How to Ship Furniture
1. Measure and Weigh Your Furniture: You’ll want to get the dimensions of your furniture down. If it’s a loose piece, do your best to get the length, width and height of the piece. If the furniture is in a box or crate, you should have exact measurements ready to go. This helps your carrier give you their best rate. While typical shipping services will carry up to 150 lbs. and 165 inches in length, with uShip, you’re able to ship any weight or dimensions. We have all types of carriers who are here to help you.
2. Take Photos: Taking before and after photos help you in the rare instance that your furniture gets damaged in transit. This is purely a safety precaution. You’ll want to get close up images of any pre-existing damage, and be sure to get various angles of the item.
3. Package Your Furniture: Try to use thicker cardboard for reinforcement, a double box, or a crate when appropriate to protect big and bulky items like furniture. Use foam or bubble wrap to cover delicate areas. Get cushioning material to surround any piece in a box or crate, and to fill any empty areas for added safety. Apply a heavy package caution sticker if your shipment weighs more than 70 pounds.
4. Choose a Carrier: First, research various carriers that move furniture like yours. Check out their history, reviews, availability, and services. When you find carriers who meet your needs, get shipping cost information from them, then compare prices to find a carrier in your budget. uShip gives you all this information in one convenient place, saving you time and money as furniture shipping companies compete for your business.
5. Communication: Once you have chosen your furniture carrier, communication becomes the most important part of a successful shipment. Work with your carrier to find out the best times to meet for pickup and delivery. Be sure to open lines of communication so the carrier can reach you in case of any traffic delays or other issues they may run into.
Different Types of Furniture Being Shipped
uShip helps you find a professional furniture shipping carrier that can help with all types of furniture. Determining which furniture pieces will be shipped using a professional is crucial. Depending on the type, sentimental value, monetary value, or delicacy of your furniture, your choice between freight or white glove movers may alter.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of furniture items based on rooms in a property:
- Patio Furniture: Patio tables, umbrellas, chairs, lounge seats, glass top tables, porch swings.
- Dining and Kitchen Furniture: Dining tables, bar stools, cabinets, dining chairs, kitchen islands, bar carts.
- Living Room Furniture: Entertainment centers, coffee tables, couches, recliners, bookcases, chests, end tables.
- Bedroom furniture: Mattresses, bed frames, side tables, mirrors, nightstands, wardrobes, antique sets.
How to Prepare Furniture for Shipping
Once you decide how you are going to ship your furniture, prepare the piece for transport and be ready to start moving large furniture around your home. You may need to start disassembling and packaging or wrapping pieces you are shipping. If you chose to book with white glove movers, then sit back and relax because they will take care of the preparations for you.
- If you can disassemble furniture, do so.
- Keep screws and small pieces in a plastic bag taped to the specific piece of furniture.
- Drawers should be removed. Your best bet is to clean out the contents and pack the empty drawers. If you want to keep the drawer’s contents in place, just put the entire drawer inside a plastic trash bag. Tie the bag tightly and label it properly. Know your transporter's furniture shipping history and customer reputation.
- Remove furniture legs, if possible. Wrap each leg individually in plain newsprint, then keep the legs with the piece in a properly labeled bag or box.
- Protect furniture corners with bubble wrap and a cardboard corner cut from an extra box. Tape the corner to the piece with masking tape.
- Use furniture pads to prevent scratches and rips.
- Place any throw pillows or covers in plastic bags to keep them clean.
uShip’s Furniture Shipping Solution
With uShip, you’re in control. Simply let us know what you’re shipping and what kind of services you’re looking for, and professional furniture moving companies will send you shipping quotes for your review. Get feedback on these carriers and choose the one that works best for you and your shipping needs.
First, you’ll want to consider the measurements and weight of your furniture. You may have to provide your best guess, but the more accurate, the better. Think about the time frame you can provide the furniture movers and be as detailed as possible. Let them know the level of care you prefer.
You have some options when it comes to services available for moving furniture. For furniture that requires special care or assembly, you should consider hiring white glove movers. This is the highest level of furniture shipping service. White glove moving companies pick up, move, deliver, and assemble your furniture inside your home. Some furniture may already be in a crate and can be shipped via LTL (Less than Truckload) shipping.
After your shipment is listed on uShip, you’ll start getting quotes directly from carriers who specialize in moving furniture as they compete for your business. You’re able to ask them questions directly and talk to them about your shipment, giving you a feel for the carrier.
Each transporter has a carrier profile with uShip that shows you their transport history, safety records, and customer-rated feedback. While price matters, we strongly encourage you to review these profiles as the quotes come in. Most furniture shipping companies have photos of their trucks and shipments they’ve completed. They will also let you know what kind of cargo insurance they carry. You may want to purchase additional cargo insurance through uShip. Checking their profile and talking with them through your listing will help you feel confident you’re selecting the best furniture movers for the job.
Once you’ve selected your transporter, contact them for any additional details, questions or concerns you have about your shipment. Make sure they’re able to manage the level of care you need for your furniture shipment. Share contact information for any third parties involved, and let us know if any issues come up. We’re here to help before, during and after your furniture delivery.
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How Much Does it Cost to Ship Furniture?
Local furniture shipping costs $75 to $250, while the average cost to ship furniture across the country ranges from $300 to $600. Naturally, larger shipments, white glove service, long distances, and other factors can increase the cost. Furniture movers sometimes combine several shipments which helps keep the shipping price low.
To get a better idea of how much shipping furniture costs, have a look at our cost to ship furniture page. There, you can view past furniture shipping transactions completed through uShip and get familiar with how we work.
Online Furniture Business: In-Home Delivery
1 in 3 Americans are more likely to buy oversized items online today vs. five years ago. So, how do you keep up with the likes of Amazon and Wayfair? Safe, secure, in-home delivery provides the experience your customers have come to expect.
For furniture retailers of any size, uShip’s In-Home Delivery solution provides first-to-final mile delivery (as opposed to final-mile delivery) of large items at competitive prices. More than just competitive prices, uShip’s In-Home Delivery business shipping solution provides a suite of valuable benefits that elevate the buyer experience, from the critical purchase consideration point online to delivery into the room-of-choice.
uShip In-Home Delivery is a suite of logistics technology tools that reduce your shipping costs and increase your sales. We build instant shipping rates right into your checkout, give you access to a curated network of mobile-enabled, feedback-rated carriers, and offer managed services so you can focus on your business, not shipping. Find out how uShip can help your business: