Valuation coverage
Also called: released value protection, full value protection, moving insurance, mover liability, 60 cents per pound
A mover's liability for damaged or lost goods, chosen when you sign. Released value is free and pays 60 cents per pound per item — $30 for a 50 lb TV. Full-value protection ($200–$1,000 on a long-distance move) makes the mover repair, replace or pay current value. It isn't insurance.
Every mover is liable for what it carries, but how much is a choice you make on the estimate, and the default is close to nothing. Released value protection costs nothing extra and limits the mover’s liability to 60 cents per pound per article — a 200 lb dresser destroyed in transit is worth $120. Full-value protection is the mover’s premium option: for anything lost or damaged, the mover repairs it, replaces it with a like item, or pays its current market value, up to a declared total value for the shipment (often a default of $6 per pound of shipment weight, adjustable). It costs $200–$1,000 on a typical interstate move and may carry a deductible.
Rules that matter: items you packed yourself are covered only for external damage to the box, not for what broke inside; items of extraordinary value ($100 per pound or more — jewelry, art, collectibles) have to be declared in writing to be covered; and you have nine months from delivery to file a written claim on an interstate move. Note damage on the delivery paperwork before you sign it.
Neither option is insurance. Third-party moving insurance exists for gaps, and a moving container company sells contents protection by the month instead — $10–$300 depending on declared value — which excludes damage caused by how the container was loaded.