Hiring a couple of guys off Facebook or Craigslist looks cheaper. We read the police reports and scam data on no-shows, damage, and theft, and compared what the discount buys.
The short version
- Facebook and Craigslist crews are cheaper because they carry no insurance, licensing, or office staff; the savings usually run from a pizza budget to a couple hundred dollars.
- No-shows made up 26% of reported moving scams in a HireAHelper analysis of BBB Scam Tracker data from early 2023.
- If a cash crew breaks something, steals, or gets hurt, you have little recourse beyond small-claims court against someone you may not be able to find.
- Undergrads Moving charges $112 an hour for two movers, with a $50 show-up guarantee and $1,000 of damage protection; most moves cost $200 to $350.
We understand the temptation of hiring a couple of guys off Facebook or Craigslist when you've got a move coming up. Maybe you figure all you need is a few strong backs. The problem is that you're taking on real risks, to your personal safety and to your belongings, along with a sizable headache.
We're Undergrads Moving, and labor-only moving is our whole business, so we're not an unbiased party here. However, we did go read the police reports and the scam data on Facebook and Craigslist moves.
Plenty of people hire help off Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist and have a perfectly fine move. The trouble is what happens when it isn't fine, because a cash deal with a stranger gives you very little to fall back on.
You're saving less than you think
A crew advertising on Craigslist or in a Facebook group has almost no overhead. No insurance policy, no licensing, no office staff. That is why the quote is low.
For comparison, our rate is $112 an hour for two movers, locked before we start, with no stair or fuel fees. Most studio, one-bedroom, and small two-bedroom moves land between $200 and $350 total. Thumbtack puts the national average for local movers at about $108 to $125 an hour, so we sit right at the going rate.
So the real question is what you might save, probably somewhere between a pizza budget and a couple hundred dollars, against what you are putting on the truck. The four risks below are what that discount buys.
Risk 1: They don't show up
The no-show is the most common way a cheap move goes wrong. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) describes the pattern plainly: you get a quote, you pay a deposit, and the movers never arrive.
A HireAHelper analysis of BBB Scam Tracker reports found no-shows made up 26% of reported moving scams in the first five months of 2023. No-shows and outright mover fraud together made up half.
The deposit is usually small, which is why it works. Lose $75 over a payment app and most people won't file a police report. Meanwhile it is 9 a.m. on moving day, your lease ends at noon, and the listing has been deleted.
Not every no-show is a scam, either. Sometimes the guy got a better-paying job that morning, or something came up. With no organization behind him, there's nobody to pick up the slack when he doesn't make it.
The Undergrads comparison: if our crew arrives more than 30 minutes after your start time, we pay you $50. And if your movers are running late or something comes up, our support team sends replacement or additional movers.
Risk 2: Something breaks, and that's that
Moving is hard on furniture even when professionals do it. Amateurs are much more likely to make a mistake.
Even with a licensed mover, getting paid for damage takes paperwork. On interstate moves, federal rules set the default reimbursement at 60 cents per pound, which values a 40-pound television at $24. In a 2024 KSL investigation, a Utah homeowner with a signed contract and extra coverage claimed about $2,000 in damage and was offered $648.
That homeowner at least had a contract, a company name, and a claims department to argue with. With a cash crew from a Facebook post, you have a first name and a phone number that may or may not still work. Your realistic options are small-claims court against someone you can't locate, or eating the cost.
Renters should also think about the building. A gouged hallway or a cracked elevator panel comes out of your deposit, and many apartment buildings require proof of the mover's insurance before they will even reserve the elevator. An uninsured crew can't provide one.
The Undergrads comparison: every move includes $1,000 of damage protection, and our movers are trained to keep anything from getting broken in the first place.
Risk 3: Nobody is accountable
A licensed company has things to lose: a license, an insurance policy, a few thousand Google reviews. A Craigslist ad can be deleted in ten seconds. The worst cases on record all share that feature.
- Douglas County, Georgia, 2016. A family hired movers through Craigslist. The crew worked for about four hours, drove off in a U-Haul, and vanished. WSB-TV reported the homeowner's estimated loss at $75,000, and investigators said the truck itself had been stolen. Police later recovered one box.
- St. Louis to Charlotte, 2015. A couple answered a Craigslist ad for a moving company and paid $1,100 in cash up front. The movers called to say the truck had broken down, then stopped answering. About $30,000 in belongings never arrived, and no business by that name was registered in Missouri. A man was later charged with felony theft.
- Charlotte, 2021. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police warned about fake moving companies after at least three families paid deposits, watched their homes get loaded, and never saw the trucks again. One household lost $75,000. "Nobody will answer their phones," the detective said.
The milder version is the hostage load: your things are on the truck, and the price suddenly goes up. A BBB spokesperson told KPRC in July 2026 the bill is sometimes double the quote. The same report cited Federal Trade Commission figures showing moving fraud reports up 35% in 2025, with an average loss near $2,800.
To be fair, these are the extreme cases, and they are rare. But notice that the families above did nothing unusual. They found a cheap ad, the people seemed nice, and they paid a deposit.
The Undergrads comparison: with us you get licensed and insured movers, along with a full support team if your plans change. You load your own rental truck or container, so your belongings never leave your sight in a vehicle we control.
Risk 4: You're letting a stranger into your home
A mover sees everything you own, learns your old address and your new one, and knows exactly when both will be empty. That is a lot of trust to hand to someone whose only credential is a profile photo.
- Tyrone, Georgia, 2021. Two helpers hired through Craigslist to unload a family's moving truck asked the driver to ride along to fetch equipment, then robbed him at gunpoint and left him on the roadside. One was convicted and sentenced to 20 years.
- Bloomfield Township, Michigan, October 2026. This one involved a cleaning crew, not movers, but the hiring method was the same. A crew found on Facebook Marketplace was arrested at the home after items from the house turned up in their vehicle. Police said they also found suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl. The officer's advice on too-good-to-be-true prices: "Trust your gut on it."
There is also the injury question. If an uninsured helper gets hurt carrying your dresser down the stairs, the medical bill can become a claim against you or your homeowner's or renter's policy.
The Undergrads comparison: every crew is made up of university students who work for us, not whoever answered an ad, and the company carries the insurance.
Side by side
| Facebook or Craigslist movers | Undergrads Moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Often lower; usually cash, negotiable | $112/hour for two movers; most moves $200–$350 |
| Is the price locked? | Only if they honor it | Yes, before the job starts |
| If they don't show | You're out the deposit and the day | $50 if we're 30+ minutes late, and a team to call |
| If something breaks | Whatever they agree to pay | $1,000 damage protection on every move |
| Licensed and insured | Rarely, and hard to verify | Yes |
| Who shows up | Whoever answered the ad | University students on our crews |
| Track record | A profile and maybe some comments | 4.9 stars on 4,200+ Google reviews; 40,000+ moves since 2017 |
| Changing plans | Up to them | Free cancellation 48 hours out |
If you hire off Facebook or Craigslist anyway
Some moves are small enough that the gamble makes sense. Maybe you've got one or two items to get off a pickup truck. If you go this route, follow these tips to avoid getting scammed.
- Skip the deposit, or keep it tiny. Pay when the work is done. Anyone who needs cash up front to help you carry boxes is telling you something.
- Don't pay with Zelle, Cash App, or cash in advance. AARP's moving scam guidance recommends a credit card because it is the only method you can dispute.
- Get a real name and check it. Ask for the business name and look it up with your state's regulator and the BBB. No registration, no deal.
- Keep the truck in your name. Rent it and drive it yourself, so your belongings never leave with someone else.
- Don't be home alone, and lock up the small valuables. Jewelry, documents, medication, and laptops ride in your car.
- Take photos before anything moves. Furniture, walls, floors, and door frames.
- Have a backup. Know who you would call at 9 a.m. if nobody shows. (And yes, we do same-day bookings.)
The bottom line
Facebook and Craigslist movers are often cheaper, and most of the time nothing terrible happens. But the savings are usually modest, and the downside runs from a lost deposit to a lost household. The discount exists because nobody is paying for insurance, training, or a phone line that gets answered.
We're not the right call for everything, either. We do labor only, so if you want one company to bring the truck, drive it, and handle a long-distance or five-bedroom move, hire a licensed full-service mover. The vetting advice above applies to them too.
For everything else, Undergrads Moving gives you a locked hourly rate, university-student crews, a $50 show-up guarantee, $1,000 of damage protection, and licensed and insured movers. Most moves cost $200 to $350. Compare that with the quote from the Facebook post and what you'd be loading onto the truck. The math is the argument.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to hire movers from Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist?+
Many of those moves go fine, but you take on the risk of no-shows, uncompensated damage, and theft. Police reports from Georgia and Charlotte describe families who lost $30,000 to $75,000 after hiring through Craigslist ads.
How much cheaper are Facebook or Craigslist movers?+
Usually modestly cheaper. Thumbtack puts the national average for local movers at about $108 to $125 an hour, and we charge $112 an hour for two movers, so the gap is often between a pizza budget and a couple hundred dollars.
What happens if a Craigslist mover breaks something?+
You get whatever they agree to pay. Without a contract, a business name, or insurance, your options are small-claims court or covering it yourself. Many apartment buildings also require proof of the mover's insurance before reserving the elevator.
How do I avoid moving scams if I hire from Facebook or Craigslist?+
Skip the deposit or keep it tiny, pay by credit card instead of Zelle, Cash App, or cash, verify the business name with your state regulator and the BBB, keep the truck in your name, lock up small valuables, take photos first, and have a backup plan.
What does Undergrads Moving guarantee?+
A rate locked before the job starts, $50 if the crew is more than 30 minutes late, $1,000 of damage protection on every move, licensed and insured movers, and free cancellation up to 48 hours before the move.
