How Buying New Furniture Was Cheaper Than Shipping

Buying New Furniture vs Shipping Furniture

If a big move is looming on your horizon, there’s a few moving hacks that can make the process smoother. From hiring movers to packing tips, there’s no such thing as too much moving advice as every tip contributes to a stress-free and seamless move!

My own experience with a big move led me to learn an important lesson about moving and shipping furniture. My natural assumption was that shipping furniture would be less expensive than buying new furniture - I was wrong. 

A few strategic tips and resources allowed me to buy beautiful new furniture for less than it cost to ship - here’s how I did it.

1. Sell Your Furniture vs. Tossing it Out

Most movers who are looking to upgrade furniture in a new home fail to use their old pieces to help pay for the new. The famous saying about how your trash can be someone else’s treasure rings very true in this scenario. Selling your old furniture is much more cost-effective than tossing it out on the curb - even if you don’t feel you’ll receive much back for it, every penny counts during a big move!

If you’re new to the moving process, you may be daunted by the task of becoming a DIY furniture salesman - not to worry. I was able to successfully sell all my old pieces using a combination of Craigslist buyers and hosting an awesome garage sale. Not only was I able to sell all of my old furniture, I was also able to make some extra cash on the hundreds of knick-knacks that weren’t coming with me to my new home.

2. Mix Thrift-Store Finds with New Furniture

I know what you’re thinking, why would I sell my old furniture just to buy more old furniture? That’s not entirely what I am suggesting but is one piece of the puzzle. Similar to how mixing vintage apparel with high-end brands is all the rage in the fashion industry, you can apply the same concept to your home decor. 

Purchasing a few vintage statement pieces from a garage sale or thrift store to combine with brand new pieces is a creative way to add personality and style to your new home. 

I was able to find striking, gently-used furniture items that blended seamlessly with my new purchases - all for less than it would have cost me to ship my old furniture to the new house. My friends praised my trendy decorating skills, and my wallet thanked me for it.

3. Use Online Furniture Retailers with Free Delivery

There is such a thing as free shipping when buying new furniture, you just need to know where to look. Online furniture retailers such as Wayfair and Overstock.com offer free shipping for orders over $50. It’s safe to assume that if you’re upgrading your living room set, you’ll be spending more than $50, so why not get it shipped for free?

Most brick and mortar furniture retailers charge an additional fee for delivery, but the online retailers mentioned above drive sales by getting it to your doorstep at no extra charge. When I compared the cost of shipping my old furniture across the country to the delivery cost, the choice was easy - buying new furniture was significantly less than moving it to my new home.

Moving can be a hectic process, but making smart choices like opting to buy new furniture instead of shipping your old furniture can be instrumental to a successful one. Thanks to some preparation and valuable tips, I spent less money on shipping and more time enjoying my brand new living room!

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