Shipping Furniture: A Furniture Refinisher’s Guide

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You are in the business of refinishing furniture but feel limited by local sales. Does this sound familiar? Then it’s time to consider shipping furniture as an option to potential buyers. This was a game changer for me and it can be for you too! While it is expensive to ship, trust me, there are buyers out there who are willing to pay for your one-of-a-kind piece. And remember, a lot of mass-produced furniture comes with high delivery fees as well.

Two men loading a piece of furniture into a truck.

Looking to ship a single piece of furniture?

This article stems from one I wrote last week about selling furniture on Etsy. So be sure to check that out if it is something you’re interested in. So, this article is great if you are looking to sell furniture on Etsy, However, it is useful for shipping furniture after a sale from anywhere. Or even if you are not in this business at all and just looking to get one piece from point A to point B without hiring a moving company.

White moving truck

Shipping furniture with uShip

So how do you do this? Enter uShip. This is a service where you create a shipping listing and shippers will submit bids. You can review the bids, look at the shipper’s profile (including reviews), and ask questions directly before choosing a bid. You pay when you accept a bid and uShip holds the payment until the item has been delivered.

I do have several shippers that I’ve used several times and have a relationship with. I’m able to reach out to them directly, but this came over time. Using uShip is hands down the easiest way to get started in my opinion and makes finding a shipper an easy process (and this is in no way a sponsored post, just my honest experience).

Information you’ll need for a uShip listing

To start a uShip listing you’ll need a few pieces of information. I find it helpful to have everything pulled together before sitting down to create a listing.

  1. Dimensions and weight
  2. Photos of the piece
  3. Pickup and delivery addresses
  4. Restrictions from your buyer (timing, apartment or stairs, etc…)
  5. Other special instructions (anything else you’d like to communicate to shippers)

Create your listing

  1. Using either the app or website, create an account to get started. Click on “ship” and fill in all of the initial requested information.
  2. This will bring you to a page with an average shipping estimate. you can use this to get a sense, but it’s not necessarily accurate. If it is high I will usually reach out to the potential buyer and let them know I’m still working on their quote but it’s likely to be at least the number estimated. If it’s within my expected range (I have this in my Etsy listings and will also communicate this upfront to potential buyers) I will usually just go ahead. You don’t want to go through all the work of finding a good quote if it’s clearly out of the buyer’s price range. This may be a bit messy at first, but some experience will help you understand what is average for you.
  3. You then need to decide if you want to set an offer price, or get competing quotes. I generally select competing quotes but it’s totally up to you. Next, put in any date restrictions and select service type. I like to have the shipper blanket wrap for me. Add a photo or two and any other special instructions. And create your listing!
  4. Now sit back and wait for quotes to come in. The time this takes varies depending on pickup and dropoff locations. I like to wait for several quotes if possible, make sure I have at least one that I’m comfortable with, and then share that with my potential buyer. And remember, uShip does charge a fee, so make sure you are including that in your price.

uShip program for Etsy sellers

I have been shipping using uShip for a few years, but just recently stumbled across this program. You register your Esty shop with uShip and then get a small discount on every completed shipment. You just need to remember to get your quotes through their specific Etsy link to qualify. All the details can be found here. Every little bit counts!

Man moving furntiture

Time to take action!

As I said at the start, shipping furniture is one of the best business decisions I’ve made. It is a little more work than just selling locally, so make sure your prices reflect that. Like most things in this business, the most important piece of advice I have is to just start. I hope this guide provides some valuable information and gives you the confidence to give it a try!

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Want to take your furniture business to the next level? I’m here to help. I’ve been running my own furniture business for 5 years and managing small businesses for more than 10. I want to help you maximize your potential. Sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss any of my new business-related articles.