How to Ship Furniture Across the Country

The transportation of furniture items across the country is not a regular parcel shipment that we send/receive every month. Figuring out how to ship furniture could be challenging, and the way it would work for you depends on factors such as the size, weight, and shape of your furniture.

Some pieces of furniture could be transported by a regular shipping service, while other, larger pieces might require a dedicated furniture shipping company.

This quick guide will break down everything you need to know about shipping furniture across the country, shipping furniture costs, methods, and, of course, the most cost-effective approach.

How to Ship a Single Piece of Furniture

When you only need to transport a single piece of furniture, for instance, a table, sofa, bed, or even a couple of chairs, you need to think about how not to overpay. In many cases, when you need to ship a large volume of furniture, you’ll be offered the FTL (Full-Truck-Load) service, which means that an entire truck is dedicated to only your furniture.

When your furniture is not enough to fill an entire truck, you need to ask the furniture shipping company for a LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) service. Here, your furniture will be mixed with other senders’ shipments, but surely you only pay for the portion of the truck that your items occupy.

Important: Get an Estimate!

Whenever you’re dealing with only one, even if a large piece of furniture, it’s important to get an estimate and verify that you’re not going to pay for a full truck. So, before booking, try to acquire an estimated shipping cost, providing the furniture’s size and weight.

Hence, if you don’t know how to ship one piece of furniture to another state, speak with shipping experts and ask for insurance. Everything comes down to careful planning and peace of mind.

LTL Accessorials for Furniture Shipping

As we’ve discussed, when you are shipping one piece of furniture, LTL shipping would be the perfect approach, but what about additional shipping costs?

Several add-on services come hand-in-hand with shipping furniture, called LTL accessorials, which can make your shipment safe and convenient.

• Liftgate Service: A liftgate service is primarily used when there is no loading dock or other way to move the large and heavy furniture items.

• Inside Pickup or Delivery: There is an option for the receiver/sender to acquire help from the driver moving the piece of furniture in or out of your home.

• Residential Delivery: A residential delivery applies whenever you ship furniture to another state and the destination point is a private residence.

• Appointment Delivery: You can schedule the exact delivery time, so you can arrange someone to be present when the furniture shipment arrives.

• Insurance Coverage: This is optional, but when dealing with cross-country furniture shipping, your furniture is mixed with others’ items, exposing it to potential damage.

Preparing Furniture for Shipment

Before your furniture items can be loaded onto a truck, you need to consider preparing them, especially if you’re using an LTL service.

The rule of thumb here is to disassemble everything that can be taken apart. This involved the table’s legs, the bed frames, and taking the shelf apart. Then, compacting it in a way that can prepare the items for a bumpy ride across the country.

The next important moment here is to wrap every part in protective packing materials such as bubble wrap, nylon, or even blankets. Wrap everything!

How to Pack Furniture for Shipment

If you are wondering the best protective cover for your items when shipping furniture across the country, we recommend taking a look at the table below:

Cross-Country Furniture Shipping Methods

If you’re wondering how to ship furniture to another state, there are several furniture shipping services you need to consider:

1. Freight Shipping

One of the most, perhaps “the” most cost-effective way to ship furniture to another state is via LTL shipping by sharing truck space with others. This way, you only pay for the space your piece of furniture occupies, making it perfect for those of you who don’t need a full truck space.

2. Full Service Movers

If you’re looking for a stress-free and kind of a hands-off approach, the full-service moves can handle everything from packing and shipping to loading and unloading.

There is also a high-quality white glove delivery, which is more expensive, but undoubtedly, the best way to deal with very expensive, fragile, and important pieces of furniture.

3. Portable Containers or Pods

The middle-ground between DIY moving and hiring furniture shipping companies is the portable containers or pods, allowing you to move anything you load. This way, you’re in control of the schedule, handling points, and shipping furniture costs.

4. Parcel or Courier Services

If you’re wondering how to ship a piece of furniture, which is not that big, like a bundle of chairs, a table, or shipping a couch, you can try parcel or the traditional couriers. This is definitely the cheapest way to ship furniture out of state, as long as it’s compact and can fit within the vehicle.

Undoubtedly, the best way to ship furniture is via companies that ship furniture or LTL service!

How Much Does It Cost to Ship Furniture

Telling exactly how much your furniture shipping will cost is difficult, but it can be estimated “roughly”, based on what you need to transport.

Here are a few examples:

Furniture Shipping - What To Do After Delivery

Once the furniture shipment has been delivered, whoever’s there to receive it must definitely spare a minute or two, while the diver is there, to inspect.

We recommend checking every piece of furniture, and checking for any visible damage, so you can claim a reclamation before it’s too late. Sometimes, you might find damage that was not originally there, so it’s also recommended to take a screenshot of the furniture’s condition before the actual hauling process, so you can compare later.

How to File a Claim if a Piece of Furniture is Damaged

So, now you know how to ship furniture across the country, but what happens when you ship a sofa and it comes damaged? In those cases, you need to act quickly and provide photo evidence of the furniture before its arrival – ideally at the time of loading.

Otherwise, the cost of shipping furniture will bubble up for you when you have to pay for repairs.

Filing a claim typically happens through the insurer, as they will explain everything you need to do to acquire potential insurance return.

We hope you’ve learned how do you ship furniture, how much is it to ship furniture, and what to watch out for when it’s time to move through your shipment.