Charlie sent us an email.
Dear AT,
I've been searching for weeks to find the perfect shelves for my bedroom (I'm a little picky). I finally found this Enetri shelving unit on Ikea's website that I love. The problem is that I live in Kansas City and the nearest Ikea is in Chicago.
Shipping was something like $280 and after calling them, I realized they only ship locally. Do you or your readers know of any online resources that carry Ikea products and ship nationally? I'm already checking ebay but their selection seems limited.
I need some help. -Charlie
We decided to call in the experts on this one, because we have never tried to purchase anything from IKEA other than in person at one of the stores.
We sent an email on over to Armand, head IKEA fan over at Positive Fanatics and asked for help. He very kindly got in touch with a contact at IKEA, so here is the scoop straight from the source:
The only way to receive IKEA furniture is via the store, the internet or our direct phone sales. When you order on the phone or internet, the customer will pay for shipping. Once the item goes over a certain weight, UPS will no longer take it, it must go freight.
The items that are listed on EBay are items that customers have purchased in one of the three ways listed above and are now reselling.
Alot of our customers are actually from out of town and plan weekend trips and make a mini vacation out of it. Chicago is a beautiful city to visit.
Hope this answers your question,
Thanks
Samantha
Sorry we didn't find a simple solution, Charlie. We even saw an Enteri shelf on craigslist in Chicago today when we were doing the Scavenger post, but it was pick up only! It looks like a trip to Illinois may be in your future.
Anyone have any ideas for Charlie? Shipping workaround suggestions?
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Charlie,
Maybe someone in Chicago would be willing to buy it and ship it to you for the shipping cost + a fee for their time? You could post an ad on Craigslist Chicago. I might be willing to do it, if I could figure out how to package it and which shipper to use. It looks as though it would pack flat. E-mail me at mollysymmonds(at)gmail(dot)com, if you like.
IKEA is in Schaumburg, a suburb of Chicago that's about 30 miles from downtown. Bear that in mind if you're planning a trip. IKEA is quite close to the Container Store, so you could visit both, if that interests you.
Another option might be to have a local carpenter fabricate a bookshelf for you. You've chosen a fairly simple design. The vertical supports could be made from wood, with heavy-duty criss-crossed wires for support, if you like the look.
Don't forget about CB2; they have some attractive, modern designs - and they ship.
-Molly
Check out this Blu Dot bookcase on eBay -
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150052676835
Maybe the seller would send it Greyhound?
Actually, the IKEA bookcase could probably be sent Greyhound for less than $75, but you would have to pick it up at your local station.
Also, you can actually just buy the metal crossbraces and then buy the wood seperately. That might reduce your shipping costs by quite a bit.
i also live in kc, and fyi, the minneapolis IKEA is closer than either chicago location by about two hours. i just drove up there a few weeks ago expressly for that purpose - gas was cheaper than ikea's shipping and it gave me an excuse to visit minneapolis.
I live in Tulsa, and after having looked in all the same places, I finally had to just suck it up and drive to Dallas. KEEP IN MIND- they DO NOT take checks. I didn't know this, and hadn't cashed my paycheck, which was at home on the table, so I wound up driving to Dallas twice in one weekend...
amused, I'm curious. Don't you have a debit card?
I had also looked at that same set of bookshelves a few years ago, and was quite jazzed about them. And when I went to look at them in person, I was...more than underwhelmed. Just saying. I'd make sure to look at it in person before you buy it. If you're really serious about them, find a way to get to an Ikea and look at them. Personally, if I were you, I'd go to the River Market area in KC and get an old bookcase there, I'm sure there are tons of places there.
A couple of months ago I was doing some searching for a simple modern shelving system for my apartment. I came upon a web site http://www.issdesigns.com. They offer a pole mounted system and your choice of shelves in melamine or wood veneer(or you can just order the hardware). I ordered the 2-Bay special for my 60" long shelves. A great option for just $375 plus shipping. A friend saw my shelves and said they remind him of the Omni shelving system that was invented in the 50's. Worth checking out...
I did have a debit card, but since i got paid *that day*, even if I had deposited it then, it wouldn't have been posted and would've been declined. (and i think I had like $15 in my account after paying rent). The idea was to just write a check and then cover it before it had the chance to bounce, but I wound up just having to borrow my mom's Visa instead ... I would have just waited a week, but I had NOTHING in my new place. The ikea receipt, once I got everything I needed, was longer than my arm.