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Email template to request quotes from moving companies

You have a move date and an address, and you need to know what it will cost to get your things from one to the other. Moving quotes vary a lot between companies for the same job, and the cheapest quote is not always the one you pay in the end. A written quote that lists what is included, how the price is calculated, and what would change it gives you a fair comparison and something to hold the company to on moving day. Sending the same email to four or five movers takes ten minutes and usually saves several hundred dollars. It also weeds out companies that will not put anything in writing, which is the first sign of a mover to avoid.

Before you send

  • The two addresses, with the floor, whether there is an elevator, and how close a truck can park. Stairs and long carries are the most common reasons a final bill goes above the quote.
  • Your move date, and whether it can shift. Weekdays and mid-month dates are cheaper than weekends and the last days of the month.
  • A rough inventory: number of bedrooms, the big pieces (piano, safe, treadmill, large fridge), and about how many boxes. A photo or short video of each room helps the mover quote accurately.
  • What you want them to do: load and drive only, or pack as well, and whether you need boxes and materials.
  • For a move across state lines, the mover must be registered with the federal government. You can check a company's USDOT number on the FMCSA website before you send.
Subject Moving quote request, [origin city] to [destination city] on [move date] 
Hi [company name],

I'm looking for a written quote for a move on [move date], and I'm asking a few companies so I can compare.

Moving from: [street address, city, state, zip], a [number]-bedroom [apartment / house] on the [floor] floor, [elevator / stairs / ground level], with [easy truck parking / limited parking].
Moving to: [street address, city, state, zip], [floor and access details].
What's moving: about [number] boxes, plus [list of large items such as sofa, queen bed, dining table, refrigerator, piano]. I can send photos or a video of each room if that helps.
Services needed: [loading, transport and unloading only / full packing as well / packing for the kitchen only], and [I have my own boxes / I'd like you to supply materials].

Could you send me a written estimate that shows how the price is calculated (hourly rate and estimated hours, or weight and distance), what's included, and what would change the total? Please also include your USDOT number and confirm you are insured.

I'd like to book by [date].

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A good mover replies with a written estimate, offers to do a video or in-home survey for a firmer number, and lists the extras (stairs, long carry, packing materials) with prices. Take them up on the survey.
  • A very low quote with a big deposit is the classic warning sign. Reputable movers ask for little or nothing up front.
  • Ask the two or three you like best for a binding estimate, which is a written price that cannot go up unless you add items or services. See the separate template for that.
  • If a company will not give a USDOT number, will not put the estimate in writing, or only wants to talk by phone, cross it off.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get me moving quotes 
Hi StandIn,

I'd like you to get written quotes from several moving companies for my move and bring them back so I can compare.

From: [address, floor, elevator or stairs, parking].
To: [address, floor, elevator or stairs, parking].
Date: [move date, and whether it can shift by a few days].
What's moving: [bedrooms, big items, rough box count; photos attached if I have them].
Services: [load and transport only / packing too / materials needed].
Budget or concerns: [anything you want me to know].

Contact at least four licensed movers that serve both areas, send them all the same details, ask for written estimates with their USDOT numbers, follow up with anyone who doesn't reply, and give me the quotes side by side with any red flags noted.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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