Small Moves NYC

Who Books Small Moves From NYC, and What They Ship

Almost nobody leaves New York with a full house of furniture. Apartments are small, rents are high and plenty of furniture was bought to last one lease. Small moves state to state from the five boroughs tend to fall into four groups, and each ships something different.

Leaving a Shared Apartment

A lot of New Yorkers share an apartment in Bushwick, Astoria or Washington Heights for years. When one roommate moves out of state, only that room goes: a queen bed, a dresser, a desk, a bike and the boxes from the closet. The couch and the kitchen stay with whoever keeps the lease. Because we price by weight, you are not paying for the furniture you leave behind.

Semester’s End Near Campus

Columbia in Morningside Heights, NYU around Washington Square, Fordham at Rose Hill in the Bronx, Pratt in Clinton Hill and the CUNY colleges in every borough all empty out in May. A student load is usually a mattress, a desk, a bookcase and a stack of boxes. Book in April so pickup lands before the dorm or sublet deadline, and pack books in small boxes: they are the heaviest thing in most student shipments.

Downsizing a Family Apartment

When a parent leaves a prewar co-op in Forest Hills or Riverdale, most of the contents get sold or donated, and a handful of pieces go to children in other states: a china cabinet, a rocking chair, framed photographs, the dining table. Custom crating is available for antiques, art, clocks and glass, and additional coverage is available.

Coming Back to New York

Inbound small moves include New Yorkers returning from Florida after retirement or a few winters away, and new hires arriving for a job in Midtown or Downtown Brooklyn. If the new lease starts after the shipment arrives, short-term storage at the destination terminal holds it until you have keys.

Planning Pickup for Your NYC Building and Block

Every New York pickup starts with two questions: how the load gets from your door to the sidewalk, and where the truck can stop. Your building’s house rules and the posted signs on your block settle most of both.

Prewar Walk-Ups and Tenements

Five-story walk-ups in the East Village, the Lower East Side and Hamilton Heights have narrow stairwells with tight turns at every landing. Measure the narrowest turn and note which pieces come apart. A bed frame that unbolts or table legs that unscrew make the trip down easier and take less room in the trailer.

Doorman Buildings, Co-ops and Condos

Managed buildings usually set the rules: moves on weekdays within set hours, padding on the elevator walls and a refundable move deposit. Towers in Long Island City and along the Brooklyn waterfront tend to add a loading dock reservation on top, so ask the management office which entrance and dock the crew should use.

Houses in the Outer Boroughs

Two-family homes in Queens and the Bronx often share a driveway with the house next door. Tell us when yours is shared, so the neighbor can be warned before pickup day.

The Curb Outside

On a busy avenue block there may be no legal place for a truck to stand, and a quieter side street around the corner is sometimes the better stop. Give us the cross streets and any side entrance or service door so the driver knows where to go.

Choosing Your Pickup Date

Count back from the day you hand in your keys and book at least 10 days ahead if the date cannot move. Late May through August is the busiest stretch in the city, when student move-outs and summer lease changes overlap, and building elevator calendars fill first.

Small Moves Between Los Angeles and New York

Shipping a small load between New York and LA? See our Los Angeles to New York and New York to Los Angeles route pages for pricing, transit times and what to expect.