Shipping furniture

[Derek Voigt]

I was wondering how people go about shipping furniture. Shipping prices seem outrageous for anything outside of a flat rate box. For those that ship larger items on a regular bases how to you do it? I'm think about things like large tables, or chairs that are fully assembled.

Do you keep big boxes in your shop, box it all up and take it to fedex? Do you use a less well known carrier and get better rates? Or do you bank on volume discounts with carriers because you ship regularly?

Just wondering how it is done.

Thanks,
Derek

[Lee Schierer]

I shipped a dresser from PA to AZ a number of years ago. I bolted the dresser to a home made pallet and then totally enclosed it in a box made of 2 x 2's and OSB. The box was assembled with screws to make opening it easier. I shipped it common carrier as freight. I secured the drawers from the back inside the back panel so they could not slide out. I wrapped the dresser inside with micro foam and then a sheet of plastic. It arrived in perfect condition. It was the lowest cost method I could find. Most trucking companies will give you a quote if you tell them the dimensions and weight of the thing being shipped. It must be mounted on a pallet as they will use either a pallet jack or forklift to handle it no matter what it weighs.

A few things to remember about shipping by truck. #1 Gravity sometimes ceases to exist in the back of a truck so secure everything so it can't move. #2. Damage claims against trucking companies are heard to collect on as they will blame the packaging instead of their handling methods. #3. Your shipment may get handled several times. #4Trucks often leak so make sure your piece is protected from water damage.