How Long-Distance and Seasonal Pricing Works Off the East End
A long-distance move off the East End is priced on a different logic than a local one. Inside the Hamptons we bill on time and access; once you leave Long Island, the figure is built from the weight or volume of your shipment, the real road miles to the destination, the crating your fragile pieces need, and whether you want a dedicated truck on a firm delivery day. There is no meter on a long-distance move — we survey the home, calculate the load, and lock one flat written figure that covers the whole lane door to door. This guide explains the levers so the number we quote makes sense.
The Four Things That Set a Long-Distance Price
- Shipment size: the weight or volume of what actually ships is the foundation of the price — a one-bedroom condo and a five-bedroom estate are different moves.
- Distance: real road miles to the destination. A 95-mile run to the city, a 310-mile run to DC, and a 2,900-mile run to Los Angeles scale up accordingly.
- Crating: the art, marble, chandeliers, and wine that East End homes carry need custom crates built to survive the run — this is where a Hamptons move differs from an average one.
- Dedicated truck and timing: a truck carrying only your shipment, with a firm delivery day, costs more than a shared load but never gets transferred, warehoused, or quoted a two-week window.
Roughly What the Common Lanes Run
| Lane from Southampton | Distance | Typical 2–3 bedroom range |
|---|---|---|
| New York City | 95 mi | $2,600 – $7,500 |
| Greenwich, CT | 110 mi | $2,900 – $8,500 |
| Boston, MA | 230 mi | $3,900 – $10,800 |
| Washington, DC | 310 mi | $4,400 – $12,500 |
| Palm Beach, FL | 1,290 mi | $6,900 – $18,500 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 2,900 mi | $10,800 – $29,000 |
Seasonal and Snowbird Moves
The East End’s long-distance season has a rhythm: city-bound moves cluster after Labor Day when the summer houses close, and the Palm Beach run fills every autumn as the snowbirds head south. Those moves often split — part ships, part goes into our climate-controlled storage out here for the season — and we price the whole arrangement as one flat figure. Booking early for the autumn exodus is the single best way to keep the cost down and lock the delivery day you want.
The federal protection baselines apply on every long-distance lane: released value is included at $0.60 per pound per article, full-value protection runs roughly 1–3% of the declared value of your goods, our cargo liability carries a $1,000,000 limit, and you have about a nine-month window to file a claim. We walk all of it through at the survey, then put the flat figure in writing.