Commonly, the most expensive hurdle to cover when purchasing office furniture is the cost of shipping. While there are many online office furniture dealers that offer free shipping, additional services including inside delivery, lift gate service, rural location, and others can cost you money. In this post we will cover some simple and easy methods to avoid these charges. After all, saving money is a good thing!
The first thing to consider after your office furniture purchase is shipment coordination. Commonly it will take any dealer a few days to receive, process, and hear from the manufacturer in regards to an estimated lead time for your products. If your facility has no dock, is in an upstairs office, and is located in a rural area. Additional shipping charges can arise. Upon receiving your tracking number, ask your office furniture provider what these costs are. Any friendly representative will help you out big time.
One tip that has saved many, is having a couple of able bodies available at the time of delivery. Most larger items are shipped knocked down or KD to help you avoid heavy lifting. This is a huge benefit when receiving items curbside and will save you money. Shipping companies don't normally advertise this info because they want you to purchase additional services.
For smaller items like office chairs, I always recommend taking the items off the truck yourself. Once the boxes are on the ground, open them. Typically most chairs will only require you to put the 5 star wheel base on. This takes all of about 5 minutes and you will be able to wheel your chairs inside, instead of carrying them. The common charge for inside delivery is about $100 - $150 depending on order size. A lift gate can run you another $100. By simply, placing the base on the chair outside you can wheel them in yourself and save your company big time!
Knowing your freight company is also an important factor in saving money. Items that ship UPS or FedEx are typically brought inside for you already. Ask your dealer to let you provide you with the freight company being used to see if they are offering any specials or shipping coupons on there website. Again, a little due diligence really pays dividends.
Overall, any good office furniture dealer will provide the shipping information to you as soon as possible. Our personal policy is to save customers as much time and money as we can, by eliminating un-necessary add-ons and shipping charges. Typically, we recommend these services for handicapped individuals, or elderly folks who truly require the assistance. At the end of the day, most customers do choose to carry items in themselves and thank us later for the money saved. Your average office furniture item weighs between 50 and 150 lbs. From desks to office chairs these items can be easily handled by one or two people. In this economy, save your money and use it for things that are truly necessities!
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