We needed a few things from IKEA this week, but we were seriously short on time AND we didn't have a car. So we got on Craigslist and called a few of the IKEA pickup and delivery services that advertise there. We hooked up with Eric's IKEA Delivery Alternative and it was really easy and pleasant...
Eric covers the area IKEAs - Paramus, Elizabeth, Red Hook - and offers four packages depending on how much time you need. For $80 you can get picked up with your packages and driven home. For $95 you can do a round trip with one hour shopping time, and for $110 you can have two hours of shopping time. His 4th package, the Titanium Package, is the most popular. For $110 customers can email Eric a list of the items they want from Ikea and he will do the shopping and delivery for them - a great option for those tight on time! He also offers assembly service at $35/hour.
>>Check out Maxwell's original review on 9-21-2006 for more comments and opinions!
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Comments (22)
Does anyone if there is a service like this for the Seattlle IKEA?
I wish I could hire someone to drive 4 hours to dallas and haul some IKEA junk back for me.
Doesn't seem like much of a service. For $110 - or less - you can rent a car in Manhattan for a full day. (That includes getting the additional insurance for those of us who don't have any - because we don't own a car.) And there are free buses to the Elizabeth location on the weekends from Port Authority. Haven't tried Red Hook, but there is a water taxi and MTA buses there too.
Homebody - I'd like to know exactly where you are renting your car. I believe the cheapest car rentals in Manhattan are through Zipcar which starts at $125 per day but requires you to pay membership fees.
At the twin cities Ikea, there is a Rent-a-Car (or some similar company) booth right at the exit by the Ikea home delivery desk. We rented a van from them because my car was too small to get everything home. It only cost $35! Can't beat THAT with a stick!
Zipcar in NYC actually starts at $77 a day.
Avis is where I rent - I do sometimes get a discount with some program they gave me once when they screwed up my rental. I've also heard if you are wiling to go to Newark airport you can get cheaper rentals, but then there is the hassle.
The other trick in Manhattan is to rent sub-compact because they never actually have small cars and give you a larger upgrade for free. I've never once had this backfire.
Now this sounds like a good business to start---I hope Eric has good insurance........
doesn't zipcar have hourly rates? here in philly we have two car share systems - zipcar and philly car share. you can get a pickup truck for about $6-$8/hour. there are two membership plans, one with a monthly fee (lower hourly fee) and one with no monthly fee (higher hourly rates). there are no startup fees, etc. not sure about zipcar. i don't imagine it would take a whole day for ikea, even in new york. maybe 4 hours? everything in new york is more expensive, but there must be a way that costs less than $80.
Enterprise Rent A Car in Astoria (31st Street) seems consistently to be the cheapest car rental in nyc and it's less than a block from the subway station.
I had a dream where I was kidnapped by aliens and still made my twice daily call to IKEA about the restocking situation with my Melltorp. The guy wanted a number to call me back and I had to tell him I didn't have one, and that I wasn't even sure the call was real, the aliens might be playing a trick on me. [He said "Ooooook" and we hung up.]
Can't sleep, Ikea will eat me.
Heidi--
That wasn't a dream - IKEA will eat you...
Ikea Brooklyn has a free shuttle to and from the courthouse on Fulton St.
Hopefully after today, when I pick up my darn table, I will be done with Ikea for another 5-10 years... I like their stuf and all, but damn with the restocking sitch!
Because our store is located between the airport and Pittsburgh, there's a bunch of both small and large PAT busses that will take you around the area and downtown. Although, it's not a furniture friendly option - the Ikea parking lot has had no less than 10 rented vans last time we were there!
I wished we had an Ikea store here in the Kansas City area.
I actually emailed and commented to their customer service. There was a nice little reply saying that they're expanding... building 5 stores a year (?) for the next 10 years. So hopefully, they'll choose Kansas City....
Does anyone know if Eric has expanded to cover brooklyn?
According to his website he has. I find the $110 we do the shopping for you option enticing. It would prevent me from adding $250 worth of unplanned purchases to my cart :-)
I can get my stuff home in zipcar fine - its the assembly that kills me on the bigger items....
I believe that Ikea Brooklyn will deliver up to 1,500 lbs for $79 dollars. If you live in a walk up that is above the 3rd floor it is an extra $15 bucks per floor.
Been a Zipcar member for two years... No monthly fee, only annual one. Can't be beat, but it is cheaper on weekdays due to heavy demand on weekends.
Now if only I could get somebody to haul my Ikea booty up to the fifth floor.
Hi Cojaclynsy, I agree that Kansas City needs an Ikea, but I have a solution until we get an Ikea. I run Blue Box Delivery LLC which is an Ikea Delivery Alternative for Kansas City. You save close to 50% of what Ikea charges to deliver to Kansas City. You place your order on our website www.blueboxdelivery.com, pay securely through paypal, we drive to Ikea in Dallas, we shop for your Ikea items, and ship them back to Kansas City where you can pick them up at our warehouse. We can also deliver to your home and assemble if you choose. Facebook and e-mail subscribers receive discounts. Please tell your friends that Blue Box Delivery LLC makes Ikea possible in Kansas City!