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Alex is the founder of 9Kilo Moving, which he started to help people easily find and choose the right moving company to make their move as stress-free and seamless as possible. He has spent over 20 years working in the moving industry, so he knows every aspect of the business and uses his knowledge to write about the industry and give moving advice. More on about us page

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Moving to another state but have a month’s vacation planned en-route? Or are you a student moving back home for the summer cross-country and you don’t know where to put all your furniture? When it comes to moving and storage, wouldn’t it be great if one company did the packing, loading, storage, and delivery to you when you wanted? Professionals at Zippy Shell so just that! To give you a fair idea of how they function, we’ve given you a list of their services with a comprehensive review!

What is Zippy Shell?

Zippy Shell is one-of-a-kind because they offer storage solutions without the hassle of moving, loading, and unloading that comes with it. You’ll be surprised to know that the company first started in Australia in 2007 and was the first mobile storage company there.

In 2010, Zippy Shell was registered in the United States and their business has only grown through the years. They merged with 1-800-PACK-RAT in 2018 to offer all kinds of services from packing and loading to storage and cross-country moving.

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Services Offered By Zippy Shell

Most of us wouldn’t know that a company like Zippy Shell existed because their services are just what most of us look for and make the moving process look terribly convenient. The best part about hiring Zippy Shell is the wide range of services they offer, which we’ll talk about down below.

Student Storage And Moving Services

If you’re a student, Zippy Shell has you covered with customized portable moving solutions that’ll help you store and move your belongings without worry. Whether you’re moving home for a semester and don’t want to move your belongings there or you need a place for your belongings during the summer, you can contact Zippy Shell to take care of it for you.

This way, you don’t have to take the effort of arranging ways to move your belongings to a storage unit and then taking them out after some time. Zippy Shell will also handle the packing and loading of your belongings for you and collecting them from your dormitory.

With the services they offer, you might wonder how their pricing is because you might want to save as much as possible as a student. Here’s where Zippy Shell’s services triumph because they have discounts for you as a student. Their packages start with a rate that’s as low as $42.50 per month!

Residential Storage And Moving Services

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the ability to have someone store all your belongings and deliver them to you when you needed? That’s when you can do with Zippy Shell for your residential belongings, where both portable storage and moving are available for your belongings.

Residential storage services are available irrespective of the period you require the facilities for. Be it storing your items for a short period while you stage your home or storing it for a longer period and delivering it for you, you can trust Zippy Shell to take care of them for you.  You'll also be pleased to know that their containers hold as much as 6,000 lbs, so it doesn't matter how many items you have that need to be stored.

Military Storage And Moving Services

If you're a military personnel looking for moving companies that give discounts or reimburse you for your move and storage facilities, Zippy Shell might be a company you should consider. Their services will cater to your needs whatever they might be, from storage and moving if you have a permanent change of station to permanent and secure storage if you're deployed.

Another plus point of hiring Zippy Shell is that they provide invoices for the reimbursement of Government Constructive Cost (GCC) when you choose a Do It Yourself (DITY) move or a Personally Procured Move (PPM).

See also: Moving Grants

Real Estate Storage And Moving Services

If you have a real estate business and you’re in need of both short and long-term storage and moving solutions for the houses you stage, then you should definitely check Zippy Shell out. There’s another plus point to hiring them; when you refer them to your clients, you’ll be given incentives via their Prefered Alliance Program!

Commercial Storage And Moving Services

Zippy Shell also offers moving and storage services for a business irrespective of how big or small they might be. Their steel storage containers for commercial use hold a maximum of 4,500 lbs and are over 105 square feet, so you don’t have to worry about making multiple trips or hiring multiple containers. By giving your belongings to Zippy Shell, you can concentrate on your business and contact them when you’re ready to receive the shipment!

How Zippy Shell Works?

Now that you have an idea of the services Zippy Shell offers, let’s dive into how they actually work. We’ll give you a rough sketch of how the process will take place:

  • To get a quote and discuss the ins and outs of the process with them, you can give them a cal
  • Once you’ve decided on a drop-off date for the container, Zippy Shell will drop the required container off at the address provided.
  • You will have 2 to 3 days to empty any space and fill up the container. You can also choose to have Zippy Shell’s packing and loading services if you’re in a time crunch or need assistance.
  • Zippy Shell will collect your container and place it at a highly secure and climate-controlled location for however long you want them to.
  • If you need any item at a date before the delivery, you can give them a call and it will be delivered to your doorstep.
  • Two business days before your shipment is scheduled to be delivered, you will be required to pay at least 50% of the total cost.
  • Once the items have been delivered and you’ve taken a look at them, you can pay the remaining amount by credit card.

Did you know? If you live in an apartment in a metropolitan city and you’re worried about a place for the container, you can stop worrying about that because Zippy Shell has maneuverable shell systems which are fully licensed and approved!

Features Of Zippy Shell

  • Zippy Shell offers containers of two sizes: 10 and 15 feet. A 15-foot container can hold items that are worth two to three rooms and is 625 cubic feet in size.
  • Their 10 feet containers are 385 cubic feet in size and can hold items from one to two-bedroom apartments.
  • Zippy Shell has small but longer containers that can be parallel parked, making them highly convenient as compared to containers by other companies.
  • Your payments can only be made using a credit card, as Zippy Shell does not accept cash or cheques.
  • If you’re confused about the number of containers, you can always order one and if that gets full, Zippy Shell will deliver another container to your doorstep.

See also: Best Moving and Storage Companies in America

How Much Does Zippy Shell Usually Cost?

If you’ve been doing your research on moving, we’re sure you know how costs in the moving industry fluctuate during different times of the year. However, since Zippy Shell is primarily a portable storage company, their costs don’t undergo drastic changes and they are dependent on fixed factors. Before we give you those estimates, let’s look at what these factors might be:

  • Miles covered
  • Size of the container you choose
  • Number of containers needed
  • Period of time your containers remain in storage
  • If you opt for the packing facility or not
  • Time of the year

With Zippy Shell, you’ll be pleased to know that they offer one of the lowest prices in the industry for portable moving containers. To give you an average of the costs, in order to move a three-bedroom house, you might have to pay a sum of $2,640 which is less expensive than the industry average of $3,130, and the cost of PODS which is $2,970!

However, if you consider the costs for moving a one-bedroom apartment or even moving belongings from a larger house cross-country, their average cost is 10% higher than industry averages. To give you an idea, the average cost of moving a one-bedroom apartment could fall between $1,800 to $3,900 depending on the distance. On the other hand, moving a five-bedroom apartment could cost anywhere between $3,200 to $5,970 depending on the distance.

Customer Service And Customer Experience

You’re definitely well aware that nothing screams reliable and efficient with regards to a company like a good rating online. Good ratings also have the power to make or break a company’s standing in the industry.

Since Zippy Shell is based in multiple locations all over the country, their reviews and ratings might vary. The reviews on Google and Yelp tend to be polarizing, so make sure that you check the reviews of the branch that’s closest to you to get a fairly good idea.

Zippy Shell may not offer 24/7 hours customer service, but you can reach them all seven days of the week at 888-947-7974. If you’d rather communicate via email, reach out to them at custsvc@zippyshell.com.

Why Zippy Shell?

We’ve taken a look at Zippy Shell’s services and how they function, but what helps best with decision-making is listing down the good and the bad. We’re here to do just that with a list of the good and bad parts of Zippy Shell so that you can put things into perspective.

Convenient With Loading And Unloading Options

As we’ve mentioned before, the best part about Hiring Zippy Shell is that they have optional loading and unloading services. You’ll hardly find another storage container company that offers a service of this sort where you’re responsible for doing all the heavy lifting.

Doing the heavy lifting might not always be possible and if you require assistance, Zippy Shell gets in touch with third-party companies in your locality who provide labor for such tasks. This also means that the cost of loading and unloading will be based on the current cost for the same in your area.

Insurance Coverage

If you don’t have your own insurance, Zippy Shell has different coverage options for you that you can choose from. These coverage options include damage during loading or unloading the container, water damage, and damage due to the natural shifting of your items during transit.

For only $49.95 per container, you can get content coverage that’s worth up to $10,000. Similarly, for $119.95 per container, you can get content coverage that’s worth $50,000. If you upgrade the coverage amount you pay every month, your deductible gets lower.

Container Made For Narrow Streets

No matter the size of your driveaway or whether you live in an apartment adjacent to a narrow street, Zippy Shell’s containers will parallel park and be ready for loading. Their containers are long instead of being bulky and they’re designed for convenient parking.

Most containers that are provided by companies have doors that open inwards, which can become a problem if the items have shifted. This won’t happen with Zippy Shell containers because their doors open outwards.

Both Long And Short Distance Service

You won’t find many storage companies that offer long-distance moving services for your containers, and Zippy Shell does just that. So if you want to move and store your belongings in a location that’s cross-country, you can do that with Zippy Shell. In this way, when you reach your new location and you’re ready you can have the containers delivered to you.

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See also: Best Self-Storage Companies

Something To Keep In Mind About Zippy Shell

We’ve spoken about the reasons why we recommend Zippy Shell, but here are a few things you should also keep in mind before you book them.

Only Available in 28 States

While Zippy Shell offers long and short-distance services, they only operate in 28 states, so getting quotes for your state can get pretty tough. It’s also possible that they don’t operate in a state that you want to move to, so make it a point to check the same before you make a booking.

No Online Quotes

Zippy Shell does not provide instant quotes online and you have to give them a call in order to chat with a representative and get a quote. If you’re someone who would rather make bookings online to save time and effort, then Zippy Shell might prove to be inconvenient.

Rigid Cancellation Policy

Zippy Shell’s cancellation policy is one that many like us aren’t a fan of because of how rigid it is. For example, if you don’t cancel your booking 10 days in advance, you might have to pay a cancellation fee of $300. What’s worse is that if you cancel within 48 hours of your delivery, you will lose the money you’ve paid Zippy Shell, even if it’s the full amount.


Conclusion

Zippy Shell might have its downsides, but its services are among the best in the industry. Above all, Zippy Shell gives you the chance to store and move in a carefree manner by even offering facilities like packing and loading which other companies do not. We still recommend that you look through other portable storage companies too before you choose a specific one for your needs.

FAQs

Who owns Zippy Shell?

Zippy Shell is now the largest and fastest-growing moving company in America. They provide customers with a network of more than 71 warehouse facilities across the country, all owned by buyout firm Virgo Investment Group LLC.

Where is Zippy Shell available?

In order to get the most out of Zippy Shell's services, be sure your destination is in one of their 28 states. Otherwise, you'll need a different moving company!

What is Zippy Shell Incorporated's cost for local moves?

Zippy Shell Incorporated is more than 20% cheaper than the average cost of local moves. Although this is just a rough estimate, actual costs should always be confirmed with the company before making any bookings.

What is Zippy Shell Incorporated's cost for interstate moves?

We were able to deduce that the average cost of long-distance moving is $4520. However, Zippy Shell Incorporated's costs are significantly lower, with an estimated price tag of only $3200 for their services - 29% cheaper than what you'd expect from a typical company.

How big is the Zippy Shell?

The Zippy Shell trailer is a reliable, low-to-the-ground option for those who don't want to step up from the back of their vehicle. The 10.5 foot wide and 22 feet long space can accommodate an array of things, including boats or motorcycles!

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See also: Best Cheap Long Distance Moving Companies