Freight & Curbside Delivery Explained
What happens when a heavy item ships to your curb on a pallet, and the fifty feet after that, which are yours.
Where parcel ends and freight begins
Most of what we sell arrives the familiar way: a parcel carrier, a box at the door. Steel cabinets, workbenches and the largest power systems cross a weight line where shipping changes character. They travel LTL freight, strapped to a pallet, on a truck with a liftgate.
Battery products add one more rule: lithium chemistry travels ground only, never air. Every product page that ships freight says so before checkout. This is what happens after.
Curbside means the curb, literally
Standard freight delivery brings the pallet to the end of your driveway, lowered on the truck's liftgate. It does not include carrying the crate into the garage, up steps, or around the side of the house. The driver's obligation ends at the curb, which is why we say so on the product page of anything heavy enough for it to matter.
Plan the last fifty feet. A crated storage cabinet can weigh several hundred pounds. Line up a second pair of hands, or a commercial receiving dock with a forklift, which reroutes the delivery entirely.
Delivery day, in order
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1. The appointment
Freight carriers schedule a window and call ahead. Someone needs to be there — this is not a leave-it-on-the-porch delivery.
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2. The inspection
Before signing, walk around the pallet. Punctures, crush marks, a leaning crate. Photograph everything, including the undamaged sides.
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3. The signature
Note any damage on the delivery receipt before you sign. A clean signature on a damaged crate is the hardest claim to win.
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4. The unpacking
Keep the packaging until the piece is inspected and standing where it belongs. If something is wrong, the crate is part of the evidence.
Measure the route before you order
The crate clears the truck; the question is whether the piece clears your doorways. Long workbenches and full-height cabinets have a rolling or carrying depth that meets narrow doors and tight corners exactly once, on arrival day.
Our storage product pages carry the real clearance dimensions. Use them against your own tape measure, including the corner at the end of the hall, which is where most of these get stuck.
Frequently asked questions
Will the driver bring it inside?
No. Standard freight is curbside only. If you need it moved further, arrange help in advance or ask us about the options before you order.
What if the crate arrives damaged?
Note it on the delivery receipt before signing and photograph it. Then contact us. A documented note at the point of delivery is what makes a claim straightforward.
How much does freight cost?
It depends on weight, destination and access, so we quote it before you order rather than surprising you at checkout. We do not make blanket free-shipping claims on heavy items.
My driveway is steep and there is no curb.
Tell us before checkout. Steep driveways, gated entries and no-curb frontages all change how the carrier handles it, and we would rather spec it with them in writing than find out on the day.
An unusual site is a five-minute conversation
Steep driveway, no curb, gated entry, upstairs workshop. Tell us before checkout and we will spec the delivery with the carrier in writing.
