If you are planning a move, you will have to consider shipping bulky items in your home, such as mattresses. But what about if you are moving overseas? Is it viable to ship a mattress?
Mattresses are more difficult and expensive to ship than the majority of other things due to their size and weight, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
If you are planning a short move, you could be looking at $2.50 per mile, give or take a few cents, and around $1.00 per mile for long distances across the land. It’s not cheap, so thinking carefully about the age of the mattress and if it should be replaced is a viable consideration to make when moving.
This article investigates how to ship a mattress. Is it viable? And what pitfalls you may come across. We offer tips to save your cash and answer the most frequently asked questions providing you with the facts.
Let’s dive in.
How do you ship a mattress?
It will depend on your mattress type, so to be realistic, we will focus on one of the most common types of mattress available, the memory foam mattress, and all of its iterations.
The choices for shipping are going to be:
Using a pickup truck or other similar vehicle for DIY
Renting a pickup truck or other large vehicle may be an option if you’re hauling mattresses across the country. However, keep in mind the price of renting a vehicle. Rent, insurance, gas, taking time off work, and moving all the stuff yourself will need to be paid separately.
It’s an arduous task. However, the flexibility that comes with driving a hired car may offset the associated expenses.
Rent a truck or a U-Haul
When renting a U-Haul or truck, the courteous movers frequently perform all the labor-intensive lifting. Simply pack, and let your new friends load the truck and unload when you get there.
Additionally, you can hire cleaning assistance, eliminating the necessity for cleaning after you leave and making moving and shipping mattresses a breeze.
Employ a Moving Company
It may seem expensive to hire a moving firm to ship a bed and other heavy furniture. Setting yourself an affordable budget for professional movers may be the better choice for some people, as changing houses has the same stress levels as obtaining a divorce.
Things to consider when shipping a mattress?
Does Shipping a Mattress Make Sense?
In many situations, it is not worthwhile to ship a mattress. It wouldn’t make sense to send a mattress that is worth $300 or less if the lowest shipping cost you can anticipate is that amount.
Of course, you should carry out your due diligence by determining the delivery cost in your particular circumstance. Once you have an exact figure, you may more accurately decide whether you should proceed with shipping. In that process, the following queries could be useful:
Is the mattress old?
Keep in mind that, depending on how they are constructed, mattresses often last 5-8 years. Spending several hundred dollars to send your mattress is not worthwhile if it is already several years old. The same is true if the mattress has apparent indications of deterioration.
What was the original purchase price?
If you spend more money on a deluxe bed than a budget one, shipping a mattress will be much more valuable. It might be more affordable for you to replace the mattress at home rather than ship it, which is another method to approach the same dilemma.
Does it make more sense to buy a new mattress?
Consider whether your present mattress genuinely provides the comfort and support you require. It doesn’t make sense to transport your old mattress if you can buy a new mattress in a box online for a reasonable price and with free shipping if you decide it’s time for a new one.
What’s the most cost-effective way to purchase a mattress?
In most cases, it is an easy answer to give. It is cheaper to shop online and pick a mattress in a box. It’s convenient, and it gets delivered to your door.
To make your selection of mattress in a box, it is advisable to use a mattress comparison tool; not all mattresses in a box are made equal, and you can find some terrific deals online.
Don’t forget the warranty section and the returns policy. A mattress comparison tool will remove all the research and provide you with the right mattress almost instantaneously with a few inputs.
Is it viable to ship a mattress to different countries?
If you are moving internationally, let’s say from the US to AU for example. Is it cost-effective to ship a mattress to Australia? The truth is it can be done and may not be as expensive as you think.
When faced with it, international haulers are going to ship anything you ask them to as long as it’s legal so sending a mattress to Australia is a simple process, says heymattress.com.au. You will be hiring a sea freight container for shipping overseas.
Typically you are not paying for the weight of the goods being shipped by the volume or the space they occupy. If you have a shipping container, you will be paying a fixed price for the volume and the price for the services of the shipping agent. It makes sense to fill the container to the gunnels and get the most bang for your buck.
You should be aware that you will need to confirm delivery schedules when shipping overseas to a country far from the shores of the US. The crow flies from LA to the port of Sydney around 15,000 nautical miles and will take approximately 80 – days from port to port.
It’s another major factor in should you bite the bullet and buy a new mattress in your new country of residence. To find the best mattress in Australia just check out guides on Google.
As a side issue, if you are moving north to Europe or Scandinavia, the mattress and bed frame sizes can differ from the US!