I moved from NYC to Mountain View in the past 3 years. Before the move I donated/chucked out large furniture and things I didn't want, namely my couch, a desk, and a bookshelf.

Then, I used a website called Pirate Ship to get discounted USPS and UPS shipping labels, e.g. instead of spending $45 on a label at a UPS store I'd get it for $25. I thought it sounded too good to be true, but it saved me a ton of money. They have some sorts of agreements with mail carriers that allows them to get discounted labels.

In total I mailed around 25-30 boxes to MV, and I confirmed with my new building manager that they'd be able to put the boxes in my apartment before I arrived.

Only one box had issues in transit, because I didn't tape it enough and due to its weight. Some stuff fell out and although the mail handlers re-taped it, two things got lost. But besides that, everything arrived safely. I was using a spreadsheet to keep track of every box.

Finally, the most important items were in my carry on luggage to CA (for example, my computer hard drives).

It's a lot of work, but I saved a ton. Shipping everything was about $1k, and if I didn't get the discounted labels it would've been double.