Handling your game collection on moving day...

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Started apartment hunting yesterday in hopes of finding a place big enough to hold ALL my games and I got lots of each system (NES, SNES, N64, Gen, TG-16, PS1, etc.).

My plans (so far) is to buy those clear plastic bins with the lock-in tabs for the carts and wrapped the rest (boxed, Sega Cd cases, PS1 cases, loose consoles, etc.) in bubblewrap storing them in cardboard boxes but worried about damaging them especially the boxed games and consoles. I'm sure I'm not the only gamer with a big collection who's gone through "moving day", so share your stories on here.

What was your "moving day" like? Did you have friends or did it yourself alone? What worked and what didn't? What was the hardest thing to do? Friendly tips and advice are helpful too.

[Arkhan]

All of my games are in milkcrates turned sideways and stacked into makeshift shelving units! sounds ghetto, but i like how it looks.

so when they move I just take them and carry them by the handles, and then when they arrive in new place, turn them again , INSTANT SHELVES AGAIN!

[Sosage]

Cardboard game boxes smoosh easier than you think. I learned that the hard way with some NGPC games.

My personal number 1, three pronged golden rule:

- Pack your collection yourself (plastic bins are better than cardboard boxes, obviously).
- Transport your collection yourself.
- Move your collection in yourself.

No one cares more about your collection more than yourself. Third party movers don't give a shit and just wanna get the job done (I know, I once was one). They'll toss the boxes around, stack couches on top, place it somewhere in the truck where it will get squashed, toss it wherever in your new place and in some known extreme cases: throw your stuff into a local creek because they're too tired/drunk to finish the job.

If I ever move again I am going to need a seperate moving truck just for my games.

[Emperor Megas]

As mentioned, your best bet to to handle your items yourself, and a better idea to use plastic bins than cardboard boxes for the majority of your collection.

Try to find bins with wheels (they're usually just on one end, but they help tremendously), and unless you're moving into a really shady area, you'll want to use clear ones. It's almost always better to have clear bins for quick reference, as it usually takes longer to get unpacked and settled than to pack things away (I still have some things in storage and I've lived in the house I'm in now for 5 years now). Also, try to get bins that have relatively straight sides. A lot of storage bins have angled sides and if you're anal it'll annoy you when you're trying to stack things and you're left with that empty space on the sides that allows your items to shift. The more pronounced the angled sides are, the more space will be left and the more things will move around. I doubt that it's really enough to damage anything, but it'll make you feel a little better if you're filling them with things like larger cardboard game boxes.

For more delicate items (like your smaller or sealed cardboard game boxes that you can't breakdown), packaged them in sturdy cardboard boxes and place those boxes in the bins at the top. Game boxes like SNES, N64, 32X and the late release Genesis games break down easily. You can simply unfold them and stack them to save space and protect them.

Once you have everything binned, tape the lids down with clear packaging tape, and shrink wrap the bins. Shrink wrapping isn't vital, but it helps to mask what's inside a little in the event there are seedy onlookers when you're moving your things in. You never know who's casing your stuff, and seeing a load of easily identifiable gaming gear may peak people's interest, even if it's just innocent inquisitions about your stuff that you'd rather avoid. If you're really leery of potential onlookers, you may want to ignore my first suggestion and just get opaque bins instead, but you'll probably wish your hadn't when you're unpacking over the course of several days/weeks/months.

Also, if you haven't already you should use this time to catalog/document everything that you own. It's just always a good idea to have it cataloged, and since you're having to handle everything, now is the perfect time.

Good luck with your move.

All of my games are in milkcrates turned sideways and stacked into makeshift shelving units!

so when they move I just take them and carry them by the handles, and then when they arrive in new place, turn them again , INSTANT SHELVES AGAIN!

This is very true. Milk crates make excellent storage and media totes. You can usually purchase them more just a few bucks at Target or Walmart (or pilfer them from your local grocer, if your a little less scrupulous), and they stack and transport very well. Especially if you're collection is modest.

sounds ghetto, but i like how it looks.

Ghetto? Nah, I like to think of it as 'industrial'.

[portnoyd]

With large collections, plastic bins are impractical because the cost will add up. Good sturdy boxes can be had easily (your place of business is your best bet, imo). Have a general idea of what goes into each box and number each one. We had 140 boxes when we moved and it was a good way to make sure everything made it.

[Atarileaf]

I don't know, I look at those plastic bins as an investment. They're great for spare games and systems not to mention any other crap around the house. They stack great and look better than a bunch of boxes in the basement. They're fairly cheap too so its not like you'll be out a lot of coin picking up a bunch.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Plastic bins prevent most types of damage - take it from someone who would've lost 3/4 of his collection had it not been stored in plastic bins (water damage). Invest in the plastic bins or at least keep the stuff off the ground if you have any sort of plans on storage.

When I moved, everything was meticulously packed by myself in plastic bins for the boxed games and cloth grocery bags for my jewel case games. The loose cartridges were packed into well-labeled cardboard boxes. Most of the collection traveled with me in the car except for the boxes, which were first off the truck.

[calistarwind]

Moving games is actually the easy part, I found moving my collection of strat guides to be one of the most aggrivatating parts of the move because they are so incredibly heavy. I actually went through and only kept the stat guides (RPG) I could not part with right after my last move.

[The 1 2 P]

What was your "moving day" like? Did you have friends or did it yourself alone? What worked and what didn't? What was the hardest thing to do? Friendly tips and advice are helpful too.

When I went apartment hunting my main goal was to get a two bedroom apartment. That way I'd have one room for me and one for my game collection. I packed everything in your standard cardboard boxes and took extra care to cushion all the cd demos and sealed boxed games such as my Snes and N64 collection. I also moved everything by myself so that nothing got thrown around.

For storage I mainly used bookshelves and the rooms in that apartment were big enough to fit lots of shelves. I also had three closets so there was even more room in those. So if you are still hunting try to find atleast an affordable two bedroom apartment with extra closets. From there you can use plastic storage bins for your loose collection and keep those stored at the top or bottom of each closet.

[swlovinist]

What was your "moving day" like? Did you have friends or did it yourself alone? What worked and what didn't? What was the hardest thing to do? Friendly tips and advice are helpful too.

I have had two major moves in the last 5 years. One was five years ago when I moved a 100 box collection from California to Washington. I had lots of close friends help. The temp outside was 110 degrees. The hardest thing to do was to ensure that boxes were to not get damaged. Oh yeah, it was really hot.

1. Med sized sturdy boxes work great. The ones that paper are shipped in are really great.
2. Pack your own game collection if possible to ensure the least amount of damage.
3. Beer and Pizza. Make sure to reward your help. It helped the process considerably.

[PapaStu]

I moved a chunk of my stuff that I had acquired when we lived in Chicago back to CA in cardboard boxes. I moved a NGPC set, lots of DS/PS stuff as well as Wii/360/XB/PS2/GC stuff. The boxes used were smaller, but held everything tighly and didn't allow for movement. Everything came out just fine.

We had family help us load the Uhaul and my parents drove it cross country. We unloaded it once it got here.

Buying those plastic tubs will add up quickly and what are you going to do with them once they are all unloaded and their basic purpose has been served if you're not going to continue to store the games in them post move?

[Emperor Megas]

Buying those plastic tubs will add up quickly and what are you going to do with them once they are all unloaded and their basic purpose has been served if you're not going to continue to store the games in them post move?

I wouldn't suggest he use them for everything, but they work great for game related items. If his collection isn't massive he may only need a few. Those bins always come in handy, even after the move, and they stack inside of each other when empty so they don't take up much space. I own a ton of them and we never stop needing more.

[Pantechnicon]

This thread suddenly is relevant to me as Mrs. Pan and I are looking to sell our house. Right now we're in the "de-cluttering before putting on the market" stages, boxing up a lot of the extraneous stuff and putting it into storage. And by "extraneous" I mean "most of my collection."

I completely agree with the notion that one should pack one's own collection. However I'm also discovering that realistically I have to use a mixture of bins and boxes since boxes are cheaper. I'm putting the really delicate stuff into bins, but making uses of deep-packed boxes too for things that are better suited to stacking inside a rectangular are, e.g. - games in DVD cases and boxed carts.I was able to pack most of my PS2-and-up games, along with my boxed INTV stuff, into one large box this way.

[Oobgarm]

I used whatever I had handy when I moved last year. I used some plastic totes, but mostly sturdy cardboard boxes. I packed and moved everything gaming related myself, trying to pack like items together or putting boxed copies on top to ensure they'd make it without damage.

I had a buddy assist with some of the larger stuff, and he's a gaming person as well so he was very understanding of handling things with care.

[Arkhan]

This is very true. Milk crates make excellent storage and media totes. You can usually purchase them more just a few bucks at Target or Walmart (or pilfer them from your local grocer, if your a little less scrupulous), and they stack and transport very well. Especially if you're collection is modest.

Ghetto? Nah, I like to think of it as 'industrial'.

Ive got about 40 milk crates stacked up in various parts of the house.

The best part is zip tying them together for stability.

one time, I moved a 3x3 connected-grid of them up the steps and out, into a van, and back again later. was risky, but comical.

[Hawksmoor]

Lots of good suggestions here, so I don't really have much to add. Moving really blows (I'll be doing it fairly soon). Ick.

[-hellvin-]

Agree with Hawk, there's not really much more I can add but I just went through this process myself. It was one hell of a pain in the ass and I don't want to do it again any time soon. I really didn't bother bubble wrapping or over-protecting anything. Nothing got seriously damaged. I had some of my more precious items, such as my boxed NES collection in plastic totes. Good luck and find some friends to help you out! Make sure you can trust them to take good care of everything. My friends were such damn troopers, especially since everything had to go upstairs, lol!

Definitely reward them kindly with some free food and drinks, because trust me, you will want the help.

[Gamingking]

When I moved I just put my game consoles in banana boxes. And the games itself in a larger box.