April 15, 2010
Airlines began charging big fees for checked bags a few years ago, of course. And now Spirit Airlines has announced takeoff for their new fees for carry-ons policy. Other airlines are sure to follow. So if you’re feeling as if you’d like to tell them to take a flying leap — or if you’d just like to reduce your travel costs — here’s one way you can do it.
Ship ahead and save
Ship your luggage ahead via parcel service with UPS or another parcel carrier. You can ship 50 lbs. for about $25 to $60, which is comparable to what the airline will charge. You can ship 100 lbs. for about $60 to $100, which is actually less than airlines charge with penalties.
It’s nice to travel light
You have to ship two or more days in advance, but weigh that against the convenience of boarding your flight having only to worry about an under-the-seat carry-on. Business travelers ship ahead all the time, so why not do it for your next family vacation?
And if your stuff is too heavy or bulky for parcel service you can always ship it via freight service with TSI.
March 16, 2010
Hardly a day goes by that we don’t make a pickup at a self storage location to ship furniture or other household items from there to a customer’s new house or apartment in a new state. If you’ve left items in storage and haven’t yet quite gotten around to having them shipped, we have this advice: Do it now!
Why? Because it’s way too easy to forget to make a storage fee payment or two, which is what happened to writer-celebrity Anthony Haden-Guest. By neglecting to pay $1,350, the British-born Haden-Guest may lose “a lifetime’s worth of valuables” worth over $1 million after moving back to London and leaving artwork and other items in storage in New York City.
Storage laws vary from state to state, but if you fall delinquent then the manager of a self storage facility can initiate action to sell your items in as little as 30 days. So if you aren’t ready to ship your items from storage, don’t miss a payment. And if you are ready to ship, don’t wait — do it today!
March 4, 2010
When it comes to America’s collective weight, there seems to be – pardon the expression – a broad consensus. We are obese. That’s what the experts say, anyway. 
Which makes it just a little bit ironic that as individuals we tend to badly underestimate the weight of furniture and other large items that we want to ship.
Stop the suffering!
If you suffer from this skinny estimate syndrome when it comes to furniture shipping and need accurate weights for items you want to ship, view a list of household item weights and dimensions here. Weight is important because it dictates shipping cost, and an inaccurate weight means an inaccurate estimate. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize that a king size mattress weighs at least 100 lbs., a three-cushion sofa can surpass 150 lbs., and an entertainment center may top 250 lbs.
Here are a few additional tips you can use:
- Check purchase documents for specifications, including weight. And if you don’t make a habit of saving that stuff, start now.
- Check specs online, either on the manufacturer’s website or by finding the same item on a seller’s site like eBay or Amazon.
- Weigh packed boxes on a bathroom scale.
- For bulky boxes, weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding the box. Subtract to get the difference.
- Measure the size to get the weight. An experienced mover or shipper can estimate an accurate weight over the phone based on size.
The weight of the items you’re shipping will determine the basic price. There may be additional charges related to where and how the shipment nees to be picked up and delivered. We’ll cover some of those items in a future post.
January 29, 2010
Want to go green when you move? TSI can help. We reduce energy consumption as well as cost with of our approach to long distance small moves. How? We combine your move with others and fill up the truck. Which means you won’t be burning gasoline to transport a lot of empty space inside a truck. Your move leaves a smaller carbon footprint — and you spend less too. It’s a win-win. Check out more green moving tips here.
By the way, we didn’t realize we were a green company when we started out 20 years ago. We’re not even sure that anyone back then would have associated the word “green” with anything other than grass, U.S. currency and fresh-picked bananas. But the fact is, we became part of the green movement without even trying — simply by offering our services — and we’re thrilled we did. That wasn’t our intention when we developed our model — we were out to provide a low-cost alternative for people looking to ship furniture and other household items — but it has been a very pleasant and worthwhile side benefit.
Here are some other green lifestyle tips you can incorporate into your everyday life.
January 21, 2010
The tragedy and ongoing crisis in Haiti have raised questions about shipping services to that country. First, the rumors that our good friends at UPS are offering free shipping to Haiti are completely unfounded. In fact, UPS has suspended service to Haiti for the time being for reasons that are certainly apparent from news reports. So have the other well-known parcel carriers. (You can read UPS’s official statement on the situation here.)
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