Should I Hire a Professional Packing Service?

We strongly recommend working with a professional packing company if you want to save time and avoid the physical stress of packing. It will provide you with trained and insured movers who will carefully handle and protect your things.

That said, if you don’t have it in the budget for an extra $300–$2,200 (depending on how much you need to pack) for your move, you can always skip the packers and gather your friends and family to help you pack and load your moving truck!

Professional packers can help you move in several ways. Professional packing companies are a great choice if:

• Moving yourself is too physically demanding, or you have a recent injury
• You have inflexible move dates (or a heavy work schedule) and no time to spare
• You don’t have any friends or family members around to help you

Here are some of the biggest benefits to hiring professional packers:

Professional packers save stress and time. Instead of having to focus on properly packing your items, you can trust professional packers to do it—and do it quickly. While packing your home may take you several days, a professional packing service may be able to get it done in a matter of hours.

Packing companies bring their own supplies. It can be difficult to determine what type of boxes or moving tape you may need, or how much. When you hire a packing service, you don’t have to worry about that—the crew will come prepared with everything needed to protect your belongings.

Packing services prevent injury. Household furniture like dressers, beds, and entertainment centers can be very difficult (and even harmful) to move by yourself without assistance. Professional packers are trained to handle these items without injuring themselves or you.

Professional packers are trained. Most reputable packing companies employ trained and insured packing professionals who have spent time learning the correct packing procedures—reducing the likelihood of damage and loss during a move.

There are a variety of services that professional packers offer. However, the most reputable ones will:

• Require a pre-move survey in order to establish how many people (and how much packing material) will be needed for your move
• Charge an hourly rate
• Provide trained and insured packing professionals

What not to expect? Packing professionals will not help you decide what to keep, toss, or donate, so you would have to do that before they arrive on Move Day. Also, don’t expect packing professionals to label your belongings or describe the contents of each box. They may only write which room the goods came from on the box or inventory.

On average, it’ll cost between $40–$200 per hour for professional packing services, depending on the company and what they offer. The average one-bedroom home will cost between $270–$550, while a three-bedroom home will cost between $1,000–$2,200^[1].

There are several great packing services to choose from, but you’ll want to receive multiple quotes in order to ensure you’re getting the best prices. Remember that while some quotes may be more expensive, they may include extra services like organization after delivery and unpacking.

Professional packing is a specialized service that may be an unnecessary expense for some. Professional packers may not be for your move if you:

• Have a tight budget and want to save the money
• You’d spend on additional services
• Feel uncomfortable about strangers packing your belongings
• Possess a lot of sentimental, irreplaceable items that you’d rather handle yourself

Packing services can be expensive: Professional packing companies are not exactly cheap and can make the overall price of your move a bit more pricey. That’s because packing service pricing includes labor and the cost for packing supplies, among other fees.

Professionals can still cause damage: Nobody is perfect, not even the professionals. While regular, everyday household items will likely be packed without issue, things like heavy or awkwardly shaped furniture may still get damaged, even by the best packers. Remember that you should mention high-value belongings to your packers beforehand, and you may even want to consider moving them yourself.

You have less control: Packing companies will send trained professionals to your home on Move Day to pack your things, but they’ll be operating by their rules and not yours. That means you won’t necessarily be able to decide how your things are packed, or in what order—which could make unpacking in your new home a real headache.

For those of us who need some extra help with the more physical aspects of moving, hiring a professional packing service may be a necessary expense. Ultimately, hiring a professional packer can prevent you from extra stress and wasted time, making the entire move a whole lot smoother. If you’ve got the extra space in your budget, we definitely suggest professional packing services.

Have we convinced you to think about hiring professional packers for your move? Did we answer all your questions? Let us know in the comments below!

If you think hiring packing labor may be the right fit for you, but you’re not yet sure which company to choose, here are some in-depth reviews of top companies:

• Dolly Moving Labor Review 2021
• 2021 HireAHelper Review
• TaskRabbit Moving 2021 Review

1. HomeAdvisor, “How Much Do Professional Packers Cost.” Accessed September 27, 2021.