Best Moving Companies in South Carolina

Moving can be stressful. Packing up all of your belongings, loading them on a truck, and driving to a new location requires many moving parts. A moving company can help lighten your load and give some peace of mind that your possessions will be protected on the journey to your new home.

There are dozens of reputable moving companies available to help homeowners in South Carolina, and each company offers a different range of services. In this article, we’ll help you make sense of the moving industry, providing a recommendation for five top companies in South Carolina.

Through in-depth research, we determined that the best moving companies in South Carolina are:

• International Van Lines: Best Overall Full-Service Mover
• American Van Lines: Most Experienced Moving Labor
• JK Moving Services: Most Customizable Full-Service Mover
• Allied Van Lines: Best for Vehicle Relocation
• North American Van Lines: Best for Claims
• 1-800-PACK-RAT: Best Overall Self-Service Mover
• PODS: Most Convenient

International Van Lines

International Van Lines is our top choice for a full-service mover in South Carolina and offers help during every step of your moving experience. A team of professional movers can pack and unpack, load and unload, transport, and protect your most important possessions.

While you’ll pay slightly more for full-service movers, you won’t need to lift a finger with International Van Lines.

International Van Lines Pros & Cons

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of International Van Lines:

✓ Full-service moves from start to finish
✓ Provides adjustable contents protection plans
✓ Offers specialty services for moving antiques, pianos, artwork, and more

✘ More expensive than DIY moving options
✘ Is a better option for cross-country moves rather than local moves

Services

International Van Lines’ full-service moving packages include every step of your moving process, but if additional services are needed, IVL has several options, including:

• Local moving
• Long-distance moving
• Auto transport
• International moving
• B2B shipping
• Packing supplies
• Air freight services
• Corporate and military relocation
• Packing, loading, and unloading
• Transportation of fragile items

Cost

We received an estimate for a three-bedroom move in South Carolina through IVL for $4,200–$6,150. This is merely a rough estimate, so we recommend getting a free online quote from IVL for a more accurate rate.

Learn More: International Van Lines Review

American Van Lines

American Van Lines is another full-service mover capable of long-distance moves to almost anywhere in the country.

All American Van Lines employees are professionally trained in an AVL-owned sample house, and all of your fragile items will be well-protected by AVL’s experienced movers.

American Van Lines Pros & Cons

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of American Van Lines:

✓ Offers a free month of storage for long-distance moves
✓ Movers have an average of 10 years of experience
✓ Provides free virtual in-home estimates

✘ More expensive than self-service moving
✘ Its upfront deposit ranges from 10%-50% of the total moving cost

Services

American Van Lines’ services include:

• Local moving
• Long-distance moving
• Corporate relocation services
• Military moving
• International moving
• Commercial moving
• Antique and piano moving
• Storage solutions

Cost

American Van Lines does not offer instant cost information. We recommend getting in touch with a moving coordinator for more information. Fill out this online form for a free quote from AVL.

Learn More: American Van Lines Review

JK Moving Services

JK Moving Services is a full-service mover like International Van Lines, and it’s our top choice for customization on the full-service side of the moving industry. JK Moving appoints a move coordinator to build a custom move plan to efficiently move your belongings.

The company offers both full- and partial-packing services. All shipments are GPS tracked, as well.

JK Moving Pros & Cons

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of JK Moving:

✓ Offers customized full-service moves
✓ A move coordinator assigned to each move
✓ Provides GPS tracking

✘ Quotes are difficult to obtain online
✘ Customer reviews vary by location

Services

These are JK Moving’s customizable services for South Carolina residents:

• Packing and unpacking
• Loading and unloading
• Long-distance moves
• International moves
• Corporate relocation services
• Commercial and office moves
• Government moves
• Storage

Cost

JK Moving does not offer instant estimates on its website. However, sales agents can be reached for more information. To get an accurate rate, we recommend having an inventory list ready, as your move’s cost will depend on the size and distance of your move, among other factors.

Get a free quote from JK Moving by filling out this online form.

Learn More: JK Moving Services Review

Allied Van Lines

Allied Van Lines specializes in long-distance moving but can also handle local moves. Outdoor enthusiasts can bring their boat, RV, or ATV with them to the Palmetto State using Allied’s vehicle transport service.

Allied Van Lines can accommodate most kinds of vehicles, including watercraft, motorcycles and ATVs, RVs, vans, cars, SUVs, and trucks. And since Allied owns its own fleet of open and enclosed vehicle carriers, customers can coordinate their vehicle transport directly with the company instead of a third-party provider.

Allied Van Lines Pros & Cons

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of Allied Van Lines:

✓ Provides vehicle coverage of up to $100,000 with no deductible
✓ Includes Basic Liability Protection on all of its moves for free
✓ Offers a fragile-only pack option

✘ Doesn’t offer 24/7 claims support
✘ Better suited for long-distance moving

Services

Allied’s list of services includes:

• International moving
• Packing and unpacking
• Loading and unloading
• Debris removal
• Boxes and moving supplies
• Full-valuation coverage
• Appliance disconnection and reconnection

Cost

Allied Van Lines offers an a la carte-style approach to moving, but basic-price moves include: an assigned relocation consultant; loading, transport, and unloading of your items; and minimum protection coverage. Services like full-valuation coverage and packing and unpacking are only available at an additional cost.

According to Allied’s online moving calculator, moving the contents of a two-bedroom home from Columbia, South Carolina, to Olympia, Washington, in early March would cost between $6,594 and $7,544.

To get a free quote from Allied Van Lines, take this quick online survey.

Learn More: Allied Van Lines Review

North American Van Lines

North American Van Lines provides services throughout the entire U.S., as well as 130 countries worldwide. In addition to basic services—loading, transport, and unloading—customers can choose from add-on options like full-service packing, cleaning, and storage.

North American offers special rates for American Legion and union members and their families, and it has an easy online or over-the-phone claims process for both domestic and international claims.

North American Van Lines Pros & Cons

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of North American Van Lines:

✓ Offers customizable moving packages through a variety of optional add-on services
✓ Uses crane vans to handle large equipment without a loading dock
✓ Has an online library of moving resources, including how-to videos and checklists

✘ Storage options are based on local availability and can be limited
✘ Moving experience varies depending on your location and local moving contractor

Services

North American’s list of moving services includes:

• Packing and unpacking
• Loading and unloading
• Mobile storage containers
• House cleaning
• Fragile-only Packing
• Short- and long-term storage

Cost

North American’s cost estimates are based on distance, as well as the total size and weight of what you will be moving. Special handling of any items is also factored into the quote. No upfront deposit is required.

Prices range from $3,556 to $4,049 to move a two-bedroom home with a medium or average quantity of items from Charleston, South Carolina, to Chicago, Illinois, early in the summer season.

For a free quote from North American Van Lines, complete this quick online form.

Learn More: North American Van Lines Review

1-800-PACK-RAT

1-800-PACK-RAT is a self-service mover that offers three sizes of moving containers for homeowners to load on their own time. Depending on the size of your move, 1-800-PACK-RAT will drop off an appropriately sized container for you to load. When you’re ready to move, 1-800-PACK-RAT will pick up your weather-resistant container and either transport it to a storage facility or your new home.

1-800-PACK-RAT Pros & Cons

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of 1-800-PACK-RAT:

✓ Customers can load at their own pace
✓ Offers moving labor through HireAHelper
✓ Offers a no-cut security lock free with every long distance move

✘ Not available nationwide
✘ Offers moving labor through third-party companies

Services

1-800-PACK-RAT can mimic full-service companies by providing local moving labor, although it is appointed through third parties. 1-800-PACK-RAT has storage facilities in dozens of states, and it can provide storage solutions for most moves. Here’s a list of 1-800-PACK-RAT’s services:

• Moving labor
• Portable storage containers
• Short- and long-term storage solutions
• Moving supplies
• Car shipping services

Cost

We received a quote for $406 for a 12-foot container and $426 for a 16-foot container. This includes a month’s reservation for your container and transportation to your new home.

If you need additional time with your container, it costs $199 and $219 per month, respectively. For a more accurate estimate, fill out this online form.

Learn More: 1-800-PACK-RAT Review

PODS

PODS is a container delivery service, similar to 1-800-PACK-RAT. PODS provides maximum convenience for homeowners who need flexibility in their moves.

PODS offers storage through a nationwide network of storage facilities, and your container can be delivered to either your new home or placed in secure storage until needed.

PODS Pros & Cons

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of PODS:

✓ Has a simple sign-up process
✓ Can deliver containers to a storage unit or your new home
✓ Has a transparent quote process

✘ Moving labor only available through third-party companies
✘ Availability and pricing can vary based on the time of year

Services

PODS offers the following services:

• Local moving
• Long-distance moving
• Short- and long-term storage
• Packing and loading assistance (through a third-party company)
• On-site self storage containers

Cost

PODS gave us a quote of $346 for a three-bedroom move in South Carolina. If you need extra storage, it costs $199 to keep the container for another month, which is a convenient measure of flexibility.

Learn More: PODS Review

If you need help with your South Carolina move, consider hiring one of the companies on our list. We recommend getting a free quote from a few different companies to help you compare moving options and pricing. We also recommend building a home inventory list. Since every move is different, having more information at your disposal can help you make the savviest decision possible.

If you’re moving to South Carolina, we’ll provide you with resources below to help you hit the ground running. After your moving company helps you move in, consider investing in a home warranty, homeowners insurance, and pest control to make homeownership as pain-free as possible.

• Best Homeowners Insurance in South Carolina
• Best Renters Insurance in South Carolina
• Best Home Warranty Companies in South Carolina
• Best Pest Control Companies
• Best Lawn Care Services

Our Rating Methodology

The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our moving company ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to objectively score each company. We conduct research by reading through the company websites, analyzing customer reviews, conducting consumer surveys, requesting quotes, and speaking with customer representatives. We then score each moving company against our review standards for services, contents coverage, scheduling, trailer and container options, additional benefits, and reputation to arrive at a final score out of 100.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.