What is the Best Way to Ship an Office Chair?

Factors to Consider When Shipping an Office Chair

Before you can decide which method works best to ship your office chair, you need to take note of:

• The distance your chair needs to travel
• The model, size, and shape of your office chair
• Shipping carriers available for the task
• These variables affect how you ship your chair and the costs to consider.

Distance:

If you’re making a local move, shipping your office chair may not be the best choice.

In certain cases, you can move the chair yourself without worrying about packing or paying moving fees.

Anything beyond a few miles merits the use of a shipping carrier.

Unless you plan on purchasing a new chair sometime soon, it’s more efficient to ship the chair than it is to move it so far on your own.

Ground shipping methods will get the chair there in about a week.

If you’re moving across the country or overseas, look into air shipping methods.

Office Chair Model, Size, and Shape:

Expect larger or oddly shaped chairs to be more difficult when shipping.

It’s harder to package them effectively, and size and weight affect the shipping methods available to you.

Other factors to consider here include:

• The chair’s materials and durability
• How easily you can disassemble the chair
• The cost of the chair

For example, it may be more cost-effective to purchase a new chair instead of shipping a cheap office chair that doesn’t disassemble easily and may not survive the shipping process.

Expensive, high-quality chairs are often worth the trouble of shipping, regardless of the distance.

Read More >> Why is Herman Miller so Expensive?

Shipping Company:

Pay attention to the shipping companies available in your origin area and destination.

Local shipping companies work best for shorter moves, but they will not be available when crossing state lines or moving to a different company.

In these cases, determine which high-profile shipping carrier offers the most competitive rate and has a reputation you’re comfortable with.

Make sure they offer the shipping method you need or want them to use.

When looking at shipping companies, you should also consider add-ons such as packaging by the company and insurance offers, as well as the rates for these amenities.

These details often serve as a tiebreaker between two popular carriers.

UPS is often considered the best option for shipping an office chair.

They have several locations across the globe, offer competitive pricing, can pack the chair for you, and offer decent insurance rates when shipping your office chair.

Packing an Office Chair for Shipping

Regardless of the shipping method you choose, you need to decide how you plan to send the chair.

Disassembling your office chair is the ideal solution. It saves you space, potentially lowers your shipping cost, and limits potential damage to the chair.

Disassembling the office chair lets you add as much protection to the chair parts as you want.

You can also ship the chair fully assembled if it’s a difficult process, but this limits your shipping methods and runs a higher risk of damage.

It’s even more essential to pack the chair properly when shipping this way.

Check with your shipping carrier of choice to see if there are any options for professional packaging.

Disassembling and Packing an Office Chair:

Use the box that your chair came in or one of similar size and durability to pack your office chair.

Fill the bottom with packing materials such as bubble wrap, craft paper, or foam, then disassemble your chair.

Once this is done, wrap smaller parts in bubble wrap, usually including:

• Cylinder
• Casters
• Chair arms

Lay these pieces first in the box along with the frame of the chair, taking care that parts don’t rest barely on each other.

 Fill any space with packing material, then lay the seat on top of the frame along with the chair base.

Make sure there is no loose space in the box for the parts to knock around.

Packing an Assembled Office Chair:

Packing an intact office chair takes less time initially, but you should ensure the quality of your packing.

Use a heavy-duty padded material to wrap the chair, such as a furniture pad or quilt.

Ideally, find something about 3 times the width of the chair and twice its height. 

You also need strong packing tape to secure the fabric to the chair.

Center the blanket on the chair and secure the top edge to its back.

Press the blanket close to the office chair so it hugs its curves, pulling the sides around so they fold over each other.

Secure their bottom edges with tape, taking care to conform to the arms of the chair.

Flip the chair and wrap the cylinder and legs. It’s easiest to wrap the legs two at a time, making sure the blanket covers them completely. 

Read More >> How Do Office Chair Cylinders Work?

Depending on your shipping carrier, you may still need to pack the padded chair into a box or crate to ship.

Methods of Shipping an Office Chair

There are three general methods used to ship an office chair:

• Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Shipping: the most cost-effective and available for packages around 150 lbs
• Blanket Wrap Shipping: for chairs that are difficult to box
• Air Shipping: for longer distances and odd shapes; most expensive

Most shipping carriers offer these methods, but the rates and shipping times differ depending on distance and carrier.

Calculating Cost to Ship an Office Chair

To determine the shipping cost for your office chair, you need to know:

• The weight of the package (not the chair)
• The package dimensions (length, width, and height)
• Your preferred shipping method

It’s best to contact the carrier directly through an in-store visit or over the phone with these details.

This gets you the most accurate cost estimate.
Most carriers offer an online shipping calculator, but this price is not guaranteed.

You should also consider the cost of insurance when shipping your office chair.

Using all these details, it is much easier to determine the best way to ship an office chair in your situation.