How to Ship Furniture

Selling and shipping furniture online is one of the toughest aspects of eCommerce. Creating a professional website to sell furniture is the easy part — but shipping the furniture itself is the hard part!

Successful furniture shipping in eCommerce means taking into account many aspects, including cost, choosing the right courier and packing the furniture safely for shipping. But learning how to ship furniture is easy with our guide.

Here’s a quick but detailed look at furniture shipping costs, the cost-effective way to ship furniture, which couriers work best and how to actually pack and ship your furniture safely — even if it's going to travel across the country.

Fortunately, working with a logistics partner like Easyship makes the process of shipping furniture, which can be complex and costly, easy, cost-efficient, and fast.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship Furniture?

Furniture shipping costs vary according to a number of important factors to consider closely when researching the best way to ship furniture. Some of these include:

• Item size
• Dimensions
• Weight of the item
• Value of the item
• Distance of the shipment
• Courier selection

Item size and dimensions are usually the main factors in determining the cost of any shipment — and with shipping furniture, they’re especially important. Accurate calculation of the size and dimensions can help save your business a lot of money in furniture shipping costs, so be sure to measure everything carefully, so you don’t overpay.

Item weight is another key factor when you consider how to ship furniture. As heavy items are harder to move, your furniture shipping costs may increase due to the limited number of ways they can be transported, often either by sea freight shipping or by truck LTL shipping. Some furniture items may also need insurance as an added layer of protection — another cost factor to consider carefully.

The distance of your shipment is another key factor in determining your furniture shipping costs.  Relatively affordable truck delivery services may be used for short-distance deliveries, but if your company is shipping furniture long-distance or across the country, you’ll likely need another mode of transportation. Such as less than load (LTL) freight.

The same goes for shipping furniture cross-border to other countries. Typically, increasing the distance of your furniture shipments will increase the overall cost of the shipping services.

What is the Cheapest Way to Ship Furniture?

Similarly, the cheapest way to ship furniture also depends on a number of factors that should be taken into account when choosing the most affordable courier to use. Specifically, these include:

• Weight. Weight is a crucial factor, as heavier, more cumbersome pieces of furniture or their shipping boxes may be limited in how they can be shipped, meaning that your transportation costs will likely be impacted.
• Item size. Much like weight, item size is also very important in determining shipping costs. Not surprisingly, Larger furniture items will typically cost more to ship than smaller ones.
• Shipment distance. Shipments going further distances, like furniture shipped across the country, will likely cost more overall in shipping costs.

Additionally, another factor that impacts cost is how many local and international couriers you might need to use for first and last-mile delivery and order fulfillment.

For example, if you’re shipping to an international destination from the United States, you may have to use local couriers for last-mile delivery, which will in turn impact your shipping costs overall.

The bottom line is that many factors impact furniture shipping costs, making it very important to measure and weigh your shipment carefully and to choose the courier that offers the most affordable shipping option.

Fortunately, Easyship makes this very simple. Our shipping rates calculator is a very useful tool in determining the couriers that offer the most affordable furniture shipping options, helping you choose which works best for your eCommerce business.

How to Find the Cheapest Way to Ship Furniture in the US?

If you are shipping to customers on the other side of the country, you might be expecting expensive shipping costs and slow delivery times, however with the right tools this isn't necessarily the case. To break down the cheapest shipping rates available, in this example we are going to ship a large package over 2,500 miles from New York City to Los Angeles.

We will use the following dimensions and plug this into the Easyship Shipping Rate Calculator to compare pre-negotiated rates from the top shipping services:

• Weight of package: 30lb
• Box Dimensions: 30in x 30in x 10in
• Origin: New York City, NY
• Destination: Los Angeles, CA

To help you analyze the cheapest shipping label options available, we have ranked each service, based on the estimated prices from over 550+ global courier services. While also focusing on the estimated number of business days it takes to arrive at the shipping address, plus the type and quality of tracking available.

‍

Related: How to ship large and heavy items

Which Courier is Best for Furniture Shipping?

Many couriers are available for shipping furniture both domestically and internationally. UPS furniture shipping and FedEx furniture shipping are two reliable options specifically, as is DHL.

Shipping Furniture with UPS

UPS furniture shipping offers packing and shipping for both domestic and cross-border destinations. UPS allows you to choose which type of packaging you’d like to use when shipping furniture, offering a variety of custom crates, protective wraps and blankets to make sure your furniture shipments arrive safe and sound.

Shipping Furniture with FedEx

FedEx furniture shipping is another solid option. They offer next-day delivery within the US at competitive shipping rates.

This is where the Easyship shipping rates calculator comes in handy. By comparing shipping companies, costs, delivery times, and other factors, you can gain a much more transparent view into which courier works best for your own furniture shipping needs.

How to Ship Furniture

Shipping furniture is a whole process. It entails careful disassembly, packing and choosing an affordable courier. Here's a quick look at how to ship furniture successfully, from an eCommerce perspective.

• Order the correct-sized shipping box. This can be a cardboard box or wooden crate, depending on factors like shipment distance and what exactly is being shipped. If you're shipping furniture that is especially large and irregularly sized, and you can’t find the right box, you can create one using large corrugated box sheets and crafting them to fit your piece's dimensions. Instead of making sharp folded corners, keep them a bit round, so they conform to the furniture better.
• Remove any detachable parts of the furniture. These include things like table legs and armrests on chairs. If these more fragile components aren’t detachable, wrap them carefully in foam or bubble wrap.
• Wrap the furniture in Styrofoam. Use packing tape to secure the Styrofoam itself onto the pieces when you ship furniture.
• Place the furniture inside the box or make a box around it. If you’re making a box, cut the cardboard sheet for the lid, making it wider than the top of the box so you can turn the edges while packing it. Tape the box very securely once the furniture is inside.
• Use polypropylene strapping around the box to keep it intact. Accidents happen, so try to avoid hem and make sure you secure all the sides of the box carefully when you ship furniture.
• Measure and weigh the package accurately. Proper measurements and weight metrics will help determine the cost of the shipment and which courier to use to ship furniture.
• Check courier websites or use the Easyship rates calculator to determine your shipping costs and courier options. Be sure to weigh your options carefully (pun intended!) to choose the one that’s best for you, whether you’re looking for something affordable, fast or the best value overall.
• Choose your courier. If it’s a one-time shipment, place an order for pickup online. If this isn’t an option, take the furniture shipment to the nearest courier location. Most couriers offer pickup for heavy furniture however, and if you ship regularly, be sure to open an account with one to see if you can leverage any volume shipment discounts or membership perks.

What is the Best Way to Ship Furniture?

Shipping furniture is something that’s difficult for eCommerce companies to do successfully. However, by accurately calculating your furniture shipping costs, choosing the most affordable courier, and packing the furniture properly before shipping it, you’ll find that furniture shipping isn’t quite as intimidating as it seems!

Easyship, already trusted by furniture companies like BackStrong, also offers tailor-made furniture shipping solutions for eCommerce companies. Our affordable, reliable hybrid solutions are perfect for first-mile and last-mile shipping.  As the leading eCommerce shipping and logistics platform, we have negotiated exclusive discounts with our network of over 250+ couriers.

Some of our major discounts include the following:

In addition to substantial savings, Easyship offers an array of user-friendly shipping tools. Streamline your furniture shipping and create a delivery experience customers love with these popular features:

1. Shipping Rate Calculator: Effortlessly compare shipping rates from different carriers using our shipping rate calculator. Ensure you always offer cost-effective shipping options to your customers
2. Courier Comparison Tool: Upgrade your shipping strategy by assessing diverse shipping services from each courier. Consider factors beyond cost to choose the most suitable way to ship your furniture
3. Insurance: Ensure the safety of your valuable furniture during transit with insurance coverage of up to $10,000, reinforcing confidence and peace of mind
4. Tracking: Nurture buyer satisfaction by providing custom-branded tracking emails and automatic message alerts throughout the delivery process, maintaining transparency

Shipping Furniture Frequently Asked Questions

How can I ship large or heavy furniture to a country in Europe?

Retail shipping rates are costly. Easyship offers up to 91% off discounted shipping rates for 550+ courier solutions and offers automatic label generation so that you can have a seamless shipping experience.

How do I ship furniture from China to the USA?

Easyship offers high-volume discounts for shipping overseas to China. For instance, you can save $88.30 with UPS Worldwide Saver when shipping furniture to China.

Should furniture eCommerce businesses offer free shipping on furniture delivery by increasing the prices of the products to absorb the shipping fees?

It depends on the profit margins for your eCommerce businesses. Be sure to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.

How to ship one piece of furniture?

To ship one piece of furniture, measure and weigh it accurately, wrap it in Styrofoam and packing tape, and place it in a sturdy cardboard box.

How to ship a chair?

To ship a chair, remove any detachable parts, wrap them carefully in foam or bubble wrap, and place the chair in a sturdy cardboard box.

How to ship a couch?

To ship a couch, disassemble it if possible, wrap each piece carefully in foam or bubble wrap, and place the pieces in a sturdy cardboard box.