Moving Your Collection

[Starbuck66]

So we are in the process of selling our house, and we're facing the big move soon... My collection is *significantly* larger than when we moved into our current place 11 years ago. 

 

What are some tips and tricks for moving your collection?

 

One thought I had was that, even if we get movers to help, that I would personally box up and transport my collection to the new place. I've heard way too many horror stories from people who lost items during moving, and I don't want to end up in one myself.

 

Any other tips or tricks?

[RickR]

Use plastic tubs with lids.

Keep each system together. (SNES in one tub, 2600 in one tub, etc.)

Duct tape them shut once you are done packing.

Keep a count of all tubs.

[nosweargamer]

1) I wish I better labeled my boxes when I moved.

2) Use PLENTY of packing material. Wal-Mart plastic bags are good to use for small areas in the boxes. Newspaper & Bubble wrap can also work. When you shake a box, you don't want to here any movement.

3) I put all of the hookups of various systems in separate, marked zip lock bags and put them all in one box. This made packing the systems a whole lot easier since I didn't have to work around cords.

4) Some of my disc based games I packed laying on their backs to make it less likely that the discs would dislodge and get scratched during moving. Sometimes, I even put discs in a binder while moving and return them to their case later. 

[chas10e]

rubber bands

 

I kind of hate the thought of moving my collection and will appreciate the insight you have after the move. I have heard of family help getting rather fatigue and complaining about "moving so much junk" even if carefully boxed and labeled.

 

I help my family move across town and the DAY OF THE MOVE is the day they start packing   ... oh well 

 

do enjoy the day plan for pizza breaks "lets get this all loaded before the pizza arrives" -sorts thing , don't forget drinks  

 

congrats on the new place 

[jmjustin6]

I really do fear for this day. Im worried about all my boxed games and boxed consoles. I would say Ricks idea sounds great. You can never have too much bubble wrap and newspaper. And labeling is the key thing here

[Atari 5200 Guy]

I would box up belongings you don't want lost, damaged, or stolen, and transport those myself if you have the space in your vehicle or can rent a U-Haul. I wouldn't trust those to any moving company as they can be rough on things sometimes. All that some care about is getting from point A to point B for that paycheck. Not all of them do as my cousin is a cross country mover. And he does a good job. But things happen and he has had his trailer broke into while away from his truck at truck stops a few times. You do what you feel you can trust...but for me...there's no way in hell I would let someone else move my collection unless it was family or a friend I have known for a very long time. Well...scratch that last part...I forgot I had a friend of thirty years stab me in the back by sleeping with my first wife.

 

As for packing, I would use bubble wrap on systems and small stacks of boxed games. Loose games I would wrap about 15 of them together at a time. After that, wrap them all up in newspaper to conceal their true identity and box them up by systems. I would use some sort of abbreviation that only you and your family would recognize like GM for game machine or GR for game room followed by a number and then the total number of boxes you have like 2 of 5.

 

Knowing the way this world is these days it is difficult to trust others sometimes.