Shipping furniture cost and types

Whether you’re moving out of state, overseas, or just around the corner, one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is deciding between keeping your old furniture and starting over with new pieces. A huge factor in that decision-making process is the cost of shipping furniture. 

So, just how much does shipping furniture cost? We’ll answer that question and more as we explore the different options that are available. We will also provide you with the necessary information to confidently decide which works best for your moving needs and your budget.

How Much Does It Cost To Ship Furniture?

The cost of shipping furniture varies, seeing as this information depends on several key factors, including the size and the weight of your items, the type of delivery service you want to work with, whether you’ll require special handling, the policies of the delivery company you choose, and the distance between the current and final destinations. 

There may be additional services offered by the company you select, though they often come with extra fees. For instance, if you need help with packing supplies or the actual process of packing your furniture in boxes, the price could be even greater. 

Let’s take a look at these factors! 

What Type of Deliveries Can I Choose From?

Delivery prices can be costly, but if you can find a furniture shipping cost calculator, you can start adding up the fees associated with the shipment. There are different types of deliveries to choose from, and there are also various add-ons that you can opt into in an effort to make the process more convenient. 

On the other hand, you may require additional services out of necessity rather than just for convenience-related matters. Either way, the following is a list of services offered by most furniture shippers. Your best bet is to find a company that offers these services as part of a packaged deal as this will help you cut back on costs. 

Threshold Delivery

Threshold service is also referred to as curbside delivery because the delivery company doesn’t bring the furniture inside of the home. Instead, they leave it on the curb in front of the home or at the door to the apartment. 

From there, you’ll need to bring the furniture inside and set it up yourself. With threshold delivery, once the shipment is dropped off, if something snaps or gets scratched after you bring it inside, you’ll have to pay for the repairs yourself. 

Once the delivery team fulfills their end of the agreement, anything that happens to the furniture after they release it from their care is your responsibility. Threshold delivery is a cheaper option seeing as the delivery team doesn’t have to do as much work.

White Glove Delivery 

White glove delivery is a premier service that not only gets your furniture through the door, but the team will also set up the furniture in the room of your choice. You don’t have to do anything except point the delivery team in the right direction and wait for your furniture to be unpacked. 

Before the team leaves your home, they’ll ensure that the items are ready and safe to use. While this is quite the luxury, the cost of white-glove service is high, seeing as it’s much more expensive than threshold delivery. 

However, this service is ideal when moving heavy pieces of furniture. Furthermore, it also limits your personal liability should something be accidentally dropped as you attempt to bring it inside. 

Specialized Packing

Do you have a few expensive vases or other delicate pieces that can’t be thrown in a box with bubble wrap? Is crossing your fingers in hopes that it makes it to your new home in one piece, not an option? 

Then you may want to opt for a specialized packing service where the shipping company provides specific boxes and materials for your fragile item. The fee depends on the cost of materials you need to get your item to its destination safely. 

Boxes and packing supplies made of special materials can be pricey, but if your item is precious to you, it’s worth the cost.

Assembly and Disassembly

Some furniture must be broken down before it can be packed. For instance, your desks and bed frames are two examples of items that must be disassembled prior to being packed. As such, once you get them to the new home, they’ll need to be reassembled. 

This can be a lengthy process if you aren’t familiar with putting furniture together or taking it apart. That’s why a delivery team is helpful, seeing as they’re quick and efficient when it comes to the disassembly and assembly of furniture. 

That’s because they will already have the tools that are required to assist you, in addition to knowing their way around nearly every piece of furniture. But when it comes to paying for these services, companies usually charge based on either the complexity and the sizing of the pieces or by the hour. The final cost can be anywhere from $60 to $500, though sometimes, it’ll cost even more.  

On-Site Packing

This service is typically charged by the hour or room. The delivery team will come with boxes, or they can use the boxes you provide. Supplying your own boxes will reduce the costs, but there is still the matter of attempting to calculate how many hours it will take to complete. 

If you have several items that need to also be disassembled, the packers could be in your home for a long time. Paying a flat rate may be the best choice, seeing as they typically range from $300 to $400 for a one-bedroom home. If you’re moving out of a four-bedroom home, you can usually expect to pay closer to anywhere between $800 and $1,000 or more, but that’s if you’re using your own boxes. Add about $100 to $150 more if the moving company provides you with boxes instead. 

Expedited Shipping

If you’re working within time constraints, like the building you’re moving into only accepts deliveries on the first of each month, or you’re starting a new job the day after you move into your new home, you’ll want your furniture in your home and ready to use as soon as possible. 

Expedited shipping usually means the items are sent by air, and the rates can become astronomical. Even when ground transportation is used, the weight of the furniture is still a factor that can cause the price to rise. Distance is also a factor, so it’s best to inquire with the shipping company and find out if they offer any discounts to help soften the price. 

Insurance

There’s a lot that can go wrong when packing boxes, and if you’re doing it yourself and happen to break something, you’re out of luck. However, you’re covered if you hire a shipping company to handle the packing and something breaks. 

The insurance may be included as part of the packing service, but if it’s not, don’t hesitate to add it on. You also want your items covered while in transit and right up to the moment they’re delivered. Making sure everything is insured might not be necessary. You can choose to insure only valuable or fragile items to cut down on costs. 

Some companies offer up to $10,000 worth of insurance no matter if you’re shipping domestically or internationally. The insurance costs depend on the value of the items being shipped, but the costs are so low there’s no reason not to add insurance. 

For example, UPS charges $1.05 for every additional $100 worth of value over an initial $100. That means shipping an item worth $1,000 will cost you $9.45 to simply insure.

Shipping Destination Costs

Where is the furniture going? Is it headed clear across the country, or is it making its way overseas? If you thought shipping furniture internationally would be expensive, you weren’t wrong. 

There’s no way to sugarcoat this truth. There’s a sense of familiarity and comfort that comes from taking your furniture with you, so if it’s something you have to do, then your best option is to send it by sea, not air. 

Sending the items by boat will cost between $1,000 and $4,500 per piece. Sending the items by air can easily be five times those amounts or higher. Shipping items across the country isn’t cheap either. 

If it’s only a few small to mid-sized pieces of furniture that aren’t extremely heavy, you can expect to pay between $300 and $800 for each piece. If you’re moving your entire home, the price range will jump up to $2,000 to $7,000. 

Furniture Items Costs

The particular piece of furniture being moved matters as well as how many of them you want to be moved. For instance, dining room furniture is typically heavy and bulky. The table and chairs alone could cost around $1,300 to $1,600. 

A china cabinet or buffet would usually cost between $575 and $1,000 to move. That said, quantity is also a factor to keep in mind. For example, one sofa can cost between $575 and $1,000 to relocate, depending on its size. However, if you have more than one, that may instantly double the cost. 

Mattress sets are another item you may have multiples of and you’ll need to transport when you move. One queen-sized set can cost between $475 and $850 to transport on average.  

Headboards and footboards cost the same price but are charged separately. Take the time to contemplate whether or not you really need every piece of furniture or just a few pieces.

How Can I Calculate the Estimated Shipping Costs?

You can use the number of pieces you have to give yourself a rough estimate of what shipping will cost. Using a furniture shipping cost calculator is the easiest option. There are dozens of apps that will give you an accurate idea of the price ranges. 

Just enter the size of your home or apartment, or if you’re not packing everything, enter the size of the space that would be equivalent. For example, if you’re only taking your bedroom furniture and a few items from the living room, you can check the pricing for a studio apartment. 

When Are Rates the Best?

Just as with other industries, shipping experiences peak seasons. When shipping internationally, you should know that those peak seasons run from August to September and January to February. The costs of standard and additional services increase with the demand, so if keeping costs low is a priority, don’t plan your move for either of these peak periods. 

Things To Consider With Furniture Shipping Costs

What’s the best shipping method to use? Is it freight shipping or going with an independent carrier? We’ll take a look at each option to help you make a well-informed decision.

Cross Country Freight Shipping

Freight shipping is the most affordable option to reduce the cost of shipping furniture since the weight and volume of the items are a significant piece of the pricing. Even if you don’t have enough items to fill an entire shipping container, you’ll still benefit from splitting the costs of that container with other shippers. It’s referred to as less-than-truckload or LTL shipping. 

International Freight Shipping

As we briefly mentioned earlier, if you’re shipping your furniture overseas, the most cost-effective option is to send it via sea freight. The only drawback is this is also the slowest method. 

It can take anywhere from several weeks to a few months to receive your shipment. If you can’t wait that long, you may want to just start over when you get to your new country, as you can spend $5,000 to $22,500 if you send it by plane. 

At that point, you may want to consider selling your furniture and purchasing new items once you’ve moving, seeing as the transportation costs amount to a lot of money. You could put that money towards new furniture instead.

If you’re staying on the same continent, you could always look into shipping via train. Keep in mind that there will be special requirements and restrictions, as well as the need to transport the furniture to and from the station, which will incur more costs. 

Independent Shipping Carriers

A carrier specializing in shipping furniture may have space on the truck they want to fill. If they already have a few deliveries going in the same direction, you may walk right into a deal and find an easy and inexpensive solution to your shipping dilemma. Many people have found an independent transporter to be the cheapest way to send their furniture to another state. 

Don’t Overpay To Ship Your Furniture

With shipping costs as high as they are, you may think that it doesn’t matter which company you choose because you’ll end up paying a lot either way. While prices can skyrocket as you begin calculating your costs, don’t go with the first offer you get. 

Be diligent and consistent while comparing companies and rates. Look at the services they offer and read the reviews. Find a reputable company known for making deliveries on time and keeping them intact. 

Avoid companies that aren’t upfront about their fees and talk to family and friends about which company they called when they moved to another state or country. These tips should help you find the best method for shipping those pieces you can’t live without. 

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