Said It Here

Is it cheaper to ship a TV or buy a new one?

Specialty TV shipping boxes and packing materials frequently fail to prevent transit damage, while the high cost of freight often matches or exceeds the price of a replacement television. This financial and logistical risk leads many movers to leave their TVs behind or sell them rather than attempt long-distance transport.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Selling the TV locally before moving and buying a replacement at the destination
  2. 2
    Leaving the TV behind or leaving it mounted for the new home buyers
  3. 3
    Saving the original manufacturer box and packaging for future moves
  4. 4
    Shipping inside a portable moving container (pod/U-Box) instead of standard mail carriers
  5. 5
    Purchasing shipping insurance or specialized heavy-duty TV boxes
  6. 6
    Selling the old television locally and purchasing a new one at the destination
  7. 7
    Using professional packing services at shipping centers like UPS or FedEx
  8. 8
    Utilizing adjustable painting cartons or custom-made boxes
  9. 9
    Transporting the television personally in a rental truck or vehicle rather than shipping via courier

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

“i had it in one of those large boxes with foam and the pads around the corners and a whole bunch of wrapping. it did NOT work at ALL.”source ↗

“the amount i spent on shipping could have just got me another TV.”source ↗

iiRacchy · r/moving · 118 upvotes

“When we moved 5 years ago, I decided it would be less stressful (maybe cheaper) to just leave the TVs mounted for the new buyers (they were very happy to have them) and just buy new when we got to our destination.”source ↗

doom1701 · r/moving · 5 upvotes

“We learned the hard way as well, so my advice to everyone: IF you have the space, always save the box your tv came in.”source ↗

RustedMauss · r/moving · 4 upvotes

“My TV is currently sitting in a Penske outside ready for a cross country move. I'm already looking at the sales at Costco 😂. If she makes it that's great but I'm not banking on it.”source ↗

“I had two friends try two different packing styles and both didn't make it.”source ↗

kickniteasy · r/moving · 3 upvotes

“Anyone have any experience shipping a 65 inch tv across states through UPS or something?”source ↗

“I don’t have a truck/uhaul and it’s not an option I want to go down.”source ↗

“Hoping to find a box for the tv that works while it’s wrapped in bubble wrap.”source ↗

Financial-Budget9087 · r/moving · 2 upvotes

Where this came up

r/movingmovingpackagingrelocationshipping

People with this problem also raised