How to Ship Things When Moving Out of State

Check to make sure your items can be shipped. For USPS, items must weigh 70 pounds or less and have dimensions equal to or less than 130 inches, combined length and girth. (The longest side of the package is its length, and girth is the distance around its two smaller sides.) For UPS, dimensions must be equal to or less than 165 inches, and the maximum weight is 150 pounds. Items which cannot be shipped include chemicals, explosives, gases, flammable liquids, life preservers, strong magnets, household cleaners, and frozen food.

Pack your things. Use packing foam as necessary and seal the boxes tightly with tape. Use a marker pen to clearly write the address of the destination on a shipping label in capital letters (on the center of the box) and black out any old addresses or other text.

Send your stuff to a USPS General Delivery location. Call your nearest post office to find out where the General Delivery location is in the area to which you will be moving. The post office will hold your packages for up to a month. You must present two forms of identification to claim your items.

Ship your items to a branch of The UPS Store. Go to go.mappoint.net/ups/PrxInput.aspx to find the location of the store in the city where you will be moving. You will need to pay a per box fee for storage of up to 48 hours. After that, you will be charged an additional fee per day until you pick up your items.