Shipping on Amtrak: The Cheapest Option for Your Long Distance Move

Moving across the country or to a different state can be an arduous and expensive undertaking. When I planned my cross country move between opposite corners of the country, I spent weeks researching the least expensive and most effective way of moving my belongings, my cat and myself. After checking out rental trucks, car shipping companies, renting space on commercial trucks, cubicles that I pack and they drive, and just about every other moving method possible, I finally found a method that was convenient and saved me thousands of dollars - shipping my moving boxes via Amtrak. Read on to find out more about the pros and cons of shipping through Amtrak, and how to make your shipping experience as smooth as possible.

At the time of this writing, the cost of shipping through Amtrak is $67.00 for the first 100 pounds and $.57 for each additional pound. This is a considerable savings compared to other shipping methods or a truck rental.

The main downfall of shipping your belongings through Amtrak is that you cannot ship furniture or electronics. Therefore, you will only be able to bring the furniture and electronics that will fit in the vehicle you will be driving. Any other large or electronic items that you cannot transport with you will need to be shipped through another method, or sold and then replaced upon arrival at your new home.

The key is to determine if the money you are saving is greater than the cost of replacing what you could not bring with you. Therefore, if you have a lot of high end furniture and belongings, this may not be the best moving method for you. But, then again, if you have a lot of high end belongings, you likely have the finances to support a more expensive moving method.

When I researched moving companies, truck rentals and shipping methods for my cross country move, the next least expensive method was $2,000 more than the cost of shipping my belongings through Amtrak and driving my car (also full of belongings) across. Once I factored in selling my furniture before the move and the cost of gas, food and lodging during my drive, it was clear that this was the best moving method for me and that I would be able to replace the items I could not ship for less than it would cost to transport them to my destination.

Once you have done your research and determined that Amtrak might be the best moving method for you, follow these tips to make your Amtrak shipping experience as smooth and convenient as possible.

Boxes must be no larger than 3'x3', and must weigh less than 50 pounds each. To make sure that each of your boxes is under the 50 pound weight limit, have a friend stand on a household scale and write down their weight. Then, have her or him stand on the scale with each of your boxes. Write down that weight as well, and then subtract your friend's weight. This will let you know how much your box weighs. Once you have the weight for each box, write the weight on the box in an inconspicuous spot that is easy for you to see, but won't interfere with shipping.

You can address the box with a marker right on the cardboard, but if you are packing and shipping lots of boxes for a big move, consider using this tip instead - make shipping labels on your computer using standard sized paper, then insert the paper into page protectors and use tape around the edges to attach them to each box. There are a few reasons to do this: printing out labels will save you from having to write the return address and shipping address over and over for each box, the printing will be clear and easy to read, and you can write a list of contents right on the box then cover it with the label. Upon arrival at your new home, remove the label and you will know what is in each of your boxes and which room they go in. This will make the arrival end of your moving experience much, much easier.

Also, when making your address labels, remember that Amtrak requires you to put a contact phone number on the label as well.

Once you have all of your boxes weighed and addressed, group them in shipping lots with a maximum weight of 500 pounds per shipment. There is no limit to the number of boxes in each shipment, as long as their total weight is less than 500 pounds.

Items that are not allowed include electronics, fragile items and the normal prohibited items - weapons, flammable, combustible etc. To see if a particular item is prohibited, or for other shipping and station information, visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-377-6914.

If you do not have someone on the receiving end that can pick up your packages as they arrive, you will need to time your shipments so that they will arrive within a few days of your arrival. For example, if you have 1500 pounds of boxes to ship, you will need to do three separate shipments on three consecutive days before you leave and then make sure that you will arrive at your destination to pick up your boxes within about 48 hours or your first shipment arriving (Amtrak will not hold boxes for longer than that). You might be able to make special arrangements to pay for storage if they need to hold them longer than that for you, but you will need to call ahead of time to confirm that as an option.

This may sound like a bit of pain, but the savings is worth the effort of making more than one trip to the train station and arranging for storage or pick up.

To save even more money on your move, start gathering free boxes for moving a few weeks before your departure. Check out Saving Money and the Environment with Free Moving Boxes for tips on finding all the boxes you need without spending a dime.