How to Pack and Ship Furniture
When moving or even just picking up new furniture, you have the option to either save yourself the headache and get professionals to do the heavy lifting for you or do it yourself and save the money. However, doing it yourself will require you to deal with the inconvenience of the moving process and take responsibility for the condition of your furniture while moving. Doing it yourself can be good because having your furniture in your possession can provide more peace of mind to some owners than handing it off to strangers, for instance.
Here are some factors to consider if you are going to move your furniture yourself.
Insurance for Furniture
Any time you are moving expensive furniture, you should always get insurance first. Otherwise, in the worst-case scenario and something happens during the moving process and your furniture is damaged or ruined, you would be entirely out of luck and need to replace it. That includes paying the total price of rebuying the same furniture if you wanted or needed that particular piece. To give yourself some peace of mind, always get your valuable furniture insured. This way, if something happens in transportation, you can be reimbursed either entirely or partially, depending on the insurance.
How to Pack Furniture
Packing furniture isn't always the bane of everyone's existence. The process is much smoother and easier with a bit of expertise or research beforehand. When packing and shipping furniture, the packing process depends mainly on the distance to the destination and secondly on the size and shape of the furniture. For instance, if your piece is traveling less than 300 miles, using moving blankets should be sufficient for most of your household goods. When shipping furniture, long distances take more extensive packing measures. Smaller items such as lamps can be packed in boxes with packing paper, packing peanuts, or other materials to prevent them from being damaged in transport.
For these smaller items, find a box that comes the closest to being the right size for these smaller furnishings. Box size is important because you will want the least movement inside to prevent your goods from being damaged. Then you will fill it with packing paper, packing peanuts, or packing bubble wrap. Next, to keep it from opening while in transit, you will want to use some packing tape on the box. But this differs from more oversized furniture such as a table or dresser.
For oversized furniture with sharp edges, you will want to get corner protectors. Corner protectors can protect your big, high-end furniture from having the edges damaged while in transport. Next, wrap the entire furniture piece in packing paper, making sure not to tape directly onto it. After wrapping the item in packing paper, if your furnishing has drawers or doors, you can wrap them in place using a plastic film, like Saran Wrap, to secure them. Purchase a large roll of corrugated cardboard and packing tape to create a custom box. Unfortunately, finding a large box for furniture this big is challenging, so you may have to purchase a custom box online. Place the large container onto a wooden pallet and secure it with wood screws. Next, place your packed furniture into the box, tape it closed, and band it to the pallet. Finally, wrap the container in plastic film and label it with the appropriate labels and paperwork.
How to Ship Furniture
After packing the furniture, it is time to ship it.
Long Distance Shipping
Since your item is packed and palletized, shipping your furniture is as easy as calling the shipping company of your choice and scheduling a pickup. Let them know they will need a liftgate. At the destination, you will need to unpack your goods and move them into your home.
Local Moves
If your destination is local or under 300 miles, you need to take your carefully prepared and insured furniture and pack it into a vehicle. The vehicle can be a more extensive, personal truck or even a rented Uhaul truck or van. You will want to take care that you pack everything into the vehicle to prevent movement as much as possible. You will also want to keep fragile items away from the heavier items that may damage them if they were to move. You can also use smaller, durable items and place them in between more oversized furniture to keep it from moving around as much.
Double-check that your items are adequately packed into the vehicle, with sufficient buffer to ensure nothing moves too much or will sustain damage. Double-check that your goods are tied down properly. After that, you will need to check your vehicle to ensure it is in good shape for the journey ahead. Make sure it has enough gas, air in the tires, and the appropriate fluids.
After that, you are ready for your journey. You can hit the road to reach your destination. You will need to avoid any potholes, sharp turns at high speeds, and anything else that could move your furniture around too much and potentially cause damage. While this sounds like it could be tedious, it is straightforward, especially if you know which incredibly bumpy roads you should avoid. After that, once you reach your destination, you would need to unpack everything carefully. Any furniture damaged in transit should be reimbursed to you by the insurance company you chose to insure your move.
The Benefits Of Hiring Professionals
Now that you know how to pack and ship furniture, you can save money by doing the work yourself. While the cost savings may not be as much as one might imagine, you do gain the experience and peace of mind of shipping the goods yourself. One problem that occurs is when a different entity other than the shipper packs your items and damage occurs, there can be difficulties with insurance claims.
Using a professional packing and shipping company like Ship Smart can be beneficial. Not only do we discount the shipping cost of your furniture shipment, but we also insure the entire shipment from the pickup to the delivery. If you need help shipping your furniture cross country or internationally, call us for a fast, free estimate.
