This is the scene: You've escaped to another city for the weekend, and decide to visit a local flea market. And blammo! You see it. The white unicorn of the furniture world. The holy grail of decor. An amazing vintage _____________ (insert name of coveted item here) that would work perfectly in your new apartment.
You cautiously lift the price tag and realize that it's only $50. Your elation quickly turns to dread because crap, how will you get it home? Your mental wheels start spinning: Is Uncle Bob still moving cousin Sheila across country next month, and will he swing by Tennessee to pick it up for you? Do you want to make a marathon drive next weekend to get it yourself? Will it even fit in the Prius? What to do, what to do…?
Here are several ways to get your new-found love back home, ranging from no frills hassle to white glove service.
$ Greyhound Package Xpress: Greyhound buses use their extra cargo space to ship cross country on a space available policy. You both drop off and pick up the item at bus stations on either end. If both Point A and Point B are businesses, you can pay a little bit more for door to door service. The maximum weight is 100 lbs and any one piece can't exceed 30" x 47" x 82". Once your piece has arrived, you'll have 72 hours to pick it up before they charge you a storage fee. Chances are good that Greyhound will be the cheapest by far, but it requires the extra step of getting a large, bulky item to and/or from the bus station.
$$ Basic Freight Service: Freight companies provide door-to-door service and there are no size or weight limits. When the piece arrives, you also might have to unload it yourself with the help of some very kind friends. The downside of this method is that it can sometimes take months for your item to be picked up for delivery. If you aren't in a rush, can't pick the item up at the local bus station, but still want to save a few bucks, this might be an option for you.
$$$ White Glove Service: If you aren't in a schlepping mood, most companies also offer better service options. The ultimate experience is them packing it up on one end, then unpacking and assembling for you on the other end. It's no surprise that this can be more expensive. If you are in a rush, and money's not a factor, use this service.
Ask questions and make sure you know what you are getting with your quote. My two favorites are: "Do I have to pack this, or do you?" and "Is there a way to send this less expensively?"
Sample Quotes
I used uShip to compile a few quotes from actual companies, just to give you an idea.
Shipment #1 Information
Item: Antique Tuba Trunk
From: Saint Louis, MO 63118
To: Houston, TX 77057
Distance: 840 miles
Dimensions: 27" H x 32" W x 44" L.
Weight: 110 lbs.
Shipment #1 Quotes
Greyhound: Not possible for items over 100 lbs.
Freight Company (No Frills): $230
Freight Company (White Glove): $306
Shipment #2 Information
Item: Rattan Chair
From: Saint Louis, MO 63118
To: St. Petersburg, FL 33715
Distance: 1043 miles
Dimensions: 30" x 30" x 25"
Weight: 35 lbs.
Shipment #2 Quotes
Greyhound: $53.20
Freight Company (No Frills): $124
Freight Company (White Glove): $306
(Images: Dabney Frake)
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this is awesome and useful. i wish my two roommates had known about this before they just sold EVERY piece of furniture they own because they were moving upstate and only have tiny cars.
@cdica002 - How did they move all of their other stuff? Couldn't they have put furniture in a moving truck?
These are great tips! Also, if you are purchasing large pieces from a B&M shop or an online shop (rather than at a flea market), we will often do the research and gather the price quotes for you, or at a minimum provide recommendations of freight carriers and white glove delivery companies. We've been through the process a few times over, so we can guide you and take some of the scariness out of it.
Ha, I bought my car (a small hatch-back crossover with fold-down back seats) just to overcome this issue. :) However, it's still not huge so the one item I still really need, a buffet/credenza for the dining room, would definitely not fit. But chairs, rugs and other items fit like a charm!
Any tips for shipping from international locations? I'm planning a trip to the Paris Flea Market next spring and I have a slight suspicion that I may come upon something that won't make it back on the plane.
I bought two chairs from an eBay seller in the Midwest and used Freighters and Craters to get them to ABQ - good service, no worries. Not cheap, but one less thing to worry about during a move.
@Oldhousejunkie - Because a lot of major European cities like Paris get a ton of international travelers, many shops will be set up for shipping internationally. If not, you can always look into having your item picked up by Fedex or UPS (both ship internationally to the US). They might not be the cheapest (I don't know) but because they're based in the US, you'll be able to talk to their customer service before you leave and get more information on how to ship things back home while you're overseas.
One additional note for using standard freight, do some research and only deal with a company that specializes in furniture. Also ask about the size of their trucks, you will find that some companies are not able to deliver to your house because their trucks are too large to maneuver on residential streets.
Personally, I like to have items ship standard freight to a local delivery/moving company and then have them deliver. I get the white glove delivery but keep costs down [somewhat]; they'll also check for damages and schedule the delivery with me instead of me being at the mercy of the freight driver.
@Rachael - Now *that* is an interesting and helpful suggestion I'd never considered!
Since I refuse to fly, I'd be in my SUV and would just haul it up in the back. :P
Another good reason to drive an SUV and not a Smart car. ;)
In '93 when I moved from the East coast to the West, I shipped my bike in a box plus 3 other boxes with Amtrak's parcel service for $45. It took 3 days. The only drawback was that you had to drop off and pick up at the train station. It worked out well for me.
Great info!
I don't have a car and am not much of a driver anyway, so this is useful for someone like me.
As it is, I wind up ordering most of my furniture and large, heavy elements from big catalog retailers, since the delivery costs tend to be pretty reasonable overall and they have a good reputation for delivering stuff intact.
(Of course, the downside to that is you wind up owning a lot of stuff that everyone else probably owns. Oh, well, everything has its pros and cons.)