Movers, Not Shakers!

These guys were great! Richard was the foreman and he took excellent care of me and my stuff! i had a complicated multi-​step move and the company was extremely helpful. I high recommend them.

This is the second time I’ve used Movers, Not Shakers and once again they came through. While the prices aren’t the cheapest, they are very reasonable and I accept that the extra money bought higher quality service. And the added cost was offset by the use of their bins, which saved me time, effort and the unnecessary environmental damage of throw-​away boxes. A definite plus, in my view.
The office staff is helpful (shout out to Bri and Jesse), helped resolved complications from the apartment management company, and the actual moving team is careful, friendly and take the protection of household items seriously. They themselves helped pack the more sensitive items (computer and music equipment), protected every item of furniture with blankets, bubble & plastic wrap. In both instances, the job foreman was professional and friendly.
Should I move again — I dread to think of it – I’ll certainly be back with Movers, Not Shakers.

Our apartment had a serious fire and our building was going to be condemned the next day. Movers Not Shakers had us packed and moved our stuff into storage in a matter of hours-​even in our debris filled apartment, even while we were in shock. I think we will be forever clients from now on.

I am usually far too lazy to review companies I happen to do business with. I even neglect great restaurants and I’m an obsessive eater. But I have to shout these guys out for being an incredibly safe, pleasant, and effective service.
I just moved a ton of crap from Queens to Brooklyn and the MNS crew (led by a great guy who *I think* was named Alex) packed and moved us with great care and efficiency for a price that was more than reasonable. They took care to organize and label everything, so as to minimize the unpacking ordeal, that two-​week purgatory in which you can’t find essential things. (Where’s my razor???) I would recommend them again without hesitation.

My move with these guys could not have been better. There were on time, efficient and extremely careful. Everything was properly protected and all my items arrived on the other side unscathed. They were also just really nice, friendly guys which made what could have been a stressful day so much more pleasant. I would use them again in a heartbeat. Thank you!

Awesome service! The movers were unbelievably helpful. They helped me pack up last minute items, and were able to get huge furniture into my new apartment, despite the tiny, awkward entrance. They took the time to remove an entire street-​level window, and carefully move a huge couch in that way. Definitely recommend Movers Not Shakers!

Outstanding experience. Office staff was very easy to work with, getting the insurance was very simple. The movers were very professional, worked quickly and efficiently. I hired them for a move from NYC to White Plains and would definitely use them again.

I used Movers, Not Shakers and their awesome «green» bins for my last move (2yrs ago) and am using them again now for this one because they did a great job. They are so wonderful to work with, pricing is fair and their crews are a delight… taking care of my furniture wrapping it all nicely, taking apart my bed. They really worked hard and made me feel like my stuff is in good hands. Will update review once I move in as I’m using their storage service between my apartment leases at the moment. They got the COI paperwork to both buildings without me worrying about a thing. So far, I’m a happy loyal customer.

Mark is a prince among men and business owners and his staff is comprised of amazing dedicated, strong, smart, and creative-​minded professionals who can work against the laws of nature to get your huge unnecessary things that you whimsically purchased in a fit of psychosis and an attempt to keep up with the jones into your disgusting apartments (that completely negate any perceived value of the pretentious items contained therein). But seriously, Movers Not Shakers has moved my husband and me three times over around nine years and each time the price was incredibly reasonable and the job was done with few if any glitches, relative ease, and then delight in retrospect.
Just yesterday, Mark’s team moved an incredibly expensive refrigerator that I got for pennies (my autocorrect made this penises but i didn’t pay in penises) from a lovely wealthy woman on the UES. The coop on her end was incredibly fussy with tons of rules and the seller was understandably freaking out about the footprint the movers would make and fines the coop might impose on her, yayayada. When I mentioned I’d hired Movers Not Shakers, the seller’s anxiety was assuaged entirely and she was happy as a clam (why clam? weird expression. message me if you know why clam). it turned out she’d moved with Movers Not Shakers to the apartment she was renovating and had such a great experience with them that she just didn’t have another concern, which made everything easier for me. The guys who moved the fridge wrapped it beautifully and handled it as if it were a sculpture being installed in the Galleria Borghese. Seller contacted me to tell me how kind they were to her contractor and super, etc.
On my end, I didn’t realize my basement ceilings were too low in areas and somehow they managed to angle the behemoth in. They took care to unwrap the fridge’s contents, which had been packed separately with care, and placed each drawer and shelf in the refrigerator. Anyway, this is just to say, I’ve now had four amazing moving experiences with Mark’s team. I also appreciate Mark’s professionalism, no-​nonsense-​ism yet humanism, and great sense of humor.

Aaron and his team are amazing! They hustled, were super professional and amazingly efficient. Aaron was the best foreman I’ve worked with. He’s a natural leader and never gave up, even when I thought my couch wouldn’t fit through the door! I highly recommend this company and especially this team. I most certainly will use them on my next move.

Today was my second time moving with this company. The first time was fairly stress-​free and the crew was professional, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong. Wrong. First of all, I called weeks before my move and was told by Bri that Mark would get back to me. I never heard back. I called again the week before my move and by the end of the day was set up with Bill to confirm my move. Bill’s service was awful. Nice guy, but he kept forgetting/​confusing all the details of my move including inventory, price, and address. The day before my move he asked if he could come by «tomorrow» for an on-​site estimate. I was like– «Tomorrow, like when I’m moving!?»
Then, of course my ‘flat rate’ went up $ 200 from $ 1950 for extra boxes. The foreman said it would have been more, but he was eating a few boxes so that I would take care of the crew with a nice tip. So I tipped $ 200 and he strongly implied it wasn’t enough. I gave an extra $ 60– all the rest of my cash besides a few singles– and he still acted like it wasn’t that much. It wasn’t a difficult move, besides the rain. An elevator building to a house.
Other stresses: I had Dr. Sofa take apart my couch and put it back together for $ 375, however the people from Dr Sofa and the moving crew fought over who would carry the sofa down. It was unpleasant. Dr Sofa’s people eventually carried it down. The foreman said it was Dr Sofa’s responsibility because I was paying them $ 375, but after the tipping situation at the end, I feel like they could have stepped up to carry the couch if they had such high compensation expectations. I really wish it was set in stone and listed by the company what a fair tip is for bad, fair, or good service. That way expectations can be properly met and no one is taken advantage of. I
m really not sure if I was cheap or taken advantage of. Do people really tip movers hundreds of dollars?
The foreman also asked me to write any comments on my bill such as ‘good service’. So I wrote ‘good service.’ That was weird.
Other than the above, the crew was nice and professional and seemed to take care with my items. They made good time and finished promptly. For this, I changed my original 2 stars to 3.

I called to ask for day-​of priority moving help to move a very large appliance up a flight a steps. I was given the number of a mover named Kirk. Kirk gave me a quote of $ 130 but later said he didn’t have the right appliance hand truck. I offered to rent the equipment from HD if he could just send his people as I was in a dire position and my move was just one item up a flight of steps. He agreed and then RAISED the price 35% to $ 175. Since I was in a bad spot – and he knew this – I agreed after telling him that wasn’t right to take advantage of ppl like that. This was my mistake for not walking away here with his first signs of shadiness and moral turpitude.
He then postponed til the next morning and failed to get me an invoice by the time he said he would. Then the next morning – 1.5 hrs before he said the move would happen at my house – he asked for payment via PayPal! Can you believe how much a classic scam this seems? His business has no name «DBA» (doing business as?) save his name, Kirk Thomas, and used gmail accounts! I told him absolutely not, to expect a bad Unilocal review, and it seemed like a scam. (Also, he said he would only send 2 guys after I told him the weight & dimensions of the thing and asked for and he agreed to 3. Ultimately, the item needed 4 strong ppl to get it upstairs. Just a note that he completely underestimated and misjudged his supposed trade and area of supposed expertise.)
THEN, after some back and forth where he insinuated I was a scam (?? not sure how that could possibly happen???), he said:
«Just remember this write a bad review for anyone over on the moving side and I will take you to court. We have the money to play games and your address for the lawyers to contact you. First and last name so, play with my business if you want to. You got [that] Lida» «
When I told him to stop the threats and harassment, this is what he said:
«Those are not criminal threats you idiot so fuck you. Let me see a bad review and your ass is in court. That’s my final text. Also it can’t be harrassment when your the one begging for someone to move your fridge. Good Day. And we a lots of cops so fuck you again»
Pls pass for your own safety and well-​being! Do NOT give your address nor belongings to this monster! Shame on Movers Not Shakers for recommending such types too. Very scary. If anything happens to me, let the public know where the threat comes from!
*7/​10/​15 (post conversation/​comments by owner): Mistaken identity is bad for business definitely however I have cell phone records showing I called this company’s number. Perhaps an interval review is a good idea. Names can be changed but phone number and a third party cell phone company?
Also, those dates weren’t the dates of the exchange; it took me a few days to decide to post this considering the threats and belligerence surrounding posting this. I decided it was more important to warn others and am taking the risk.

Movers Not Shakers are the best. We hired them two years in a row for different moves within Brooklyn, one of which was this week. On both occasions, they were polite, reliable, careful and strong. This time we had Mike, Paul and two other great guys whose names I’m sorry I do not recall — every one of them was fabulous. The owner, Mark, and the office crew are all friendly, prompt and professional too.
We also absolutely prefer packing in the big, hard sided, grey plastic crates we rent from Movers Not Shakers, so very much more efficient to park and better for the environment. The hinged lids protected all my big, odd sized kitchen appliances so I could just set them in, close the lid and move on to packing the next crate without the need for nearly as much padding/​packing material.
Finally, on both occasions, our moving crew was sweet to and patient with our little dog who found the whole experience very exciting.

Movers Not Shakers did a great job with our move. My only word of wisdom is that they expect/​require a 20% tip, so remember to factor that into your budget.

I owe these guys a review — and I appreciate them so much that I am getting to it now, even months later. They were great. I have moved in NYC many times (this was the 4^th in NYC — and my 5^th, a long story by we moved in Jan and then again in Feb) and never been particularly satisfied. I have found my moving company and will use them again.
Matt was friendly and helpful and we set up the timing. We were moving a 3 bedroom, so he came to the apartment to make sure the quote was accurate. Out of all the movers I talked to, they were not the cheapest, but close. I chose them ultimately because of the option to have re-​useable bins rather than disposable boxes (even recycling the boxes or even giving them to someone else to re-​use doesn’t satisfy my desire to be eco-​friendly. Re-​useable boxes does. Thank you for that option!!!)
Jay and his team moved us BOTH times and were really great. They were so attentive to details, checked in with me regularly to make sure I was okay with what they were doing (ie, we are planning to pack the picture like this okay? (yes) Do you want us to move the shower caddy? (no) etc) and we were a team to figure out getting the dining room table out of the apartment (I had hired a separate furniture specialist to get it in, but with these guys and some brainstorming, we got it out.)
And did I mention the first move was out of a 5^th floor walk up?
Their energy and good spirits, willingness to work with us to get it right — even at the end of a very long day, was very appreciated.
So that is why I called them back a month later to help me move to the next apartment. And again, I was beyond satisfied. These guys are good and I recommend them without reservation.
Thank you Jay and Team! And Matt. And everyone at Movers Not Shakers. See you next time!

I literally got 10 different quotes from all the packing companies I saw on Unilocal.Movers Not Shakers had the best quote to pack my 1 bed into a studio. They dropped off the bins a week before. I packed away. On moving day they called to say they were going to be about 20 minutes late, traffic. it happens. A team of 4 guys came and started moving my bins, took a part my Ikea bed with no problems. I had to leave Astoria to head to Brooklyn to pick up my keys before the leasing office closed, so I left them (my roommate was at the apt packing her stuff too). Got the keys in Brooklyn, and 15 mins later got my first knock on the door and it was the dudes with my stuff! They put back together my bed with ease (no additional cost, I saw a company who charged a reassemble fee!) and then I paid them more tip then I had intended because I was legit impressed with how fast they worked. Alex was very nice to deal with. My coworker had told me about this company, and I will definitely use them again in the future.
Customer service was very helpful. Try to catch them during business hours, Mark was helpful a little after 5pm, but it’s best if you get them before that. Great company — bins ARE SO HELPFUL and good for the environment. win win.

While there seems to be some mixed reviews, my experience was great. Jay and his crew of four were awesome and accommodating. We watched in awe as they meticulously wrapped, packed, stacked, and moved our furniture, fragile artwork and bins down four flights and into the truck with impressive speed and ease. They got us out of Chelsea and into Bushwick in about 3 hours. well done, guys!
This was my first professional move, but the price seemed very fair compared to competition and having the bins included was a huge plus. They really made things quick and easy… now just have to unpack!!!

genuinely impressed by the entire process starting with Matt on the phone. He listened and was thoughtful with his suggestions and options. The crew arrived early and were overwhelmingly efficient. I appreciated their can-​do positive attitude about the challenging items — like the stacked washer and dryer! Best moving experience I’ve had in 13 years in the city. oh — the Eco boxes are brilliant. no boxes to buy or recycle and I felt more confident with the fragile items. bravo gentlemen.

I moved from a 1 bed to a 2 bed in Brooklyn for $ 900 (this was in June 2012). It was more expensive than other quotes but I was guaranteed a flat rate and stress free experience which was my priority, since I was 9 months pregnant.
Our agreement was to get a few guys for the whole day, so no rushing. However on the day of the move, 8 men showed up an hour early while we were still trying to pack a few last minute items. I was taken aback because I was expecting 3 men and a slower pace, but apparently they had another job in the afternoon, so it was chaos and rushing without a heads up.
We had an extra piece of furniture that we were unable to sell, and the foreman added $ 100 off the top of his head just to move the one piece of furniture. When I complained to the manager at the company on the phone, he agreed to take away the $ 100, mainly because I was unhappy about the 8 man setup. This left me relieved that I didn’t have to pay another $ 100 and I accepted that this would be chaotic.
We get to the new apartment and the team was doing ok. Until I saw one of the men in the room upstairs rooting through a plastic bin that had electronics. When I told the foreman, the mover denied looking through the box. I felt super violated. That same guy put our bed frame together incorrectly and it’s wobbly to this day (I shake my fist at that dude almost every night!)
I wouldn’t work with them again mainly because they had employed a thief. Unfortunately one bad apple spoiled the bunch for me.

I read the reviews after I booked these guys & was terrified that I’d made a horrible mistake.
The appt was 1 – 4 on a Fri, a v small window in a v strict Bk Hgts apt bldg. 4 guys + 1 watching the truck. On time, straight to work, lots of boxes, careful removal of antiques, mirrors, semi-​packed crap, precious china. Done!
Never a suggestion of tip (I gave them $ 200). They were on time, moved like magicians, were careful & thorough, courteous & professional.
As far as cost, I can’t say, my friend recommended them & swore they were the best bang for the buck. I didn’t think they were cheap but I didn’t price it out so can’t verify that. Overall, more than pleased — relieved!!!