Use uship.com and post a photo and description of the items you want shipped and your window of time. People bid on your job and you can choose based on reviews/price/etc. I moved a ton of stuff very cheaply from New York to Baltimore. I know someone else who used the site to ship a couch as well from NYC to California.

I used freight shipping for cross-country moves before, and it is so cheap. Furniture is tricky though, because I believe what they ship has to fit on a pallet. But if you call up some freight companies they'll likely be able to steer you in the right direction. Just google freight shipping

I bought 4 dining room chairs on EBay and they were sent by Greyhound.

There are companies that specialize in shipping only a few items. You have to wait until they have a full truck going your way, but it's worth it. I buy furniture on Ebay, and they direct me to whoever they use. Email some Ebay sellers and ask for a referral. I can't remember names. When I buy furniture, I pay the Ebay seller, and they pay the mover, after I have talked to the mover to negotiate a price. I've never paid more than $165, and I've moved a lot more than a sofa.

Have you googled the issue, 'shipper for small sofa'? Get small in the search as you are shipping so little.

I should mention. I don't buy furniture from people on Ebay, I buy from antique stores with a brick and mortar establishment. The professionals antique dealers are the ones with the connections to the small shippers.

Another thing to try is to call around to several moving companies. Some of them will do small loads, putting several on the same truck, going to the same general area. It will take some time, as they tend to wait until they have a full truck, but the cost might be worth it.

You might want to try pods.com or one of the other ship your stuff in a box shippers. Honestly though if it was me I'd just sell the couch there and buy its equivalent here unless it was something I "really" liked or it was a family heirloom.

Buy another couch for $1500 or buy your old couch back for a third of the price. Your choice!

Call FlatRate movers in CA. I have used them for a CA-NY move and must say they were great. On time communicative, very reasonably priced. I think they charge by weight. They can give you a rough idea on the phone for a price, or minimum shipment. PODS is VERY expensive. You're better off buying a new couch.

You must be able to get about $1000 for that couch if it's in good shape, then take the $500 you are not shipping it with and then you get a new couch, not a used one, or settle for a cheaper couch if you can't get $1000

Oh also how old is it, maybe whoever sold it to you could work out a cheaper deal.
Or see check if anyone is moving from San Diego to New York, that you could just put one item on for $100 I would sell space in my truck if I were moving.

I've had furniture delivered from North Carolina, and I've had the best luck with the team I'll list below, they wait to deliver until they've got a full truckload and then crisscross the country. The thing is, they're usually returning to North Carolina from the West Coast with a completely empty truck, so you might call and get an estimate from them:

Home Delivery Service
4085 Prosperity Ln
Hudson, NC 28638
828-396-2326

I've used half a dozen companies for delivery, up and down the East Coast, but so far HDS has been the least expensive and the most conscientious. Who knows... you might be able to rig a deal where they pick up your sofa and then deliver it either immediately OR on their next run to NYC.

I sell furniture from my Etsy shop (KellyShemanDesign) and use Greyhound to ship. It's usually much cheaper than most other options available. The downside is that you have to drop off & pick up at the bus station. Also keep in mind that the couch travels in the cargo compartment of the buses and if the space is needed for the passengers the couch will get bumped onto the next bus on that route. I have personally had good experiences.

Good Luck - Kelly

Amtrack

Instead of a moving company, maybe also look into using a delivery company like homedirectusa.com. They do home delivery both for companies and consumers.

Not trying to sound callous, but I'm pretty sure if you ship a $1,500 dollar couch on a Greyhound...it will arrive smelling like a $50 couch.

From my experience, if you don't have the money to pay for quality shipping, then you should just sell the couch and buy a new one. It's hard to justify spending half of the couches' worth to ship it across the country when you could just Craigslist it or sell it on Ebay (local pickup), and buy a new, similar one just as easy and save money.

If you are planning on moving a whole household full of furniture across the country, then that is a different story. I recommend reading this guide for moving across country for cheap for more information and moving options. Good luck!

Village - I tried some small moving companies and uship, and the cheapest price I was quoted was around 340 for a loveseat from chicago to NY. you said you've never paid more than $165? Could you let us know the name of your shippers? thanks