rid of stuff. By eliminating the amount you’re moving you can save quite a bit of money and time. In my article about how to save money on your move using a cube sheet you can see how much money you can save by reducing the total weight of things to be moved. Unfortunately some of the time savings are lost when you realize how hard it can be to get dispose of certain items appropriately and even more difficult when you’re trying to be green about it.
Along these lines some of the more difficult items to dispose of can be home electronics, computers and related equipment including monitors and printers. I feel like printers deserve special recognition because if your experience has been anything like mine printers just don’t seem to last. Or you may get a new printer or computer and just hold on to your old one until you can determine what to do with it.
If you do have a television or printer that still works, you might consider selling it depending on how outdated the technology is. Old computers are different for two reasons. First, technology advances so quickly that old computers become outdated quickly. Second, selling a computer requires complete erasure of hard drive contents to protect the security of your old data and personal information. You’ll need to be somewhat technically savvy to be able to do this properly or you’ll have to pay someone to do it. Note that deleting files does NOT erase your data and old data can be recovered fairly easily from someone with the right skills. Donating computers to a school or other program is a another worthy consideration but also necessitates proper deletion of hard drive data.
My recommendation for the simplest solution to dispose of computers and other electronics is using an electronic recycling business for all of your old electronics. Due to the sheer quantity and rapid growth of electronic goods requiring disposal this industry is booming and the number of electronic recyclers is growing. Although there is no single electronic recycler that I’m aware of that operates across the US, I have outlined below several electronic recycling businesses or websites where you can search for the nearest e-recycler.
- Earth911.com: www.Earth911.com – Probably one of the easiest to use and one of the most comprehensive of all recycling center search sites. Just type in what you’re looking to recycle and where and you get a list of centers and businesses near you.
- myGreenElectronics: www.mygreenelectronics.org – Another very simple and fairly comprehensive search site.
- E-cycling Central: www.ecyclingcentral.com – A state by state clickable map brought to you by the Telecommunications Industry Association is easy to use but relatively limited in number of e-cycling locations.
- ASL Recycling: www.aslrecycling.com – They work with moving companies and other businesses throughout California and organizations and coordinate e-cycling programs and events and do all of the recycling in house utilizing green and efficient methods.
- Best Buy: www.bestbuy.com – Although the scope of what they collect is somewhat limited and they require you remove your computer’s hard drive before donating, they do have many locations across the US and will give you a $10 gift card for donating. Best Buy recycling program information
- Staples: www.staples.com – Although they have many locations, TV’s are not accepted and a $10 fee applies to all computers and related equipment. Staples recycling program information
The housing bust, mortgage crisis and financial meltdown have affected everyone. In this newstimes.com article about the International Association of Movers Conference in Florida moving companies discuss their battle through the slow times yet are optimistic about the future. The big stat that’s is the 30% decline in year-over-year decline in non-corporate relocation. That’s a pretty big hit. Their are few positive signs beginning to appear for the housing market and a turn around would greatly improve their outlook even further.
What this means for individuals and families moving is that not only is there a greater likelihood that movers will be available on your preferred moving dates and you may also have an advantage to negotiate bigger discounts or included services.
