International Van LinesReviews of internationalvanlines.com

One of the worst experiences of my life. When delivered, boxes were ripped, torn, crushed. Many plastic bins were cracked, dented, lids broken. Many furniture items had never been wrapped, stored/shipped properly. Many furniture items were damaged, broken, missing pieces. Furniture that was taken apart was not put back together. Very poor communication and it takes well past 48 hrs. to hear from anyone in the company for any reason- takes days and days. Little communication about transit and delivery. You will have no idea who has your stuff, where it is or where it is going. I was told that the delivery was to be on a Monday or Tuesday and my things were not delivered until the following Sunday. Don't bother contacting IVL directly because no one responds. They will also low ball the moving estimate and then charge thousands of dollars more upon pick up because no one comes to your home and assesses the size of you belongings. You pay IVL for the space on the truck not for how many items you have. Even though you give an inventory list, they are strictly charging you for SPACE. Even if you send them dimensions of certain items, they will ignore it. So if no one comes to accurately assess the size of your furniture, then they will charge you more on the day of pick up when the movers actually see the size of your things. STAY AWAY! Hire someone else!

I would not recommend International Van Lines based on my recent cross-country move. I was told explicitly, both in my contract and on the phone, that IVL does not use brokers and that my move would be handled by their own registered movers. That was not true — the delivery was handled by a third-party driver operating his own truck, who told me directly he doesn't work for IVL. My delivery window was 8:00–11:00 AM. At 11:10 AM the driver called to say he'd overslept at a truck stop. He didn't actually arrive until roughly 2:20 PM — over three hours late. He also showed up alone, without the helper he'd arranged, so I ended up doing more than half of the physical unloading myself, over about 5.5 hours. On top of that, boxes were not placed in the labeled rooms as promised, and multiple items were damaged in transit: a standing desk destroyed, a dresser leg snapped off, a lamp bent, and wall décor broken. I was also quoted and given a binding price, which was reversed to a higher number at pickup and justified with a vague "±10% tolerance" clause that didn't actually support the increase. And rather than paying IVL directly, I was repeatedly asked to send payments — thousands of dollars — via Venmo to personal email addresses I didn't recognize, which in hindsight is a major red flag for undisclosed broker/subcontractor use. IVL has a good BBB rating and a long track record, which is why I chose them — but my actual experience was disorganized, unprofessional, and not what was represented at booking. If you're evaluating them, ask in writing (not just verbally) exactly who will be handling pickup and delivery, and don't assume a binding quote will hold.

IVL states on their estimates that they are a carrier and not a broker. For us, they DID contract with another mover and, despite estimating 2300 cf for our move, they sent a 26-foot box truck and two men to move a 3100 sqft, 5 BR home...like they'd never done this before. The second partially full truck they sent did not have enough room for the rest of our belongings and we were forced to rent and load a POD at an additonal $2K to ourselves because they were already using their "backup date"-- which they say is rarely used and for which we were given no reason--there was no time to wait for another truck, and we had to be out of our house. Communication was laughable. I was passed to 5-6 different people throughout and NOBODY seems to be held accountable. These guys are totally incompetent. I have a LOT more to say but there is not space to say it. There were things we contracted for that we didn't get and I was still charged full amount. Also, it's suspicious that they have all 1 or 5-star reviews and nothing in between. Makes me think they are paying people to raise their average. I would give negative stars if I could. FYI, this appears to come from Sweden, where I am vacationing (I feel that strongly) but I am a US citizen who moved from Texas to Colorado.

Worst experience for any service, ever. I would leave negative stars if I could. This is a small carrier, they have 14 trucks & 12 trailers per the FMSCA. Other well known interstate movers have 100s. They over promise up front, then just not deliver after pick up, with basically zero communication. I was told it could take 2-21 days, after the First Available Delivery Date (FADD), to deliver our belongings, but typically takes less than 10 days. They are mandated by the FMSCA to take no more than 30 calendar days to deliver your goods. My FADD was May 26th, its now June 27th and I've yet to receive my delivery or receive any proof its been picked up or on its way. Response time by phone is zero, response via email is measured in days, if they respond at all. I've received only three email updates since they picked up my stuff 36 days ago. The first two updates stating my stuff was being picked up were essentially false, maybe even lies. The third email was them admitting they've exceeded the maximum timeframe, offering a $50/day discount every day until my stuff arrives, but still no proof its in route or been picked up. Considering it will likely never show up, I guess it will end up being free. Lawyers will likely be involved within a few days here. After they packed and loaded up my things into the truck, they took the second round of payment. Magically, the price went up over $2400. It took over an hour, several calls/emails, until I could get a hold of someone to verify the original cost in the binding estimate. They made it sound like a "mistake", when I think this was a tactic to scam you out of extra money once everything is already packed up. Also, the only accepted forms of payments are cash, money order or Zelle - none of which can be charged back or disputed once they have your things and never deliver. A bunch of dishonest crooks who will not respond to your emails, let all calls go to their voicemails, then never call you back.

My experience with International Van Lines (IVL) was disappointing and costly (March 2026). We selected IVL because of its reputation, years in business, and apparent experience with international household moves. Especially as a Disabled retired veteran. Based on those factors, we believed our belongings would be handled by experienced professionals using proper packing and shipping procedures. What we did not fully understand at the time of booking was the extent to which critical portions of the moving process would be performed by subcontracted crews. This was not disclosed, by our sales rep or anyone else. It was disclosed by the actual day crew when packing out goods with their hands out expecting a tip! I want that money back as well! In our experience, the quality of packing and handling fell well below what we expected from a company marketing itself as an international moving specialist. Upon delivery, multiple items arrived damaged, including expensive and difficult-to-replace furnishings. The damage was not limited to normal wear associated with a long-distance move. Several items showed signs consistent with inadequate packing, insufficient protection, poor load stabilization, improper handling, or a failure to follow accepted moving industry best practices. Examples included:
• Structural damage to furniture requiring professional repair.
• Broken cast-aluminum components.
• Damage to finished surfaces and other household items.
• Multiple items requiring repair, replacement, or insurance claims. The most frustrating aspect of this experience is that many of these damages appear preventable. Proper wrapping, padding, crating, reinforcement, and quality-control inspections could have significantly reduced the risk of damage. My advice to anyone considering IVL or any international mover is to perform extensive due diligence before signing a contract: 1. Ask specifically which portions of the move will be subcontracted. 2. Request the names of all packing and moving companies that will physically handle your shipment. 3. Verify who is responsible for quality control throughout the process. 4. Obtain written clarification regarding valuation coverage and damage claims. 5. Photograph every valuable item before packing. 6. Closely inspect packing methods before the shipment leaves your home. 7. Do not assume that a company’s years in business guarantee consistent service quality from subcontracted crews. International moves are expensive and place valuable personal belongings at risk. Based on our experience, consumers should thoroughly investigate not only the company they hire, but also the subcontractors who may ultimately perform the packing and handling of their possessions. We trusted the company’s reputation and experience. Unfortunately, the condition in which several of our belongings arrived did not reflect the level of care we expected for a professional international relocation service. Another factor that leads us to believe the damage occurred before or during loading is the chain of custody of the shipment itself. Our household goods were transported in a dedicated overseas container that was only approximately 60% full. Once the container was loaded and sealed, it remained secured throughout the transatlantic shipment. We were informed that the container would not be opened unless selected for a customs inspection. In our case, customs did not open or inspect the container. As a result, the container arrived in the same condition in which it left the origin location. The items inside were arranged exactly as they had been packed and loaded by the moving crew. This makes it difficult to attribute the damage to any handling that occurred after loading or during customs processing. Based on the condition of the damaged items, the packing methods used, and the fact that the container remained sealed throughout transit, we believe the damage is more likely attributable to inadequate packing, insufficient protection, improper load securement, or poor handling during the initial loading process rather than any post-loading event. This is particularly concerning because proper packing and load stabilization are among the most important responsibilities of an international moving company. Customers hire experienced movers specifically because they expect these risks to be understood, anticipated, and mitigated. I have pictures as proof of the sub standard, irresponsible packing!

I had a review below and received a reply: I'm posting again because i cannot respond to that reply inline.. I stand by my review, this was a bait and switch which is in now way misleading and exactly describes my experience with IVL. I do not use these words lightly. HI Paul, We understand that people like to use harsh and misleading verbiage when they are dissatisfied. Using words like "bait & switch" to make us appear to be some sort of a group of bad people. Under no circumstances do we benefit or want customers to have more than the agreed-upon rate. We schedule movers, containers, documents, etc., based on the information we have and verify. In your case, you needed a 40' HC container, not a 40' container. The cost went up because you had more items. Trust me, if we could have sent everything in a 40' container, we would have. Additionally, the storage increased because you needed more space. Our company does not profit from your needing a larger container, and we did everything we could to accommodate you. We have been in business for 20+ years and handle over 30,000 moves per year, so clearly we are not a "bait & switch" company. With that said, I see you are dissatisfied. I will look over your file and contact you so we can try to reach a resolution. I stand by my review. In or case WE DID NOT need the 40' high cube container we were told we did- the container was completely empty for the last 6' and had a 2' gap at the top along a further 20'length of the container before it was filled to the roof. The difference in size between a standard and a standard high cube is 12 cubic metres. We had 20 cubic metres empty. About half the wardrobe boxes they packed everything into were only 50% full, leaving another approx 5-10 cubic metres of wasted space. The responder also said they would review and contact me - they did not.

They will promise the moon at signing time and collect your hard earn dollars for a deposit and commitment to them. They will show up in a timely manner and collect more money and your things. Then hide until they can figure out how to deliver your things. To date we are without our entire home of items for 25 days. Now we are getting. “it’s the bust season”. now we are getting. contracturally we have 21 BUSINESS days to deliver. meanwhile half our hold is in a warehouse 661 miles away. and the other half is 880 miles away where we moved from due to they didn’t have a large enough truck from the get go!! air tag as many things as possible ! the small investment in some AirTags will atleast show you were they have your items. first time today. 25 days in and I got I’m sorry and then lectured not to use foul language. 😂 everyone we know and talk to has never seen anything like this. I borrowed that line from Trump. “No one has seen anyone like it. ever. thank you for your attn to this matter.

If I could leave negative stars I would! Initial contact with Arthur, who set up my move, was promising. He was very polite, helpful, not at all pushy like some. Assured me IVL handled their own moves, no 3rd party charlatans. The gentlemen that picked up my things were very polite and handled my things with care. No name on the side of the box truck they came in but had IVL paperwork. From there it all went downhill. I told them they could go directly to drop off but that fell on deaf ears as it took a week for my things to arrive. They must have taken it to their 'so called' storage facility. I have no idea what happened between my pick up and drop off but these people have absolutely NO RESPECT OR REGARD for peoples things. Some third party company called American Knights brought my things in a semi, they were crammed in a maybe 3 foot deep and 10 to 12 foot high area at the back of the semi. The driver was very strange and would not bring the truck into my neighborhood until I drove him in to see if his SEMI TRUCK would fit in my residential area. He also tried to extract payment at the parking lot I had to pick him up at! Everything was filthy, including items INSIDE the boxes!! Boxes looked as if they had been drop kicked into the truck, they were torn, bashed, open etc. 65 inch TV was broken, kitchen garbage can smashed, glass on the tv console was broken and wood was gouged, various items in boxes CLEARLY marked fragile were shattered, dishes, vases, etc. The list goes on. They even managed to tear up two rubbermaid outside trash cans! I would not, in a million years, recommend this company to ANYONE. Run fast and run far before you ever consider using them to move what is basically your life. They hold it in their hands, and I can only assume they take some kind of pleasure in hurting others. I have learned a hard lesson here, but if I can save someone else this experience it will almost have been worth it. Update on 6/4/26: They use a 3rd party for damage claims and at the end of all this they are offering to settle for $188.00. Total joke. And everything does align. Update on 6/19/26: Was never contacted to 'speak' about my experience, by email or otherwise. Still haven't seen the whopping $188 bucks.