Guide to Shipping Furniture Cross Country

by on

Moving is one of life’s most stressful events because you are uprooting your life and moving to a new place. While you are looking forward to a new beginning, you may also feel anxious at the thought of the logistics of the move.  When preparing for a move, you may need to move your furniture to your new home instead of buying new ones. There are easy solutions to moving your furniture efficiently.  Read on for some tips on how to ship your furniture safely cross country that will make your move smoother.

When you are shipping your treasured furniture it is important to find a shipping service that is reliable and one which you can trust.

1. Choose your shipping company. 

There are many shipping companies out there who can help you with your move but searching for them on the internet or phone book can be very time consuming since you are already bogged down with the packing of your belongings.  This is where online shipping platforms such as Shiply can help to connect you with a list of its rated furniture movers that best fit your requirements.  All you have to do is fill in some information and the quotes will be emailed to you.  That way, you can compare rates and services all in one place.  Check them out here – https://www.shiply.com/us/furniture-shipping for more information.

2. Pick the appropriate size shipping box 

You may want to look at getting individual shipping boxes for certain pieces of furniture. You may also choose to use one larger box to hold the shelves and legs from several pieces of furniture. When shipping large furniture, you may even need to create your own shipping box out of cardboard.  It is best to get a box that is specifically designed to fit your furniture as having extra space in the box may increase the risk of damage during transit.

3. Make sure your furniture is empty.

If you have bookshelves, remember to take the books out and also any contents in the drawers.   Be sure to also remove the contents of chests and other storage furniture. Take this opportunity to declutter any items that you no longer want or need. Shipping these loose items separately will reduce the potential damage to the items and the furniture.

4. Remove the legs off of your furniture.

If there are furniture parts that can be taken apart or remove easily, please do so.  You can reassemble it after you have moved to your new home. Remember to take a picture of the assembled furniture first to make reassembly simpler.

5. Pack everything securely. 

To keep all the smaller pieces and hardware together, use bags or boxes that are cushioned with packing materials. Remember to keep all screws and connectors in bags and attached them to larger pieces of the furniture.  This will help you to identify which small pieces go with which pieces of furniture.

6. Add paddings to the edges of tables, chairs.

Your shipping company will provide styrofoam packing which offers a layer of protection for your furniture. Do add padding around anything that you do not want to be scratched. This will help prevent bangs, scratches, and broken pieces.  Attach the packing material to the furniture with packing tape.

Cost of Shipping Furniture

There are several factors that determine the cost of shipping furniture including:

  • Weight of furniture –  Heavy furniture such as antiques will cost considerably more to ship than lighter pieces.
  • Size of furniture – No matter the weight, if the furniture takes up a great deal of space in the truck when shipped, your furniture will likely to cost more to ship.
  • Distance of the move – Shipping cross country will be cheaper compared to shipping overseas due to special packaging and mileage.

You may also like