We've hired movers several times over the years, last one was 25 years ago, so all I have for you is an anecdote:
My wife's employer was paying to move us about 50 miles from our Sears cottage rental to our current house. I packed all my own stuff like photo gear, arms and ammo, etc, and moved it myself. Everything else was packed by the movers. We were both there the entire time, and had pre-printed stickers with the box destination (i.e. Living Room, Master Bedroom, etc) and as boxes were filled, slapped the stickers on 5 sides of the boxes. It all went like grass through a goose. Zip, zap they were done. After a month in the new house, we realized that a set of silver candlesticks that my parents had bought on their honeymoon in Mexico, were nowhere to be found. Were were still unpacking boxes for several months, but no candlesticks. Skip ahead 10 years and my wife and I are cleaning out the basement. What had been pretty much empty was now packed with assorted junk. Basements are like purgatory, a place to hang out until the final solution is put into effect. Well, there's all kinds of worthless stuff and were being ruthless, not even opening boxes, just tossing it. We get to a moving box labeled "Shit From The Dinning room Table". My wife says "Toss it. We haven't missed it for ten years, we don't need it". Intrigued by the contents description, I argued for opening it. Inside we found a set of keys, unpaid utility bills, loose change, pens, sharpies, two cigars, an unopened newspaper from the day we moved, magazines, a supermarket circular, gloves, socks and...the silver candlesticks. Everything that was left at the end of the day, before they took the table. Just swept it all into the box, sealed it up and slapped an errant purgatory "Basement" sticker on it, and off it went, into a ten year exile.
