By Chris Noblit - Your highest weight estimate is your most accurate weight estimate! This statement fly's in the face of the number one rule of purchasing: throw out the high estimate, throw out the low estimate, and go with the middle estimate. But if we dig a little deeper we will find out why this common rule of purchasing does not hold true for moving cost estimates, and here's why...

All movers use one single set of industry standard measurements for estimating the weight of your shipment: the "Table of Measurements." Movers call this the "cube sheet" because it allows the movers to compute the total cubic footage that your shipment will occupy on the truck. The most important point is to understand is that every mover assigns the exact same standard cubic footage to every article within your residence. For example, a 3-cushion sofa is 50 cubic feet, a dining room table is 30 cubic feet, a kitchen chair is 5 cubic feet, and a spinet piano is 60 cubic feet. Every mover who estimates your shipment uses these industry standard sizes to compute the cubic footage of your shipment and when I say "every mover" I certainly mean every single mover: United, Atlas, Mayflower, Allied, North American, Wheaton, Bekins…EVERYONE uses this very same method.

When the moving company's sales rep walks through your home he or she is placing a tick mark next to each article he is told will be moved. When he is done counting all of the items to be included in your shipment he (or his computer) adds up all of the items and multiplies each item times the cubic footage which is assigned to each item, and then the total cubic footage of your shipment is totaled. Here is an example of what a Table of Measurements/Cube Sheet looks like…

Stray with me here...while this may appear a bit complicated it is really quite simple.

Once the sales rep has added up the total cubic feet of your shipment he or she applies an industry standard of 7 pounds per cubic feet to compute your shipment's estimated weight. For example, 2,000 cubic feet @ 7 pounds per cubic foot equals a 14,000 pound estimated weight.

Therefore...if every mover uses this industry standard method to compute you shipment's weight...why did you three different movers provide you with three different weight estimates for your move?

Good question...why indeed!

But the answer is very simple: while each mover was shown the same items to be moved, two of the movers did not count all of the items to be moved and, as a result, these two movers do not have the same number of articles to be moved on their cube sheets as does mover #3. The result is that these two movers have estimated less cubic footage then the mover who has provided you with your highest estimated weight.

Now that you understand how movers estimate the weight of your shipment there is one very important question that must be asked: understanding that each extra pound to be moved adds cost to each mover's price why would any mover count items to be moved that do not exist?

The answer of course is that only an idiot sales person would add extra weight for items that did not exist because doing so would unnecessarily add to his cost estimate.

As a result, using the exact same method and measurements as the others, the sales rep that provided you with the highest weight estimate has provided you with the most accurate weight estimate because he or she did not count items which did not exist.

Customers all too often are seduced by the bottom line cost of each movers cost estimate and the fail to compare apples-to-apples. As a result the lowest price is often selected only to result in great disappointment when their actual shipment weight turns out to be inaccurate and the final move price is raised.

Professional movers urge consumers to look deeper than the bottom line cost and to try to compare apples-to-apples when comparing cost estimates so that they aren't taken advantage of by persons who try to obtain business by underestimating shipment weight.

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