What is the difference between a couch and a couch-bed? (Yes, they still make couch beds, and I must say that they have improved quite a bit since the 80s.) By the way, this is not a trick question, so the answer is going to be obvious: the bed! Taking this into account, how does one ship a couch-bed if they find themselves needing to do so? Well, you can cross a box off your list of necessary packaging supplies, that’s for sure.
Here’s what you do:
Choose the Right Carrier
A less-than-truckload (LTL) freight company is who you are going to wind up using, since a couch-bed far exceeds parcel post’s weight and size restrictions. You need to choose a carrier that is licensed and insured. Keep an eye out for how well the carriers take care of their trucks. If their trucks are in bad shape it stands to reason they might not take their jobs that seriously. Double check their history using the BBB and other review sites. Above all, make sure that the carrier you choose specializes in moving furniture, especially hard-to-move items like appliances, pianos, couch-beds…
Choose the Right Packaging Supplies
Like I said, you aren’t going to put your couch-bed in a box. That does not mean, however, that you send it as-is and hope for the best. As a matter of fact, you can find a plastic furniture bag where you can find any other type of packaging supplies. If you don’t want to do the bag, buy a large roll of cling wrap and make a cocoon for it.
Prepare the Couch-Bed
-Do you remove the mattress and ship it separately? Check with the carrier and see what they prefer. The mattress does make the couch heavier, but moving a mattress separately is awkward and leaves it vulnerable to being damaged.
-Remove the legs and ship them separately to prevent them from accidentally breaking off.
-Put the couch in the bag, or wrap it up.
-Label the couch-bed with the destination address. Even if the carrier has their own system for tracking their shipments, it never hurts to make sure this is proudly displayed. Anything to help your furniture arrive at it’s destination successfully, right?
-Going back to the mattress, if you can remove it and move it yourself you will definitely save some money but, once again, moving a mattress is a pain in the butt, so it’s your choice.
-Before doing all of this, take a moment to decide if you shouldn’t just sell your couch on Craigslist or some other similar website and just buy a new one. Compare the cost of shipping it to the cost of acquiring a different/new one at your final destination and make a well-informed decision.
