Questions, answered

Book as soon as you have your dates. A few days of notice is usually plenty, and because we're local we can often pull off next-day delivery. End-of-month weekends fill up first.

Monday through Saturday. We don't deliver or pick up on Sundays.

We'll confirm a time window with you after you book. If you won't be home, we can usually arrange a porch or garage handoff. Just leave the totes stacked where we can reach them for pickup.

You choose 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks when you book. Your pickup date is set automatically from your delivery date and rental length. Most people find 2 weeks comfortable: one week to pack, one week to unpack.

Email hello@cruztotes.com at least 24 hours before your scheduled pickup and we'll extend your rental. An extension costs the difference between your package at the longer rental length and what you already paid, so it never costs more than booking the longer rental would have. Beyond 4 weeks, each extra week is 10% of your package's 4-week price.

Yes. Email us as soon as you know and we'll move things around.

Sure. Email us and we'll schedule an earlier pickup at no charge. We don't refund unused rental days, but you get your space back sooner.

Every tote is the same size: about 27 x 17 x 13 inches outside, 25 x 15.5 x 11 inside, 2.5 cu ft of packing space. All have attached hinged lids, so there's nothing to assemble and no tape.

Think of each tote as a well-packed suitcase, about 50 lbs when full. Pack the dense stuff low and the light stuff on top. Loaded totes stack 4 high and roll on the included dollies.

Totes with attached lids, dollies, room labels, and zip ties. Delivery and pickup are included everywhere in Santa Cruz County. You don't need tape, box cutters, or a run to the hardware store.

Every tote has a label sleeve on the front. Write the room on an included card, slide it in, done. Please don't tape, sticker, or write on the totes themselves.

Yes. Every tote is washed, sanitized, and inspected before it goes back out. Just empty yours before pickup and we handle the rest.

Email us and we'll bring more, usually next day. If you're between two package sizes when booking, size up. Extra empty totes are a lot less annoying than running short mid-pack.

Yes, and we cite our sources. A peer-reviewed life cycle study found reusable containers use 80% less water and 64% less energy than cardboard, with 31% less carbon impact (Franklin Associates, 2017). An average move's worth of cardboard also costs about 0.7 trees. Recycling doesn't close the gap: a new box gets manufactured for every move, and recycling one back still takes about half the energy of making it new. A tote just gets used again.

Each tote gets used more than 400 times before it retires. When one finally wears out, the HDPE gets recycled into new plastic products. Nothing in our catalog is single-use.

Packages run from $99 for a Studio to $229 for a 4 Bedroom, each with a 1-week rental, dollies, labels, and free delivery and pickup. Longer rentals cost a little more per week. See the full breakdown on our Packages page.

Yes. Delivery and pickup are free everywhere in Santa Cruz County, from Davenport to Watsonville.

New cardboard boxes, tape, and paper for a 2-bedroom run $110 to $145 at U-Haul prices. Our 2 Bedroom package is $169 for a week or $189 for two, so renting costs a little more and skips the tape and the pile of flattened boxes afterward. Free cardboard boxes are cheaper than either.

No deposit. You pay for your package when you book and that's it, unless something goes missing or you keep the totes longer. Checkout securely saves your card with Stripe, and the Rental Agreement spells out the only charges it can be used for.

Plans change, especially during a move. Cancel more than 48 hours before your delivery window for a full refund. Inside 48 hours, we refund everything except a cancellation fee: 50% of your order total, capped at $100. Once delivery has happened, rental fees aren't refundable. The Rental Agreement has the full policy.

No. Every tote gets washed between rentals and that's on us, not you.

Normal wear is expected and never charged. Scuffs and scratches are part of a tote's life. If something's lost or truly broken, replacement fees are $50 per tote and $100 per dolly.

We deliver and pick up across Santa Cruz County: Santa Cruz, Aptos, Capitola, Scotts Valley, Watsonville, Bonny Doon, Davenport, Soquel, Live Oak, Ben Lomond, Felton, and Boulder Creek. Delivery and pickup are free everywhere in the county.

Yes. We deliver to your Santa Cruz County address for free. Once you've moved and unpacked, we collect the totes at your new place for a flat per-county fee: Northern Monterey County $49, Santa Clara $49, San Mateo $69, Alameda $79, San Francisco $89, Contra Costa $99, Marin $99.

Yes, it's the same flat per-county fee in reverse. We deliver totes to your current address so you can pack, then pick them up locally for free once you're settled here.

We do. Agents can gift a tote package to buyers at close, branded with the agent's name and delivered on their schedule. It's practical, local, and it arrives right when the buyer needs it. See our Realtors page for details.

Yes. Office moves, pre-listing staging, property turnovers, recurring partner work. Email hello@cruztotes.com and tell us what you're moving.