Bring these six things
- Photo ID and the name the piece is held under.
- The balance, in a form the seller takes — ours is cash, Zelle or card, in person.
- A second pair of hands. Not optional for a sofa, a sectional or a dining table.
- Moving blankets, ratchet straps or rope, and a roll of stretch wrap.
- A tape measure, and the width of your tightest doorway written down.
- A basic screwdriver and hex key set, for taking legs and doors off.
Collecting furniture yourself saves a delivery fee and costs an afternoon. Most of what goes wrong on a pickup goes wrong for one of three reasons: the vehicle was wrong, there was only one person, or nobody brought straps. All three are avoidable before you leave the house.
Will it fit in your vehicle?
Measure the piece and measure the vehicle’s load space, not its exterior. Rough guide, with rear seats folded flat:
| Vehicle | Realistically carries |
|---|---|
| Sedan | Accent chairs, small tables, lamps, decor. Not a sofa. |
| Mid-size SUV | Armchairs, nightstands, small dressers, dining chairs, coffee tables. |
| Large SUV or minivan (seats out) | A loveseat or a single sectional module, sometimes a small sofa, dining tabletops. |
| Pickup, 5½ ft bed | Most single pieces, tailgate down and strapped. Bring a tarp. |
| Pickup, 8 ft bed / cargo van | Full sofas, sectional modules, dressers, dining sets. |
| 10–15 ft box truck | A full sectional, a bedroom set, or a multi-piece pickup in one trip. |
A one-way box truck rental is usually cheaper than a second trip, and always cheaper than a sofa that has spent an hour on the roof of a sedan.
The kit list, and why each item is on it
- Moving blankets (4–6). Between the piece and the truck wall, and between the piece and anything else in the load. Furniture damages furniture.
- Ratchet straps (2–4). Rope stretches, straps do not. Strap to anchor points, never over a wooden edge without a blanket underneath.
- Stretch wrap. Holds cushions on, drawers shut and doors closed. Do not leave it on leather in the sun for hours.
- Tarp or plastic sheeting. September in Georgia produces a rain shower with no notice. Upholstery that gets soaked in transit stays damp for days and can mildew.
- Screwdriver and hex keys. Sofa legs, table legs and cabinet doors come off in minutes and buy you the inches you are missing.
- Work gloves. Grip on a wrapped piece, and no torn hands on a staple underneath.
- Furniture sliders or a hand truck if you are going up stairs or across a long car park.
Before you leave home
- Measure your doorways, your hallway at its turn, and your stairwell. Write the numbers on your phone. Our measuring guide covers the diagonal-depth trick that catches most people out.
- Clear the route at your end — both ends of the job matter and only one of them is the seller’s problem.
- Confirm the piece is still available. On a floor where every listing is a single physical piece, a piece can go on hold the morning you set off.
- Check what the seller accepts as payment. We take cash, Zelle or card in person at the warehouse. No checks, and nothing is paid online.
At the warehouse
Inspect before you load, not after. This is the part people skip because they feel rude doing it, and it is the entire point of buying in person:
- Walk around the piece in good light and compare it to the listing photographs.
- Find the flaw named in the condition note and satisfy yourself it is what was described.
- Sit on it. Open every drawer and door. Work any mechanism twice.
- Count the parts — cushions, covers, shelves, hardware, legs.
- Photograph it before it goes on the truck. Two minutes now settles any question about damage later.
Once it is loaded and strapped, it is yours. That is the ordinary rule everywhere in this segment, and it is why the inspection happens first.
Loading it without wrecking it
Heaviest pieces against the cab, flat and low. Sofas travel on their back or their side, never on their feet where every bump goes through the legs. Case goods travel upright with drawers wrapped shut. Glass tops travel vertical, blanketed, strapped to a side wall — never flat, where a single pothole cracks them.
Fill the gaps. A load that can slide will slide, and the damage happens in the last mile, not the first.
Where we are
Collection is from our warehouse at 2865 North Berkeley Rd, Duluth, GA 30097. Bring photo ID and the name the piece is held under. We will help you load, but the vehicle, the straps and the muscle for the stairs at your end are yours to plan.
If none of the above sounds like your afternoon, local delivery around metro Atlanta is available on most pieces — how that works and what it costs. Full pickup and payment detail is on the visit page.
Common questions
What size vehicle do I need to pick up a sofa?
A full sofa generally needs a pickup truck with the tailgate down and the load strapped, a cargo van, or a 10 to 15 foot box truck. A large SUV or minivan with the seats removed will usually take a loveseat or a single sectional module. A sedan takes accent chairs, small tables and decor, and will not take a sofa. A one-way box truck rental is normally cheaper than making a second trip.
What should I bring to a furniture pickup?
Photo ID and the name the piece is held under, the balance in a payment form the seller accepts, a second person, four to six moving blankets, two to four ratchet straps, stretch wrap, a tarp, a tape measure with your tightest doorway width written down, and a basic screwdriver and hex key set for removing legs and doors.
Should I inspect furniture before or after loading it?
Before, always. Compare the piece to the listing photographs in good light, find the flaw named in the condition note, sit on it, open every drawer, count the cushions and hardware, and photograph the piece before it goes on the truck. Once it is loaded and strapped it is yours, which is the ordinary rule for warehouse and liquidation sales.
See the floor
Everything we have is listed with its own photographs, its condition grade and its price. One of each — when a piece sells it comes off the floor rather than being restocked.