Almost everyone hires a mover or rents a storage unit, and almost nobody reads what they sign. This article explains the two legal systems that govern those transactions. It covers interstate moves under federal motor carrier law, where the Carmack Amendment sets the claim rules and the estimate you signed decides what you owe. It explains the hostage load, why it is illegal, and what actually gets a truck unloaded. It then turns to self-storage, where a private company can sell your possessions at auction without ever going to court, and explains why Flagg Bros. v. Brooks makes that constitutional. It closes with what to do before, during, and after.