Released value vs full value protection

What each plan actually does

Released value costs nothing extra and pays by weight, not by what the item was. It is the plan you get when you sign the waiver line. 60 cents per pound per article.

Full value protection means the mover repairs, replaces with like kind, or pays cash for a lost or damaged item. You declare a value for the whole shipment. The rule sets a floor: at least $6 per pound times the weight. A 7,000-pound move cannot be declared under $42,000.

Full value protection has a charge. You may lower it with a deductible. Ask what the charge is at each deductible before you decide, and get it on the estimate and the bill of lading.

Items of extraordinary value

Anything over $100 per pound, such as jewelry or a small piece of art, must be listed in writing before the move or the mover can limit liability on it. Ask for the high-value inventory form.

Boxes you packed yourself are a claim fight on any plan. Damage inside a carton nobody saw packed is hard to prove. Let the crew pack the fragile boxes if you want them covered without an argument.

Canada and the UK

Not a federal rule in Canada. Ask the mover for their liability terms in writing; Ontario's hiring-a-mover page tells you to. In the UK, ask for the goods-in-transit limit and read the self-pack exclusion. A lot of policies do not cover boxes you packed.