Furniture Shipping Quotes In Minutes For A Speedy Move

Furniture Shipping Services That Deliver Anywhere in the United States

Whether you’re a firm believer in feng shui, a collector of rare items or someone who values simplicity and comfortability over everything, furniture is an integral part of what makes a house feel like home! That’s why leaving some pieces behind just isn’t an option, even if they don’t fit in the car.

Luckily, there are furniture shipping services to help you out. Furniture movers are there for you whether you’re buying a new piece to add to your home, inheriting a priceless family heirloom or moving your essentials cross-country. The right furniture shipping company will have the skills and experience to handle your beloved items with care.

Delivering your furniture with a professional furniture shipping service offers many benefits:

• Saves Sentimental Pieces: There are some household items, like a family member’s one-of-a-kind antique dining chairs, for example, that hold memories and sentimental value that simply cannot be replaced.
• Saves You Money: If you have a high-end item like a chair worth $2,000, it'll be less expensive to ship it to your location than buy a completely new one. Additionally, if you choose to haul the items yourself, you’ll be paying for the truck, gas, lodging, food and other expenses. These costs add up quickly. Professional movers offer a rate that will be less costly in the long run.
• Saves You Time: If you’re planning a big move, packing up all your belongings can take days or even weeks, especially with work, familial distractions or lack of the correct tools thrown in the mix. Professional movers are efficient, focused and skilled — disassembling, packing and loading up your items will only take a day or two, depending on the amount of items. The same goes for driving your items to the location. If you’re moving cross-country, you may not have several days to dedicate to driving a large vehicle full of your belongings.

So, where do you start? The following is a guide to help you get the most out of your furniture shipping experience.

How to Find a Local Furniture Shipping Service

Finding a local furniture shipping service can be a great way to support a small business. In addition, benefits of choosing a local business to transport your furniture may include:

• Personalized Services: You’re likely able to talk with real people instead of automated systems that are backed up with a high influx of customers
• Familiarity With The Area: The transporter will likely know the best route to take to your destination, when high traffic times are, etc.increasing efficiency
• Low Environmental Impact: Since the furniture shipping service likely travels short distances, it may have a smaller carbon footprint

There are many approaches you can take to find a local shipping service, such as:

• Online search engines
• Recommendations by word of mouth
• Social media
• Classified ads

The one thing in common with all of these approaches is that it may take a long time to find a furniture shipping service that truly fits your budget and needs. The process of searching for a mover can be tedious and time consuming. Using a shipping marketplace like CitizenShipper helps narrow down the pool of prospective transporters. Not only that, it finds you the best deal and the perfect match in your area. The process is simple and quick — you just create a free listing and quotes from furniture transporters come to you.

Preparing for Long-Distance Furniture Shipping

It goes without saying that planning early for your long-distance furniture shipping journey makes it easier on the transport day and beyond. Before you ship furniture cross-country, consider these steps:

• Create an inventory checklist: Make a list of every item that will be included in the transport. Document the dimensions, weight and condition of the items, including any dings and scrapes. This information will help you get a more accurate quote from transporters and ensure your items are received in the same condition that you sent them.
• Create a cleaning and preparation checklist: Clean your furniture by removing debris like dust or dirt. This prevents damage, the spread of germs and spreading of stains to other items. During this process, assess the durability of your furniture items. If there are loose or fragile parts, remove them and wrap them separately for safer storage. You may need to disassemble items that are larger or have moveable parts.
• Research the best packaging supplies for your items: Use high-quality packing supplies to reduce the risk of damage when shipping furniture state to state. Research what has worked well for others in the past. Your transporter may be able to make recommendations about supplies you should pick up or they sell. If you’re unsure, consider furniture transporting services that package your items for you.
• Create a plan for pick-up and furniture delivery: The more clear the instructions you provide for the furniture shipping service, the smoother the process will go. Communicate with the furniture transporter where and how you want your furniture loaded and unloaded. If you know some items require special care or equipment, make this very clear to the shipping service. If you’re using a door-to-door service, specify whether someone will be there to intercept the furniture and where you would like it placed.

Can You Ship a Single Piece of Furniture?

Whether you are an artist looking to sell a great accent piece from your shop, or buying a chair online, sometimes there are circumstances that call for shipping one sole piece of furniture. Shipping a single piece of furniture is absolutely possible!

When searching for a furniture shipping service that transports single pieces of furniture, be sure to ask if there’s a minimum fee. Some shipping companies employ a minimum fee for singular and small shipments to cover the cost of fuel, tolls, labor and other expenses. With larger shipments, this cost is usually spread out over several items making the cost per item lower.

White Glove Shipping for Valuable and Antique Furniture

White glove shipping services include the assembly of pieces that will require installation or rebuilding upon being delivered to your new location. This type of service reflects the utmost care and attention to detail — white glove shipping can be worth your while if you plan to ship high-value, fragile or delicate items to your new location.

Are There Size Limits to the Type of Furniture You Can Ship?

Some furniture shipping companies have a limit to the dimensions and weight their equipment and vehicles can handle. Luckily, there are furniture shipping companies that specialize in large furniture pieces such as couches, bed frames, mattresses, artworks, armoires and everything in between. These specialized moving companies, like piano movers or pool table movers, for example, have the equipment and expertise needed to transport large items. To ensure your shipping service has this capability, speak with them directly to get an idea of what size and weight restrictions they may have. Some furniture shipping companies may request for you to collapse or break down larger items when possible to fit the dimensions of their vehicle and create a safer transport environment.

Depending on the specific furniture shipping company you choose, and the type of item you wish to transport, additional fees may be added to large furniture shipments for a few reasons:

Space in the vehicle: The size and weight of large pieces of furniture require more space on the truck or trailer.

Proper handling and extra equipment: Moving large furniture items often requires special equipment, such as dollies, straps or lifts to load and unload items without damaging them or causing safety concerns.

Packaging and crating: Large furniture items that are delicate, such as a piano,  may require custom packaging to ensure the most security possible. These materials may be an extra cost for the furniture shipping company.

Insurance: Large furniture items at times have a larger value. For this reason, the furniture shipping company you choose may not have an insurance policy that covers the total cost in the case of damages. You may need to purchase additional insurance coverage to cover the total value of your item and ensure it is protected from potential damage.

An Easy Way to Get Free Furniture Shipping Quotes

Getting a quote from a furniture transport company should be a free and effortless process that makes your furniture shipping journey easier from the start. A simple way to get free furniture quotes is by creating a free listing on CitizenShipper’s marketplace — all you need is the details of the furniture items you wish to transport:

• Dimensions of furniture pieces (length and width)
• Number of items you wish to transport
• Photos of the furniture (listings with photos get twice the number if quotes)
• Ideal pick-up and drop-off locations and dates
• Delivery flexibility (in how many days do you want to receive your items?)
• Special services (GPS tracking, door-to-door furniture delivery, etc.) and equipment (loading power lifts or ramps, for example) you’d like the transporter to provide
• Any other details you want the transporter to know (extra information will help drivers quickly formulate a quote)

Once your listing is live on the marketplace, 2,500+ qualified transporters actively compete for your business, keeping costs low. Most listings receive a quote within minutes

Preparing and Packing Furniture for Shipping

Here are more tips to use while packing furniture for shipping:

• Take measurements of all items to ensure they fit in the shipping vehicle or storage container.
• Wrap the furniture in bubble wrap/bubble packaging, covering all the surfaces and corners to prevent damage.
• Use packing tape to secure the bubble wrap/bubble packaging tightly in place.
• For larger or very fragile items, consider building wooden crates with foam padding inside.
• When using boxes, label each one with your name and address and indicate which boxes are filled with fragile items.
• Label what’s inside each box (“bathroom essentials,” for example) so the transporters can deliver them to the correct area. If you are unpacking yourself, this will also make the process easier.

What You Can’t Pack in a Furniture Moving Truck?

There are some restrictions as to what you can and cannot ship with a furniture shipping service. These items are dangerous to carry in the vehicle, threatening the safety of the movers and other drivers on the road. For example, highly flammable objects, poisons and compressed gasses are a no-go. Make sure to leave out the following items:

1. Liquor and other alcoholic beverages
2. Ammonia
3. Household batteries
4. Bleach
5. Fireworks
6. Gasoline and kerosene
7. Guns and ammunition
8. Lighter fluids
9. Matches
10. Motor oil
11. Nail polish remover
12. Paint
13. Propane tanks
14. Signal flares
15. Spray paint, spray cleaners and hairspray
16. Oxygen tanks
17. Fire extinguishers
18. Weed killers and other gardening chemicals
19. Insecticides and pesticides
20. Cleaning chemicals
21. Pool chemicals

Most furniture shipping companies do not move perishable items such as frozen food, fresh produce or liquids in glass or plastic containers that are prone to breakage or leakage. Additionally, pets require a different type of attention from a shipping service that specializes in animal care. If you’re unable to take your puppy pal on the road with you, pet transporters are widely available through the CitizenShipper marketplace.

Can Furniture Shippers Pack Furniture For You?

It’s common for furniture shipping companies to offer packing services. This service is convenient because it saves you time. Plus, they typically already have packaging materials, so you don’t have to worry about buying your own. When furniture shippers pack for you, they may be able to disassemble large items, add wrapping and padding to fragile pieces or offer custom crating. Custom crating is often used for items that are uniquely shaped or extremely fragile. The crating process offers extra protection — a crate or box, often made of wood with padding inside, is built around the item.

How Much Does Furniture Shipping Cost?

Furniture shipping costs depend on a number of factors, such as:

• Distance between the pick-up and drop-off locations
• Weight and size of the furniture items
• Need for special handling of valuable or fragile items
• Accessibility of pick-up and drop-off locations
• Demand for furniture services in your area

While UPS furniture shipping costs and Fedex furniture shipping rates may be lower in certain instances, both shipping services are typically better suited for smaller and lighter items under the 150-pound limit. If you wish to ship an item over 150 pounds, UPS and FedEx freight services are available but may have size and weight limitations. Additionally, there may not be personnel experienced in handling the type of furniture you wish to ship if it’s a unique or fragile item.

Furniture shipping companies offer competitive rates and may provide specialized services such as assembling and disassembling, packing, or loading and unloading. For cheap furniture shipping in the long run, convenience and proper handling of your precious items, consider hiring a furniture shipping company to move your items for you.

How to Get Affordable Furniture Shipping Rates

The Do’s and Don’ts of finding affordable furniture shipping rates are simple:

Do:

• Provide detailed information about your furniture items to get an accurate quote.
• Consider a transporter that has a shipping method that meets your needs and budget.
• Ship your furniture during off-seasons when possible (outside of holiday seasons and weekends for example).

Don’t:

• Settle for less than greatness: There’s a reliable furniture transporter out there that will work with your price point.
• Be afraid to compare rates from different furniture shipping companies, ask what type of discounts are available and negotiate.
• Wait until the last minute: having flexibility with your pick-up and drop-off dates will lower the price because you give the transporter more time to work with.

Furniture shipping companies hired through CitizenShipper have the freedom to run their small businesses and be their own bosses — they set their own prices and routes. This is especially helpful because furniture shipping is not a one-size-fits-all venture and each transporter may have the ability to be flexible with your budget and timeframe.

Qualities to Look for in a Local Furniture Shipping Company

Once you know what to look for in a furniture shipping company, it becomes easier to narrow down your options to the right match. The following are indicators of quality services:

Experience and Certifications: The furniture transporter you choose should be experienced in handling the particular piece you want moved, and have the proper licenses and certifications to do so. In the United States, for example, commercial furniture transporters are required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to obtain a USDOT number. This number is unique to every furniture shipping company. Its main purposes are to improve safety on the road and protect you from interacting with fraudulent furniture moving companies.

Furniture shipping companies are also required to carry adequate insurance coverage to protect your items and themselves on the road. If you want to be sure your transporter is legitimate as well as properly licensed and insured, you can enter their USDOT number into the FMCSA’s electronic record system. This database will reveal any information the agency has associated with your transport company, including safety records and insurance information.

Reputation: Before you hire a furniture shipping company, check online for reviews that detail the quality of their services. While the furniture shipping company’s prices and services might sound like the right fit on paper, you don’t want to find out they’re too good to be true. Are the majority of people leaving positive feedback, or are they upset about damaged items or hidden fees? Also, pay attention to how the furniture shipping company responds to negative reviews – are they professional? Do they try to resolve the issue with an appropriate solution?

To ensure you are trusting your furniture with someone professional and reliable, every transporter hired through CitizenShipper is vetted and background checked for extra peace of mind. Additionally, you can view each transporter’s average rating on a 5-star scale as well as detailed reviews written by past customers about their services.

Communication: The furniture shipping service you choose should be available to answer any and all questions you may have regarding the following:

• Insurance coverage
• Minimum fees
• Size and weight restrictions
• Level of experience
• Offered guarantees and warranties
• Availability on your desired pick-up and drop-off dates
• Any other concerns that are specific to the items you’re shipping

In addition to communicating directly with your transporter, it's equally important to have access to customer support services in the rare event there is an issue with the transporter or they are unable to answer your questions. Some companies have a 24/7 automated messaging system on their site, while others have a real person you can talk to on the other end of the phone.

All transporters hired through CitizenShipper can be reached through the marketplace’s internal messaging system. If you have any questions prior to booking, you can discuss them directly with the prospective transporter instead of communicating with a dispatcher or third party. Additionally, after booking, you can arrange with the transporter to receive pictures and updates at any point during the transportation of your furniture.

CitizenShipper customer service agents are also available anytime to address your concerns. In fact, they respond 324% faster than the industry average.

Transparent and Competitive Rates: Before committing to hiring a furniture shipping company, compare prices and services with other options. Choose a price that fits in your budget, but be wary of shipping companies that offer price points that are extremely low. This can be an indication of a scam. The price breakdown should be easy to understand with zero fine print that might end up as a hidden fee later on.

CitizenShipper Provides the Best Way to Ship Furniture

CitizenShipper is a reliable, affordable and simple-to-use platform to find your furniture transporter. The marketplace provides you with ample transporters to choose from without the overwhelming nature of a typical online search — you can explore a network of only the best furniture shipping experts near you, at no cost. During the vetting process, each transporter hired through CitizenShipper is verified to have the proper licenses, insurance and experience to get your furniture pieces to the destination safely and efficiently. You can enjoy peace of mind knowing the logistics are handled for you and your precious items are in good hands.

Create a free listing today to discover the furniture-savvy shipper that’s right for you!