One of the most frequently asked questions on Google is “how much do movers cost in Auckland“, in fact if you’re reading this blog post then that’s probably the exact question that has brought you here.

Some other frequently asked questions are:

• What is the average cost of local movers?
• How much do movers cost in Auckland?
• How much does it cost to move house contents in NZ?
• How much does a moving truck cost in NZ?
• What is the cheapest way to move a house in New Zealand?
• How much does each move cost?

If you are like me then all you are seeking is the basic information, you’re just looking to get a handle on what your move is going to cost. I personally find nothing more frustrating when trying to get a grip on the cost than when people beat about the bush and treat information as if it is some ancient closely guarded secret, passed down through the generations of a secret society and if they let you know, it will cause the world to end!

Well at Auckland Moving Guys we don’t like to misrepresent what our services are going to cost anymore than we like it when customers are not prepared for the invoice at the end of the job. So we have spent a great deal of time thinking about these questions and attempting to offer a solution that can be made readily available on the internet, on the day, within minutes or even seconds of asking the question.

Before I head into our moving cost estimator I will first give some advice from experience on the types of things you will need to consider that are going to affect the cost of your move, in general and on moving day.

In general:

The type of moving company you employ will dictate the hourly rate of the move, larger companies will have to charge more as they have larger overheads, wages only form a portion of the costs imposed on moving companies, unbeknown to most people moving companies actually fall under transportation and as such are subject to the rules and regulations imposed on transport operators, vehicles over 6 ton are required to be managed by NZTA licensed operators. The vehicles themselves are becoming increasingly more expensive to operate on New Zealand’s failing roads and as the infrastructure crumbles successive governments are hiking the costs imposed on heavy vehicle operators in the form of RUCS (Road User Charges) and compliance costs at inspection, not to mention the rising cost of diesel.

Smaller operators using under 6 ton trucks (good for up to smaller 3 bedrooms) can manage to avoid a lot of the compliance costs but still get hit with the RUCs hikes and have to pay the high fuel prices now that the fuel we use has been strangled by the oil companies and New Zealand no longer has oil refining capabilities to make diesel onshore, there is also a government drive to increase the cost of oil powered vehicles in order to meet the climate change goals that they have signed the nation up to under the guise of saving the planet, these factors are causing a marked and noticeable increase in the cost of transportation of goods, furniture is no exception.

Obviously larger premises and the costs involved will be factored into the charge out rate for movers, smaller companies operating from home bases or shared office spaces will be able to offer a more cost effective charge out rate than larger companies with dedicated facilities.

So the size of the company and the resulting charge up rate will play a factor in the end cost of the move.

CAUTION: Be very wary of smaller outfits that quote well below other companies, the old adage of something being too good to be true holds very well in the moving industry, there are plenty of rouge outfits who think that they can just buy a truck and suddenly they are movers, although a moving company is essentially a truck and a couple of men, it is also a well maintained vehicle and two or three well trained professionals backed by a company that does everything above board. Many a sad story has been told about cowboy movers and the absolute disasters they create on the job.

In Specific:

There are three main factors that dictate what the cost of your moving job is going to arrive at;

• The amount of possessions you have
• The access to both properties
• the distance you are moving

Your possessions
A fairly obvious consideration is how much stuff you have to move, the more bedrooms in your house the more time it will take to move. The best way to save time and money on moving day is to make sure you have your house packed down as thoroughly as humanly possible so that when the movers arrive they can get the goods in and out of the truck as efficiently as possible.

• Box as much as possible
• Break down and strip down beds, electronics and shelving units etc
• Bag or box wardrobes
• Disassemble desks
• Disconnect washing machines
• Clean out the fridge

Boxes are not created equal, box selection is actually a little bit of a science that I can say even after being in the industry for near on 30 years can still do my head in on a bad day, there are so many weird and wonderful selections of boxes out there that getting the right ones for the job can sometimes be a challenge, but in the perfect world the medium box would be divisible by half of the large box and the small box would be divisible by the medium box and so on. So basically stacking two medium boxes on top of each other would equal the volume and space taken of the large box and same again for the small boxes. This would ensure that every square millimeter of the truck is utilized in the most efficient method possible.

Access to properties
The access to the property for both the truck (getting up the drive to the door) and for the movers (lifts, stairs, walkways etc) will play a large factor in the time it is going to take to carry out your move and time is money on moving day.

It is highly pertinent and important information to give to the moving company when seeking an estimation or a quote. If you have lifts, your property or both properties has bad driveway access most likely unable to fit a bigger truck, they are single level, two story or multi storied, will be a significant factor in estimating the time and cost for the job.

Some considerations for a moving plan can be using smaller trucks doing multiple runs giving better access to the property which speeds up loading and unloading, using more than two men on properties with stairs, walkways or multi stories. Although the hourly rate may seem on the surface to be a more expensive option, the increased speed at which the job is carried out can in fact and often does swing the final invoice amount back around into your favor. Having two men humping furniture across long distances or navigating stairs and lifts all day, then having to load and unload the truck can cause quite a significant invoice amount to be produced at the end of the day.

Distance
Factors that need to be taken into account when considering the distance between properties is the estimation of start time and load up time, this will affect what time of day the truck will be traveling between properties, if the properties are clear across town then peak traffic times will need to be accounted for and avoided if at all possible.

So having said all that, How Much Do Movers Cost In Auckland?

Well we have prepared what we believe to be one of the most comprehensive moving estimation calculators available on the internet for New Zealand Moving costs. Although it is still on the beta stage and we are constantly, by using our records and experience, working on improving the accuracy, we are satisfied that it is sufficient to give you a general rule of thumb perspective or ball park on the costs you should expect for your move.

Please do not hesitate to use the calculator or if you would like a more personal estimation from a human than please do not hesitate to call us on:

PH: 0800 115 004
Call or text: 0204 065 5397

CLICK FOR ONLINE MOVING ESTIMATOR