Movers vs. Brokers

Know who you’re dealing with: Movers vs. Brokers

It’s important that when you choose your mover, you understand who you’re dealing with.  Is the company that you’re working with the actual mover?  Are they the people who are going to load your goods and move them, or are they front men for a series of companies that do that? There are a lot of middle men involved in the business, and when you have middle men involved, there’s often an additional charge.  There’s also another layer of distance between you and the ultimate service provider, so that can get a little bit tricky. I would recommend that you go direct to the mover. Make sure that you know who you’re doing business with.

What is a moving broker?

A moving broker is definitely not a mover. Brokers do not have the operational and logistic capabilities moving companies have. They do not have moving trucks, professional movers, proper moving equipment, and in a lot of cases not much moving experience. Moving brokers are sales teams that book your move and sell it to an actual moving company.

Sometimes the broker is not able to sell the job for various reasons - low estimates, availability, resources and the list goes on - in this case you can get stuck without a mover on the day of your move. Many moving brokers operate from call centers located anywhere in the country.

When you book your move make sure to ask the company to conduct the move whether they are an actual moving company or broker. For example, ABC Moving is a local moving company with an office (and supervisors) close to you that can assist with any problems or concerns that may arise during t

To ensure this, confirm that the company uses their own crews and trucks to pick up your shipment.

What could go wrong with using a Broker?

There are several things that could go wrong with using a Broker:

• They may book a mover for you who is not licensed.
• They may give you a low estimate only to have the actual moving company charge you something higher.
• They may not have much actual moving experience and may not be able to answer your moving related questions.
• They may not be able to find a mover for you and won’t tell you this, letting you think you have a mover booked for your move.

If you opt for moving broker follow this checklist 

https://www.protectyourmove.gov/consumer/awareness/protect/broker-vs-mover.aspx