uShip Review [2022]

uShip Transparency

Our uShip Review: 85%

Industry Average: 80%

One of the primary factors that customers are worried about when choosing a moving company is how easy it is to find the information they need. Let’s look at a few areas where uShip shines and falls short in terms of transparency:

Pricing Transparency

uShip is different from many other moving companies, because the company does not provide moving services directly. Instead, you might think of uShip as a marketplace. It allows you to list items you want to ship on an auction-like platform along with the price that you’re willing to pay. Once your listing is live, movers can bid or book your move directly if they believe that the pricing you set is right.

uShip does provide a recommended pricing range, but the final cost you will pay will be determined once you’ve selected a provider. Though the platform will suggest a price range for your item, you can set your price lower if you’d like. Just keep in mind that bidding too low could make it difficult to have your request fulfilled.

Communication & Tracking

uShip wins points for transparency with its easy mobile app and tracking service. So long as you allow your location to be shared with the app, you can track your shipment in real time. You’ll even receive push notifications at different stages of the shipment—such as pickup and arrival. You can enjoy peace of mind knowing where your shipment is at all times.

Secure Payment Process

uShip also deserves praise for the measures they have taken to create a secure payment process. When your move is booked, you’ll pre-pay your agreed-upon price, and uShip will provide you with a payment confirmation code. However, the shipping services that you work with won’t actually receive the payment until you provide them with your confirmation code at the time of drop-off.

This escrow system prevents uShip service providers from running away with your cash or holding your things “hostage” for excess payments. Holding items hostage is a common scenario among scammers posing as full-service movers—but you won’t have to worry about that with uShip.

Hiring Policies and Practices

When you use the uShip marketplace, you’re technically the one responsible for “hiring” your movers. You can review bids submitted to you for consideration and select the best provider for your needs. However, one area where uShip can work to improve its transparency is within its listing qualification system.

When reviewing the company’s site, we couldn’t find any information regarding what licensing, registration, and experience a company must have to list itself on the uShip marketplace. Though you can easily find and read customer reviews, we’d love to see more information on which companies are allowed to use the marketplace in the first place.

Insurance & Claims Process

Though uShip allows you to add cargo insurance at the time of booking, the company offers only a small platform promise. uShip’s “Ship with Confidence” Guarantee provides you with up to $500 to cover the cost of losses or damages during the shipment process, which the company claims are rare.

In most cases, however, $500 will not be enough money to completely replace the appliance or heavy equipment that you’re shipping. When booking, we recommend asking the shipping company you choose to work with about their in-house cargo insurance options as well.

Compare Other Top Movers:

uShip Cost

Our uShip Review: 90%

Industry Average: 85%

Because uShip works with a wide range of independent moving companies, the price that you’ll pay for your shipping services can vary widely from one area to the next. Keep in mind that in addition to the cost of your shipment, uShip charges a service fee on your order. Depending on the type of item you’re shipping and the total cost of your shipment, your service fee may range from $25 to $150.

Thanks to the platform’s bidding and “set your own price” features, it’s easy to ensure that you don’t overpay. Getting a quote and creating a listing is simple! We were able to create multiple listings in just a few minutes.

Furniture Shipping Costs

We were able to get a few estimates for furniture shipping with uShip:

uShip’s automatic pricing tool was convenient, but it gave us little insight into what factors went into the calculation of the estimates that we received. In the future, we’d love to see uShip provide us with additional tools that we could use to calculate the price that we can expect to pay for our shipment.

uShip Pricing By Item

uShip allows you to review completed shipments from the past for certain items. This is a great way to estimate shipping costs for your item while allowing you to set your bid competitively. Here are some actual price ranges for common items according to uShip’s data:

* We compiled data from the 50 most recent completed shipments for each category to present these uShip cost estimates. Costs vary dramatically by distance, weight, and provider. To find out exactly what your move will cost, simply request a free quote.

Overall, uShip can be an ideal choice for anyone who is looking for a binding price on their move. By allowing you to choose your own price for your shipping services or select a bid that works with your budget, you can enjoy a move without hidden fees or surprise charges.

uShip Services

Our uShip Review: 90%

Industry Average: 75%

uShip does not operate as a broker or a carrier. Instead, it acts as a marketplace where you can find and connect with shipping companies offering discounted rates on transportation services. One of the best things about the service is that it allows you to ship single items affordably, both locally and long-distance.

You can currently schedule and list the following services on uShip’s platform:

• Full moving services for homes, apartments, and offices
• Vehicle shipping (cars, RVs, motorcycles, boats, and trailers)
• Furniture and appliance shipping
• Animal shipping (livestock, cats, and dogs)
• Heavy equipment shipping
• Freighting services for full or partial truckload shipments

uShip allows you to find shipping services for almost anything—from bales of hay to pianos and even jacuzzi hot tubs. Entry level services for moves include both pick up, drop off, and tracking information.

It’s important to remember that uShip is a marketplace allowing multiple providers to bid on jobs. Individual company reputations, cancellation policies, and insurance coverages may vary, so be sure to consult with each option before you lock in your moving cost and date.

uShip Reputation & Customer Reviews

Our IVL Review: 100%

Industry Average: 80%

uShip maintains an impressive reputation online. They are accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), boasting an A+ rating with a score of 4.57/5 based on 376 customer reviews. This high rating and accreditation status indicate that you’re likely to receive quality service from uShip’s team as well as a satisfactory resolution should your move go wrong.

Let’s take a closer look at uShip reviews discussing the company’s value, efficiency, care, and reliability:

Reputation for Value

One common denominator that you’ll notice across multiple uShip reviews is that customers consistently found the best shipping rates with the platform. Customers rave about how uShip saved them money on everything from partial moves to entire corporate excursions:

“My experience with [uShip] has been nothing short of outstanding. In every interaction with the team members they have gone above and beyond to ensure I was satisfied with the results. They have been truly professional and went the extra mile to provide the most competitive rates I have gotten. That is very important, when they save you the dough you need to operate your business.” — Jaime Q., 09/23/2021, 5 stars, BBB.org.

“I just checked out with the company platform uShip…and it will cost me about 500 euros to deliver the car to Luxembourg. The final price including delivery is 13.250 and I think is a fair price for both of us.” — Izhar H., 10/10/2021, 4 stars, Trustpilot.

Reputation for Efficiency

uShip reviews concerning the platform’s efficiency are mixed between review sites and customers. While many customers reported that uShip’s marketplace allowed them to book their move quickly and easily, others complained that they experienced mistakes in tracking and updates:

“As a first time user of UShip I found the process fairly easy. The estimate and listing process were straight forward. The website guided me through the steps. The communication was very good and I found excellent drivers within 1-3 days of my listing. The drivers were experienced and friendly. I got up-to-date reports on their status. Will use again.” — James W., 06/08/2021, 5 stars, BBB.org.

“Their tracking and communication are less than good. They had no clue my shipment was picked up and was in transit. When my shipment did arrive it was damaged and would not fix, as it was not eligible for deductible.” — Paul O., 08/19/2021, 1 star, BBB.org.

Reputation for Handling with Care

uShip is not a shipping company and does not provide any type of handling or storage services. Multiple providers can bid on any project, so there will naturally be some fluctuation in service quality. Customers are responsible for selecting and hiring the moving team they work with, so it’s important to do some research on each provider that bids on your project before booking.

uShip does control which companies and service providers are allowed to use the platform. While many customers had excellent experiences with legitimate movers booked through uShip, others claimed that the company allowed fraudulent businesses or movers to place a listing on the platform only to scam them or steal their items. The escrow payment system helps to prevent scams, as movers do not get paid until your items are delivered safely to your door.

“Shipped a new golf cart from dealer to home. Cart arrived with cracked windshield. Pictures show cart being picked up on shipper trailer with no damage and then delivered at home with cracked windshield. Late Night Shippers refused to accept responsibility. UShip offered mediation but shipper refused. Uship offered reasonable refund of service fees and Match funds. Very Prompt attempt at mediation and generous offer of refund of services. I’m happy!” — Craig H., 06/07/2021, 5 stars, BBB.org.

Reputation for Reliability

Reviews of uShip’s reliability seems to be mixed. While many customers found that the website offered a consistent way to book moving services, others complained that their listing was never responded to or that they were unable to find a service for their move.

“The website and system is easy to understand and very user friendly. I have done one shipment and it was flawless. From coordinating pick-up with transportation company to paying upon delivery. You pick the bid and vendor you want and the costs are up front and easy to understand. Their vendors are also rated by prior customers so you get some history on who you are selecting. Probably not the cheapest way but you get a better level of comfort in who you entrusting your property to. I would highly recommend them.” — Sean M., 06/06/2021, 5 stars, BBB.org.