Buying a moving company: what 120+ listings ask, once you remove the copies

The short answer

The pages that rank for this topic are a Reddit thread, marketplaces, a moving franchisor explaining why you should buy a franchise instead, a start-up guide from an accounting software company and a business broker. None shows what moving companies ask once the reposts are removed. The Main Street Index is BigIdeasDB’s census of 84,900+ businesses-for-sale listings across 29 marketplace sources, de-duplicated so each business counts once. We pulled every US listing priced in dollars whose headline sells a moving or relocation business, removed delis whose sellers are “moving”, earth-moving contractors and four duplicate postings of the same businesses, and kept 125 listings. Every figure is an asking price or a stated number, not a closed deal.

Owner earnings means seller’s discretionary earnings (SDE): profit plus the owner’s own pay, before debt.

What you are buying when you buy a moving company

You are buying four things: trucks, crews, a licence to operate and a flow of booked jobs. In real US moving listings that state equipment value, the trucks and gear are a median 25% of the asking price (n=49, Main Street Index, October 2026). The other three quarters pays for the people, the paperwork and the phone ringing.

Owners and the people who sell to them say the same thing in fewer words:

“Got to have strong team and source for leads is most important”r/Entrepreneur

“People and processes is what it boils down to like all service businesses.”r/Entrepreneur

That is why the checks in this guide focus on crews, lead sources, licences and damage claims more than on the fleet. The trucks are the easiest part to value and the least of what you pay for.

Five copy-paste families: 30 listings in 16 states

30 of 125 US moving company listings (24.0%) belong to five families that repeat the same wording, prices and earnings across states, and only 2 of the 30 give a reason for selling (Main Street Index, October 2026). Together they ask a median 1.24x earnings and pull the raw industry median down to 2.16x.

We cannot tell from the listings whether each family is one company selling territories, a broker’s template or something else. What matters to a buyer is that they are not 30 separate businesses with 30 track records, and they should not anchor your sense of price. The same thing happens across service trades: in our studies, 28 of 72 junk removal listings and 31 of 94 pressure washing listings are copies too.

If one of these catches your eye, treat it as a start-up offer: ask who the seller is, where the trucks are, and for tax returns and bank statements under the business’s own name.

What real moving companies ask

The 95 real US moving companies for sale ask a median 2.71x earnings, with the middle half between 1.49x and 4.00x (n=63, Main Street Index, October 2026). That spread is wide, and it says more than the median.

The 5x-and-over group is mostly businesses whose price carries something besides the moving operation: warehouse real estate, a franchise with large storage assets, or a year of very low stated earnings. One commercial mover asks $2.2 million with its real estate included. Separate the property and the operation before you compare.

The low end is not all bargains either. A real listing under 1.5x often has an owner who runs a truck every day, so the earnings are mostly a wage. For the general method, read how to value a small business and add-backs when buying a business, since moving listings often add back the owner’s truck, phone and family payroll.

Bigger moving companies often ask lower multiples

Real US movers with $150,000 or more of owner earnings ask a median 2.53x (n=36), and 14 of the 36 ask under 1.5x. Of the 27 smaller ones, only 2 ask under 1.5x (Main Street Index, October 2026).

That runs against the usual rule that bigger businesses earn bigger multiples, and it has a plain explanation. A mover earning $250,000 runs several crews and trucks, a dispatcher and an estimator, and its earnings depend on keeping all of them busy through a seasonal year. Buyers price that risk. A small mover earning $90,000 is mostly its owner and one crew; its price is low in dollars even at 3x, and buyers looking for a job they can afford keep that price up. For you, the larger companies are often the better value per dollar of earnings, provided the crew leads, dispatcher and lead sources stay after the sale. The median real company has 8 employees (n=65), so most of what you buy walks in each morning.

Moving company margins and owner earnings

Real US moving companies keep a median 25.5% of revenue as owner earnings, with the middle half between 15% and 34% (n=57); companies with $500,000 or more of revenue keep a median 23.2% (n=36; Main Street Index, October 2026).

Owner earnings split into three groups: 13 real companies state under $100,000, 33 state $100,000 to $250,000 and 17 state $250,000 or more (n=63). Revenue is spread just as evenly: 23 companies state under $500,000, 21 state $500,000 to $1 million and 25 state $1 million or more (n=69), so the market runs from one-truck operators to regional firms. Labour is the biggest cost. Moving is crew work, paid by the hour, and claims for damaged furniture come out of the same margin. One Reddit reply to a would-be buyer named the two risks before anything else:

“Probably thinking keeping reliable help and insurance needed to cover damages?”r/Entrepreneur

A 25% margin is in line with other crew-based services. Our cleaning business study and home service business ideas compare margins across trades.

How much of the price is trucks?

In 49 real US moving listings that state equipment value, trucks and gear are a median 25% of the asking price (Main Street Index, October 2026). At the median ask of $395,000, that is about $99,000 of equipment and $296,000 for everything else.

Two things follow. First, the fleet sets a floor, not a price: if the business failed, the trucks would sell for a fraction of the asking price. Second, the condition of the fleet changes the real price. A company with old box trucks needs replacements soon after you buy, and that cost belongs in your offer. Ask for each truck’s year, mileage, liens and inspection history. For a heavier fleet business, compare our guide to buying a trucking company, where equipment is a larger share of the price.

The summer problem

Moving is seasonal, and buyers search the same way: Google Trends interest in “moving company for sale” peaked in the week of July 5, 2026 and runs highest from late spring through summer (US, 12 months).

For an owner, that means a summer of overtime and a winter of trucks and payroll with less work. For a buyer, it changes due diligence and timing. Ask for revenue by month for two years. Check how the business covered the slow months: commercial and office moves, storage, delivery work or a cash reserve. And think about closing date: buying in the autumn means paying debt through the quiet months before your first busy season. Seasonal demand is the first downside commenters on Reddit list when someone asks about buying a mover, ahead of overhead, liability and labour.

Local vs interstate moving: the licence line

13 of 95 real moving listings mention long-distance, interstate or nationwide moves (Main Street Index, October 2026). Those businesses sit under federal rules: interstate movers must be registered with the federal government and hold a U.S. DOT number, and household goods carriers must file proof of liability and cargo insurance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to get interstate operating authority (FMCSA).

Local moves within one state are regulated by the state, and many states license intrastate household goods movers separately. When you buy, the question is whether the authority comes with the business. In a stock purchase the registration can stay with the company; in an asset purchase you may need to apply for your own, which takes time. Look up the company’s DOT number on FMCSA’s site before you make an offer, and read its safety and complaint record. This is not legal advice; check the rules in your state.

Moving and storage companies

19 of the 95 real listings sell moving and storage together (Main Street Index, October 2026). Storage smooths the seasons: customers pay monthly for space whether or not anyone is moving.

Only 11 of the 19 state earnings, too few for a median, and storage businesses vary widely, from a few containers to a warehouse with real estate. That variety drives most of the 5x-and-over prices above. When storage is part of the deal, value it separately: occupancy, monthly rent per unit, the lease or property, and whether the storage contracts transfer. If the warehouse is owned, compare our guide to buying a business vs real estate.

Moving franchise or independent company?

17 of the 95 real moving listings are franchise resales; the 9 that state earnings ask 1.46x to 10.86x (Main Street Index, October 2026). Five more franchise listings are one copy-paste offer for portable storage and moving territories asking $175,000 down.

A franchise brings a brand customers recognise, a booking system and a territory, for a royalty and marketing fee. Some franchises combine moving with junk removal on the same trucks. The cost of those fees is the main objection owners raise:

“If you start a franchise you'll pay so much in fees that you won't make much profit in my opinion.”r/Entrepreneur

Compare a franchise resale on earnings after royalties, not before, and read the transfer fee and territory map. Our franchise study tells the story of a buyer who paid about $900K for a moving franchise, financed with an SBA loan, and wound it down when home moves slowed. Our franchise vs independent business study compares the two across industries.

Where moving companies are for sale

Florida (18) and Texas (13) hold a third of the 95 real US moving companies for sale, followed by New York (7) and Virginia (5) (Main Street Index, October 2026). Each state is too small for its own median.

Those are states with heavy in-migration and long moving seasons, which brings both demand and competition. In practice the local market matters more than the state: how many movers have strong reviews nearby, how many apartment complexes and offices turn over, and whether the company has realtor, property-manager or commercial accounts that send work in the slow months. Our best state to buy a business study compares prices and earnings by state across all industries.

Why owners sell moving companies

Of 68 real US moving listings with a stated reason, 21 cite retirement and 22 cite other businesses or a change of focus; relocation (7) and health (3) follow (Main Street Index, October 2026).

The businesses are younger than retirement suggests: the median real listing is 8.5 years old (n=58), 24 are five years old or younger and only 7 are 20 or more. Many are owner-built companies sold once they reach a sellable size. A young business can be a good buy, but its lead sources and reviews are newer, so check how much of the work depends on the seller’s own name and network. See why owners sell their businesses for the cross-industry picture.

Is owning a moving company worth it?

Starting one costs $50,000 to $200,000 according to Xero’s start-up guide; buying a real company costs a median $395,000 for about $170,000 of owner earnings (Main Street Index, October 2026). The difference buys a working crew, reviews and booked jobs.

It is worth it for a buyer who wants to run people and sales, not to lift boxes. Lead generation, estimates and crew management are the job. A reply on Reddit sums up the trade:

“Lots of competition in most areas. Tough to differentiate in theory. But there's always a way to stand out.”r/Entrepreneur

If heavy labour and seasonal cash flow put you off, compare buying vs starting a business and the best businesses to buy, which ranks 118 industries on price, earnings and risk.

How to pay for a moving company

25 of 95 real moving listings offer seller financing (Main Street Index, October 2026), and the trucks can support equipment financing. SBA 7(a) loans can also fund a change of ownership.

Test the payment against what is left after your own salary. Illustration on the median: borrow 90% of a $395,000 ask over 10 years at 10.5% and the payment is about $57,600 a year. Against $169,746 of SDE that covers the debt about 2.9 times; after an $80,000 salary, about 1.6 times. These are our assumptions (10% down, 10.5% fixed, 10-year term, base = the ask), not a loan quote. Because cash flow is seasonal, ask about payment schedules and a working-capital line for the winter. See SBA loans to buy a business and seller financing a business.

Moving company due diligence checklist

A quarter of moving listings are copies and most of the price is not trucks (Main Street Index, October 2026), so start with the business’s identity and its people:

1. Rule out a copy. Search the listing's opening sentence. Five families of moving listings repeat the same text, price and earnings in up to six states.
2. Rebuild revenue by month. Ask for 24 months of jobs with date, move type, price and crew hours. Summer carries the year; see how the business covers winter payroll and loans.
3. Split local, long-distance and storage. Separate revenue by service line and check which licences each needs. Long-distance and storage revenue deserve their own checks.
4. Check the authority and insurance. Look up the USDOT number and any MC number on FMCSA's site, confirm the state licence, and read the cargo and liability policies and claims history.
5. Price the fleet. List every truck with year, mileage, liens and inspection history. In real listings that state equipment, it is a median quarter of the price.
6. Meet the crew leads. Find out who runs jobs and estimates. If key movers or the dispatcher leave with the seller, the earnings leave with them.
7. Trace the leads. Map lead sources (Google profile, reviews, aggregators, realtors, commercial accounts) and confirm the profiles, phone numbers and accounts transfer.
8. Read the claims file. Ask for every damage claim and complaint for three years. A pattern of claims is a pricing and reputation risk.

For the full process, use the due diligence checklist for buying a business, the hidden costs of buying a business and how to buy a business.

What this data cannot tell you

• Asking, not closing. Every price is a listing’s ask.
• Stated, not verified. Revenue, earnings and equipment values are what the listing says.
• Copy screen. Families were identified by shared wording, prices and earnings across states; a few may be legitimate multi-territory sales.
• Small subgroups. Storage (19) and franchise (17) groups are shown as counts and ranges.
• No licence data. We count mentions of interstate work; we did not verify any company’s DOT or MC registration.
• Mixed businesses. Some listings combine moving with storage, junk removal or delivery.

Methodology

All queries ran read-only against the Main Street Index on October 10, 2026. We pulled de-duplicated US listings priced in USD whose headline mentions moving, movers or a relocation company, then removed listings that are not moving businesses (sellers who are moving, earth moving, a recording studio, consumer goods importers, box rental, freight) and four repeat postings of the same three businesses, leaving 125.

Copy-paste families were identified by shared opening wording and near-identical price, earnings and revenue across two or more states: 30 listings in five families. Multiples use listings with a positive price and stated SDE; margins use SDE divided by revenue. Equipment share is stated equipment value divided by asking price. Medians are withheld below 30 listings. All-US comparisons are the same day’s medians for 27,400+ US listings on an SDE basis.

Data sources and limitations

How BigIdeasDB helps you buy a moving company

Ranked by how much they help a buyer:

1. BigIdeasDB Main Street Index: every listing beside its peers, with its multiple, margin, seller terms and stated reason, across 120+ industries. Browse the live listings, the industry benchmarks and the buyer view, or query it from Claude with the Main Street Index MCP tools.
2. ChatGPT or Claude: useful for turning a job export into revenue by month and service line, and for drafting questions about the claims file, as long as you check the numbers.
3. FMCSA’s mover search: look up the company’s DOT number, authority and complaint history before you call the seller.

Need a cut we did not publish? Request custom data. Compare plans on pricing.

Frequently asked questions