Banner image courtesy of Dina Badamshina
After coordinating thousands of residential moves, I’ve watched countless people wrestle with the same agonizing decision: should I move this item or replace it at my destination? The answer isn’t always obvious, and the wrong choice can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
The psychology of moving makes us irrational. We overvalue our possessions, underestimate replacement costs, and completely ignore the true expense of transportation. This article breaks down the most commonly regretted moving decisions and provides a framework for calculating when replacement actually makes more financial sense than moving.
The Heavy Regrets: Furniture That Wasn’t Worth the Journey
Inexpensive furniture tops the regret list by a substantial margin. IKEA bookcases, particle board dressers, and budget bed frames represent the most common post-move remorse. The math seems simple at first glance—why spend $200 replacing a dresser you already own? But this thinking ignores several hidden costs.
Consider a basic IKEA Malm dresser. It retails for around $180 new. Moving it cross-country typically costs $150 to $250 when you factor in the cubic footage it occupies in the truck, packing materials, and the labor required to disassemble and reassemble it. But here’s what people forget: that dresser has already experienced several years of wear. The drawer slides stick, the veneer is chipped, and one of the legs wobbles slightly.
After the move, there’s a 40 percent chance that particle board furniture will sustain additional damage during transport—cracked panels, stripped screws, or broken dowels. Even if it survives intact, you’ve now paid nearly the full replacement cost to move a used item that will need replacing within two years anyway.
The financial break-even calculation should include the item’s remaining useful life. If a piece of furniture has already served half its lifespan and costs more than 60 percent of its replacement value to move, replacement typically makes more sense.
Upholstered furniture presents an even more complex calculation. A sectional sofa from a big-box retailer might have cost $1,200 new. Moving it long-distance could run $300 to $500. Seems like an easy decision to move it, right? Not necessarily.
Professional cleaning before a move costs $150 to $300 for a sectional. Many people discover only after moving that their old sofa looks dingy and dated in their new space. Worse yet, moving companies frequently note damage to upholstered items—torn fabric, broken legs, or frame damage—and standard moving insurance typically covers items at 60 cents per pound, meaning that 150-pound sofa is covered for about $90.
The regret compounds when people realize they’ve paid to move a sofa that doesn’t fit their new space’s dimensions or aesthetic. A good rule: if upholstered furniture is more than five years old and costs more than 40 percent of replacement value to move, seriously consider replacement.
The Kitchen Conundrum: Small Appliances and Cookware
Kitchen items generate surprising amounts of moving regret, particularly small appliances. Stand mixers, blenders, coffee makers, and food processors seem essential until you’re unpacking them in your new kitchen and realizing half of them haven’t been used in two years.
The average household moves 8 to 12 small kitchen appliances. At an average weight of 5 to 15 pounds each, they consume significant box space and add weight to your shipment. Cross-country moves charge approximately $1.50 to $2.50 per pound, meaning your $40 toaster oven costs $15 to $25 to transport.
The break-even calculation for small appliances is straightforward: if the moving cost exceeds 30 percent of the replacement cost and you use the item less than monthly, replace rather than move. This is especially true for items that are outdated or showing wear.
Cookware presents a different challenge. Quality pots and pans are expensive and worth moving. A complete set of All-Clad cookware costs $800 to $1,500 and will last decades. Moving costs for cookware run $30 to $60 for a complete set when properly packed. Clear decision: move the good stuff.
But many people also move damaged non-stick pans, warped cookie sheets, and mismatched lids. This low-quality cookware costs nearly as much to pack and move as the premium items but has minimal remaining value. A useful guideline: if you wouldn’t buy the item again today at full price, don’t pay to move it.
Books, Papers, and Media: The Weight Problem
Books represent one of the most expensive items to move relative to their value. The average book weighs about one pound, and paperbacks have essentially no resale value. A modest personal library of 200 books costs $300 to $500 to move cross-country—more than enough to rebuild a collection through used bookstores, library sales, or digital alternatives.
People consistently underestimate how much their book collections weigh. Ten boxes of books equal approximately 400 to 500 pounds, and moving companies often need to limit books per box to prevent injury and box failure. The packing time alone adds expense.
The break-even calculation for books should consider digital alternatives. Many people discover after moving their entire library that they’ve transitioned primarily to ebooks or audiobooks. Unless books have genuine sentimental value or are rare editions, moving more than 100 books rarely makes financial sense.
Physical media—DVDs, CDs, and video games—present an even clearer case for disposal. Streaming services have rendered most physical media obsolete, yet people continue moving collections that they’ll never use again. The moving cost for a typical DVD collection of 100 discs runs $40 to $80, while their resale value is often under $50 total.
Outdoor and Garage Items: The Bulk Problem
Lawnmowers, grills, and patio furniture consistently rank among the most regretted moving expenses. These items are bulky, heavy, and often worth less than their moving cost.
A standard push mower weighs 70 to 90 pounds and costs $120 to $180 to move long-distance. New models start at $200 to $300. But here’s the critical consideration: that mower contains gasoline and oil, both of which are prohibited in moving trucks. You’ll need to drain all fluids, which takes time and creates disposal costs. The mower might not start properly after the move. And if you’re moving from a house with a large yard to one with a small yard—or to a condo—you won’t even need it.
The break-even point for lawnmowers is approximately three years old. Older than that, and the combination of moving costs plus likely replacement within two years makes purchase at your destination more economical.
Gas grills face similar math. A mid-range grill weighs 100 to 150 pounds, costs $200 to $300 to move, and requires propane tank disposal (tanks cannot be transported across state lines when full). If your grill is more than four years old, replacement usually costs less than the combination of moving expenses and the hassle factor.
Patio furniture deserves special consideration. High-quality teak or wrought iron furniture is worth moving—it’s durable, expensive to replace, and improves with age. But resin or basic metal furniture that cost $300 to $600 new often costs $200 to $400 to move and has a limited remaining lifespan. Unless your patio furniture is less than two years old or genuinely high-quality, replacement at your destination typically makes more sense.
Exercise Equipment: The Home Gym Dilemma
Treadmills, ellipticals, and home gyms represent some of the most expensive items to move relative to their used value. A treadmill weighs 200 to 300 pounds, requires professional disassembly and reassembly, and costs $400 to $700 to move long-distance. Used treadmills sell for $200 to $800 depending on quality and age.
The brutal truth about exercise equipment: if you weren’t using it regularly before the move, you won’t use it after. The move provides a perfect opportunity to honestly assess whether that equipment serves your current lifestyle. Equipment that’s used weekly is probably worth moving. Equipment gathering dust should be sold.
The financial calculation should include reassembly costs. Many pieces of exercise equipment require professional setup at the destination, adding $100 to $300 to your total cost. When moving costs plus reassembly approach 70 percent of used value, selling and replacing becomes financially equivalent—with the option to choose different equipment that better suits your new space.
Making the Break-Even Calculation
Here’s a practical framework for deciding whether to move or replace any item:
Calculate the true moving cost. This includes not just the transportation charge but also packing materials, insurance, disassembly and reassembly labor, and cleaning or preparation costs. For long-distance moves, multiply the item’s weight by $1.50 to $2.50 per pound as a baseline, then add $20 to $100 for packing materials depending on the item’s fragility.
Assess remaining useful life. An item that’s 70 percent through its expected lifespan probably isn’t worth moving unless the moving cost is under 30 percent of replacement value.
Factor in damage risk. Fragile items, particle board furniture, and anything already showing wear has a higher probability of moving damage. Even with insurance, you’ll likely recover only a fraction of value.
Consider your new space. If you’re downsizing, moving from a house to an apartment, or significantly changing climates, many items simply won’t work in your new environment. The financial cost of moving something you’ll immediately need to replace is doubled.
Add the hassle factor. Some items are technically worth moving from a pure cost perspective but create disproportionate stress—items requiring special handling, valuable but fragile pieces, or anything that complicates the moving logistics. Sometimes paying a moderate premium for replacement is worth the reduced stress.
The Most Common Calculation Mistakes
People consistently make three errors when deciding what to move. First, they use the original purchase price rather than the current used value. Your five-year-old sofa might have cost $2,000 new, but its current value is probably $400 to $600. Base your calculation on what you could sell it for today, not what you paid originally.
Second, they ignore the time value of money. Moving costs are immediate and certain. Replacement costs are future and flexible—you might find a great deal, buy used, or discover you don’t actually need the item. When costs are roughly equivalent, the flexibility of replacement often tips the scale.
Third, they underestimate the psychological benefit of a fresh start. Moving provides a rare opportunity to reassess your possessions without emotional attachment. Many people report that replacing items rather than moving them contributed to feeling more settled and intentional in their new home.
When Moving Always Makes Sense
Some categories almost always make financial sense to move. Genuine antiques, sentimental items, high-quality furniture (solid wood, leather, or designer pieces), artwork, and specialty items all warrant the moving expense. These items typically increase in value or have irreplaceable personal significance.
Professional moving services can provide detailed estimates that help you make informed decisions about individual items. The key is approaching each item objectively rather than defaulting to moving everything simply because you own it.
The most successful moves involve letting go of items that no longer serve you while investing in transporting the possessions that genuinely matter. The financial break-even calculation provides a framework, but the real value lies in arriving at your new home with exactly what you need and nothing you’ll regret paying to move.