Understanding Storage Facilities

When you own hundreds or thousands of video games, relocating them to a new home can seem like quite the epic quest. With a little preparation and a lot of time, however, you can safely move your collection to a new space with little damage or loss. Here are three tips to help you successfully move your video games.

Boxing Them Up

Half the battle of moving your games is taking time to pack them correctly. The more time you can devote to this stage of the process, the better the chances your collection survives the relocation in one piece, and the quicker you will be able to set up your game room in the new home. Therefore, you'll want to start packing at least two weeks to a month prior to the move, depending on the size of your video game collection.

If you haven't already done so, the first thing you should do is place your games into sturdy box protectors (for games in their original packaging), cartridge protectors (for unboxed cartridges), or disc sleeves (for unboxed CDs/DVDs). These products help protect the packaging and games from dust, moisture, and impact damage.

This is particularly important in the case of boxed games, as the cardboard box may become dented or bent during the move if left exposed. To further protect your boxed games, it's a good idea to purchase Styrofoam and cardboard inserts. The cardboard inserts help provide internal support to the box, while the Styrofoam fills in excess space and reduces the risk of crushing damage.

Manuals can be placed in plastic bags, but may be better protected in sleeves specially designed for them because plastic can sweat if there are extreme temperature or humidity fluctuations in the moving truck. However, this is really only something you need to be concerned about if you're moving across state lines to a place with a different climate from the one you're currently in.

The next step is to line your cardboard boxes with bubble wrap to provide further protection from impact or crushing damage, and then put the games inside. To make it easier to unpack when you get to your new home, place the games in boxes according to console and in alphabetical order. Track what you're putting into each box using a moving app that lets you print out QR or barcode labels. This will let you easily identify the contents of the boxes without exposing that information to potential thieves.

Loading the Truck

Place the boxes on top of pallets or sturdy crates rather than the floor. This will help protect the games from damage if something happens and water gets in the truck. For instance, snow can get into the moving vehicle during the winter, which can form cardboard-destroying puddles when it melts.

You also want to avoid stacking too many of the boxes on top of each other. The games can make the boxes very heavy, and too much weight may lead to crushing damage regardless of your preparations.

Make Sure Insurance Covers Value

The last thing you want to do is make sure you get enough insurance to cover the value of your game collection. Most of the time, moves are completed without any problems. However, you don't want to take any chances, especially since video game collections can be quite valuable. In 2012, for instance, one collector sold a set containing 7,000 games for $1.2 million.

To ensure you get what your collection is worth, purchase full value protection. If something is damaged or lost, the moving company would be responsible for replacing the full value of the item. With the other type of protection available, called released value, the moving company is only required to pay you up to 60 cents per pound per item, which can represent a significant loss if something occurs.

For more tips on moving your video game collection or to hire a company to help you relocate, contact a moving company like Bell Moving & Storage in your area.