Furniture Transport and Logistics: How to Move Your Furniture Smartly

Moving furniture is one of those tasks that sounds simple until you’re knee-deep in logistics. It often calls for in-home, white glove delivery, a level of service that demands extra care, timing, and coordination. At FreightWise, we understand these challenges—and we’re here to make furniture transport simpler, smarter, and more profitable for your business.

The Ecommerce Effect: Bigger Items, Bigger Challenges

The ecommerce boom means more customers expect large and oversized items delivered straight to their doorstep. Shipping bulky products like sofas, dining tables, and even home essentials such as linens, pillows, and rugs via parcel carriers adds layers of complexity. Parcel carriers often charge based on dimensional weight—meaning you pay for the space your item takes up, not just its weight. Combine that with oversized fees, and costs can quickly spiral if you’re not careful.

That’s why accurate, detailed cost management is key.

What Is the Cheapest Way to Transport Furniture?

When it comes to moving furniture, the cheapest way isn’t always the most obvious. Here’s what we’ve learned:

• Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Shipping often saves money —Instead of hiring a full truck, LTL lets you share space with other shippers. It’s cost-efficient for medium to large pieces, such as sofas or bedroom sets, especially if you carefully bundle shipments. However, less-than-truckload shipments since your products are on a truck with other shipments that sometimes leaves you subject to potentially more damages (read: potential claims).
• Parcel Shipping for Furniture is often an option (especially for ecommerce sites) that retailers and manufacturers like. It requires minimal coordination from the recipient, no appointment setting, etc. But while there is no coordination with the end-user, be aware that parcel carriers like UPS and FedEx continue to add oversize or overdimensional charges, which could add $100 or more to an already high shipping cost. So it is important to consider the coordination with the consumer with the potential additions in surcharges and accessorials.  

Other furniture logistics considerations to keep in mind. 

Consolidate shipments where possible —Combining multiple items or orders into one shipment maximizes space and reduces per-unit costs.

• Avoid unnecessary accessorials —Services like inside delivery, liftgate, or residential delivery come with extra fees. Planning your delivery routes and understanding customer needs helps control these costs.
• Negotiate contracts with carriers based on your shipment profiles —Having a detailed breakdown of your shipping needs (including SKU-level data and accessorial frequency) gives you leverage to secure better rates.
• While parcel shipping can be handy for smaller components or accessories, for large furniture pieces, LTL tends to be the most budget-friendly choice—provided you manage those accessorial fees wisely.

How to Take Control of Your Furniture Transport Costs

1. Know your costs down to the SKU: When you understand shipping expenses for each product, you can make smarter pricing and inventory decisions. Don’t guess—track every detail.
2. Track claims and hold carriers accountable: Loss and damage claims can cost you more than money—they hurt your brand. Monitor claims closely and use that data to ensure your carrier partners deliver on their promises.
3. Break down accessorials and manage them wisely: Extra fees add up. Knowing which ones apply and why helps you negotiate better contracts and design smoother logistics processes.

FreightWise Makes Furniture Transport Easier and More Profitable

With FreightWise’s integrated approach—capitalizing on tools like Kuebix for freight quoting and shipment tracking—you get the visibility and control you need to optimize every piece of your supply chain puzzle. For more information on the top TMS features needed for Furniture shippers, click here.

Furniture transport doesn’t have to be complicated or costly. It takes the right strategy, clear data, and trusted technology. That’s exactly what FreightWise brings to you.

Read how we are helping furniture shippers like Legacy Billiards.