While I love expanding my project capabilities with new woodworking or metalworking equipment, upgrading my workbenches, or adding new storage cabinets or tool chests, I truly hate freight deliveries.
Freight deliveries stress me out nearly every single time.
I received garage-style cabinets over the holiday season. There was no advanced notice, they just arrived one day. The quality and production was terrible, and so I wanted to send them back.
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I housed those cabinets for a few days before contacting Home Depot to set up the return. The pickup was scheduled quickly. The carrier called, and I left the cabinets outside for the return pickup. My order was refunded as soon as the warehouse confirmed the cabinets were picked up.
I received another Husky mobile workbench today, and stressed over its delivery.
The driver added a new – luckily small – gouge to my driveway with the back of his truck before I could stop him. We got the tool cabinet up the driveway on his pallet jack.
I asked – should we check it down here or up top? He said up top, because they cannot accept open boxes for return.
Up top by the driveway, I cut the straps and lifted the box. Damage!!
Looking at the box, the damage wasn’t obvious. But under the cardboard, it looks like a forklift or pallet jack slammed into the tool box.
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I don’t mind cosmetic damage, but this was functional damage and likely structural.
I told the driver. He called his supervisor to reopen the delivery and change it from delivered to refused. I helped the driver get the tool box back to his truck, gave him a bottle of water and a tip, and wished him a great weekend.
I then called Home Depot’s Pro customer service line. I reached an agent quickly, and they looked up my order. Since the order was marked as delivered, they had to call the freight handle to confirm I refused it.
It took some time, but Home Depot processed this as a return, issued a refund in the form of gift cards (which was the original form of payment), and I promptly placed a replacement order.
Cosmetic damage is usually tolerable.
Home Depot handled these past few experiences quite well. Freight deliveries are always stressful. Sometimes I don’t get a delivery phone call, sometimes deliveries are dropped off without warning or inspection for damage, and other times there’s this back and forth when something arrives with functional or structural damage.
The frustrating part is that freight damage usually stems from human error and could usually be avoided. Proto tool boxes that I ordered from Zoro arrived twisted and crushed. A Husky box from Home Depot once arrived with significant damage to the top, as if several tons of product were dropped on top. A workbench I ordered from Amazon was left in the driveway with parts sticking out of the box. A band saw I ordered from Rockler arrived with structural components speared through the box and bent.
Home Depot processed my recent post-delivery quality complaint return with little hassle, and today’s refusal, refund, and replacement order went easier than I expected.
I’ll cross my fingers that the replacement delivery goes smoother.
At the least, these couple of experiences with Home Depot has me less stressed about the what-if parts. What if it’s damaged? What if I need to refuse or return a delivery? That they make this part easy improves a typically nerve-wracking experience.
Jim Felt
This is the era of lousy warehousing/transshipping for many industries. I can’t even imagine the end result for all the returns. Bet Zoro et al is even worse.
Stuart
I have ordered steel tool boxes from Zoro before with mixed results. The last time I tried, I was convinced that the damage resulted from warehouse mistakes, as opposed to during transit. Their customer service tends to be very good, though.
JMG
I ordered several items from Zoro last year and had a couple of minor issues. One was an incorrect item shipped, and the other was several small items that never shipped. Customer service response was prompt on both issues. The order for the missing items was canceled due to supply issues, and the incorrect item was replaced and shipped out the same day. They instructed me to keep or donate the incorrect item instead of returning it. Said item was worth more than seventy dollars.
I never reordered the missing items as it seemed to be a manufacturer issue, but not having to go through the return process for one item was awesome.
Stuart
That happened to me too – I ordered drainage pipe with holes, they delivered pipe without. They gave me a refund and told me to keep it. Rather than dispose of it, I gave it to a local drainage company.
Mistakes happen. I feel there are more avoidable issues nowadays.
Amazon packages keep getting misdelivered, and a few months ago they shipped me a dripping and moldy box of carbonated juice cans. I believe it was leaky, gross, and smelly before they boxed it, and that it was easier to ship it in such condition rather than the packer having to deal with it.
John
I have a friend who owns a freight company, hearing the HR and hiring issues that never end is very enlightening. Turnover of drivers and basic workers is massive, 10% in every 1 to 4 week window on average. Not here to disparage the good workers and veterans to the job, but they aren’t hiring the most qualified bunch, generally workers who can’t maintain other jobs are the only ones available as new hires. They just “don’t have any skin in the game” so little care is taken with handling the items.
I was buying a Harbor Freight cabinet in person, they store them in shipping containers behind the store. The lady helping out driving the forklift dropped a full cabinet off the forks while moving it to get to the color I bought which was in the back. That dropped one was banged up and they will just sell to the next unlucky soul.
While accidents do happen, generally it’s laziness and negligence, just not caring about doing a good job and how that will impact everyone else in the chain.
Bonnie
It seems like an industry that just isn’t willing to put in the investment in building up a quality workforce. I can sort of understand, given thin industry margins and a lot of inertia.
Robert
I suspected this was most of the reason. Thanks for the peek behind the emerald green curtain.
Bart
The natural result of aggressively underpaying and mistreating employees. These companies won’t do what’s necessary to hire and retain people who care, and the consumer is punished for it, which is what we deserve.
Wayne R,
Back when I was in school, a co-student worked at McMaster-Carr. They paid 100% of tuition & books, just to keep employees.
But to your point, I always wonder just what is taught in MBA school – anything useful? Seems to me that having a competent & stable workforce would be fundamental to any successful business…
Bonnie
MBAs are an easy scapegoat, but you see plenty of people who worked their way up from trenches who want to pull the corporate ladder up behind them or think that because they had it rough everyone else is lazy and should be happy with the same wage they made back in 1980.
Bob
I keep hearing companies don’t pay enough. People get paid what they’re worth. If people don’t like their wage, develop new skills, become more valuable to employers and get paid more money. Or if you’re really ambitious start your own company.
Also, whatever the job is, do it to the best of one’s ability. Do a good job when no one is looking. I guarantee the boss is looking and he’s dying to hire someone with that kind of attitude. They will go out of their way to make sure people like that have opportunities for training and developing skills for promotions. Skills and knowledge can be taught. Positive attitude not so much.
Bart
Not trying to be rude but this is just a naive, outdated and objectively wrong stance to take. I don’t blame blame people like you for being so out of touch, you’re a product of your environment.
Or, alternatively.
“OK Boomer.”
Bob
Not a “boomer” lol. Think Beastie Boys not Beatles.
I don’t think most people and certainly not most Fortune 100 companies would agree with that sentiment. Or alternatively, industry leaders like CAT, Raytheon, Dow, Apple, UPS etc do not pay people with low, medium or exceptional skill levels to perform a task and accept poor performance.
Indigo
Did you look him in the eye and give him a firm handshake? That’s how I got my first job.”
It’s not the same economy as the post-war — 1990s. Global trade and frictionless capital flows changed a lot. Look at corporate profits from the 90s to present, stock market valuations, etc. It’s a different beast.
CAT, Raytheon, Dow, Apple aren’t particularly the apples you’re looking for when discussing the oranges of freight drivers/warehouse workers. UPS could be more analogous.
Mac
I can guarantee you that anyone in a customer facing role, who is competent, is underpaid per their employment value – this can be empirically proven by just looking at their equally paid, endless train of less valuable co-workers.
Those that believe they are fairly compensated are quite likely overpaid per intrinsic value, and in positions that are not judged by strangers on a daily basis.
Companies set the bar low. Consumers expectations are then unmet by the hired hands? Employees normally will not, and should not, do more than they are compensated for. The boss is not looking at the front end. The boss is focused on bottom lines, possible bonuses, and their own rear end. Overachieving threatens job security. Gross underachievers can be replaced or just removed. You do yourself a disservice working harder than you are paid for.
I’ve used the bathroom on company time, where I was paid more in those 10 minutes than the average store clerk makes in an hour. Why would I expect a higher level of service? I wouldn’t provide it at that rate. Why would I expect more from someone else?
Want it right, do it yourself. I don’t understand the mentality where it’s someone’s else’s fault that they don’t live up to your expectations. Shouldn’t you want that bar set higher for them?
Matt
I actually agree with you and I’m probably younger than both. It may not pay off in *this* job, but all it takes is meeting the right person and making the right impression.
Employers are starved for workers with a serious work ethic. They’ll pay to train/keep/promote, or accept that you’ll move on to better. They will also work the good employees to death and you have to be able to stick up for yourself. There’s the young me talking
John
I started off sweeping the floor and filling orders for a warehouse wholesaler. One day the owner pulled me into the office and said to me that he didn’t believe that I was working at my full potential, so he gave me a raise. I worked my ass off for him after that and he wouldn’t even bother showing up until 9:30 or 10, because he knew that I was there early and had the place open and running. Small businesses are where you find your foothold.
Fish_Stick
The other issue is shipping companies will fight to no end to put the blame on the shipper for whatever reason they can come up with. So when you have an entire industry that isn’t liable for any damage, missing shipments or anything other than collecting a ton of money why should they care? Drove a forklift through the package? Should have packed it better, refer to t&c for proper packing to avoid these issues. Even if you pack stuff properly they throw away the damaged packages and claim it wasn’t packed right, claim denied. They have more time and money than the average person does to fight it. Recently they were crying they were overloaded so they upped the prices, now they’re crying shipments are down so they are raising prices to make up for it and shipments look worse than ever for damage.
Chris I
What’s the pay for a job like that?
Mike McFalls
a couple of years ago, I had a freight delivery from Home Depot, and while I didn’t experience the aggravation of damaged products, they couldn’t get their truck up my driveway. The handlers were great, though and between the three of us we were able to push/pull the 2 pallets (using a pallet jack) with the 600 lbs of stone up the drive.
Mike McFalls
I should add, the truck they delivered it on had seen better days and I recall thinking the lift gate was about to collapse under the weight.
Stuart
A few years ago Home Depot arranged for a couple of garage cabinet samples. The driver deeply gouged my driveway in several places after unsuccessfully trying to back up the driveway, and then hustled me for cash payment as he insisted his instructions were to leave the products in the street.
Most deliveries go smoothly, but for anything very large or heavy, I help with getting pallet jacks up the driveway.
BrianA
Same here, my luck is pretty poor, surprisingly last one was a mini split system ordered off Amazon that arrived in pristine shape. Worst was the 4 deliveries of an executive office set from Costco. Main desk piece 1st time was good but they dropped in on my front porch, two other pieces damaged, 2nd delivery others good and desk damaged, 4th desk in 5 months had some damage and I gave up, company comp’d me. Problem is sometimes the workers but also seem bad packaging destined to fail. Fridge I got from HD over the summer, guys threw parts away in that giant bin of trash in the truck and told me to call to get them as then didnt want to dig through.
John
I ordered a desk once from Amazon that arrived missing a side and they actually asked me if I would accept it for a discount. Other pieces were damaged too, but what am I going to do with a three sided desk? To top it off I made the driver give me a receipt when they picked it up for return and I’m glad that I did, because they tried to say that I didn’t return it. No more large items will I have shipped.
Ken
Small typo? A band saw I ordered from Rocker
I’ve always been shocked at the shear amount of damage freight shipments get all all stages. We are bad enough at the manufacturer, but we have had large steel castings and equipment lost, destroyed, etc. At one point having shipped a tensile testing machine out at work for service, it came back with forklift holes on all four sides of the crate it was packed in. Somehow they missed the machine, but we still sent it back for a recheck by the manufacturer.
Mike
I ordered a bandsaw from Harvey last year and talking with the driver when it was delivered, he told me to always sign the receipt adding the phrase: accepted pending inspection. YMMV.
Blocky
The small print usually states that contents were inspected and verified in good condition.
I write “packed by shipper; contents and conditions unverified” in the signature box before signing. If the trucker balks at my paperwork revisions, then I sometimes give them the option to wait while we open and verify conditions. A few accept.
If anything looks remotely suspect, I take pictures before touching anything and as I unpack.
You really don’t want the freight carriers insurance to handle your claim. That often pays by the pound. 160lb tool chest? .40/lb
It’s just one more thing to remember, but it has covered my * before. Make it habit and you won’t even feel it.
Blocky
And make sure you get a copy.
Dave Brock
Then the items that get returned head to the gray market and auctions sites like the one I shop at called MadCheetah. Once saw a Husky rolling tool bench, looked up a review of it on Youtube and it was the actual bench that the reviewer returned due to shipping damage. It went through the auction service for pennies on the dollars if you could live with some dents and bent sheet metal.
Eric
Not many deals to be found on MadCheetah these days… I see heavily used tools selling for close to retail, especially with the auction fees included. I used to get Knipex, Klein, Makita, and more for less than 1/2 the street price.
Phil H.
I’m sure many of your readers feel your pain and stress concerning freight deliveries, I know I do. My latest stress was a crated 37 ton wood splitter. I live in a rural area about 1 1/2 miles from the nearest pavement off of a very narrow gravel road. My rock driveway is 1/4 mile long off of the gravel road. There is no way a tractor trailer (semi) can make it to my house, much less up my drive. There is nowhere to turn around. So each time I have to meet the semi on the paved road in a little parking area located just off of the paved road and unload into the back of my pickup if possible. In the case of the wood splitter weighing 650 lbs. and eight feet long, I met him with a Bobcat with forks, and then I drove it to my house. All of this requires good communication with the semi driver and plenty of stress as he/she has to follow my directions exactly. After 25 years of doing this I’ve got the routine down, but with a new driver each time it usually costs me a full day and a few beverages that evening to relax after successfully getting the shipment into the garage or out-building. I’ve found that most semi drivers are appreciative of my efforts to keep them off of a road like mine.
Wally
I am currently building a new construction Kitchen with the Natural Hickory Cabinets sourced thru HD. I started in Oct and it has taken almost four months to receive by truck shipments 14 useable cabinets, 9 had to be replaced because of serious damages. Damages on several like broken top frame rails also wasnt obvious until unpacking. Replacements were issued out against my credit line until they had to increase the limit. Took months to get refunds issued back on the account because the trucking company had to pick up the returns.
Strangley enought a 1k 250lb 4 ft marble top vanity also sourced from HD was shipped fully built all the from Vietnam unscathed and undamaged as a store pick up. My pallet of flooring also store pickup was undamaged.
Jim Felt
I bought two of those Vietnamese sourced vanities late last year. Soft close doors and all. I had Task Rabbit guys pick them up and I was very pleased with the quality. Price too.
“Vietnam”???? But of course iPhones will shortly be Made in India…
Joellikestools
Vietnam is actually a major producer for furniture. I worked for a large furniture store and by far most of the furniture was from Vietnam.
Kevin M Smith
This is why I prefer to just pick things up myself. If it’s damaged, I just reject it at the store or freight dock.
Stuart
I don’t have the means to transport an 850 pound 6-foot-long tool box.
Other times, freight delivery is the only way to get certain tools and equipment.
John
How about a review on band saws? I’m saving up credit card rewards for one and don’t know what to purchase. Harbor Freight has one that might work, but don’t like that it doesn’t have a fence, but after market parts might fix that.
DavetheTool
I do the same with Home Depot. If it is big and/or expensive item I just have them deliver to the store and pick it up. They have forklifts for things like tool cabinets obviously. The employees are usually cool with it also. In addition I can look at the item at the store and refuse it right then and there. As Stuart mentioned however many other outlets don’t give you the option of ordering it and picking up at the store. I have a truck and if I need more room I have neighbors with utility trailers.
Bonnie
Same, where possible. Not something that’s easy to do without your own equipment/trailer though. But most of that can be rented (material lift, engine hoist, pallet jack, all-terrain dolly if you’ve got a gravel driveway) for fairly cheap.
Kevin M Smith
1-ton truck + tractor with pallet forks, there isn’t much I’d order that I can’t deal with myself. For the multiples or really big things, the 16′ dump trailer can come into play.
But I realize not everyone can or is willing to invest in stuff like that. I’m fiercely independent, so it’s worth it to me to not have to rely on anyone else when I need to get stuff done.
John Blair
I ordered a quick release vise in September. It arrived so damaged the box had holes in it and parts had fallen out. The shaft of the screw was bent so badly that you couldn’t rotate it and the jaws were out of parallel by 1/2 inch over 10 inches. I can’t imagine the force it takes to bend a 1 inch hardened steel shaft that much.
carl
It aggravates me to no end that it is apparently more economical to pack things inadequately and deal with endless returns over securely packaging things so they have a hope of surviving. I just think about all the products that must be winding up in landfills that could have survived if double boxed and there was more protection.
Feels like such a wasteful mess to me. If I had to pay a bit extra to ship something with adequate packaging, especially large items that are a hassle to unbox, box, return, etc it would be worth it.
Jared
I was wondering about how much value was lost with Stuart’s twisted Proto boxes… well, maybe I don’t want to think too hard about that.
Stuart
They were 540-series boxes at $500-800 each.
My 550 sample that came from Proto was perfect except for a bent corner of the top lift. I used Pliers Wrench and then hammer to straighten it out. The powder coat was a little chipped but hasn’t deteriorated further.
Mac
At a certain business size, losses can be almost as valuable as profits. Changing packaging adds cost either way. Until shippers or the carriers start agreeing on what constitutes negligence and actually take action against one another, the hassle is on the consumer. I’ve never had an issue with returns though. One mention of how a chargeback looks worst than a refund and any argument ends. Always buy anything sight-unseen with credit cards
John
Makes you wonder how Sears and Roebuck managed to ship entire houses back in the day.
eddie sky
I bought a really nice stainless cabinet on wheels, with maple work surface about 7 years ago. It was from Costco and freight-truck delivered. Driver had to have the semi in the road (2 lane, double line, idiot drivers) and he had lift gate along with palette jack-dolly. Right as it was on the lift gate, I asked him to stop it at the bottom for me to look at it – sure enough, BIG crush and into the front. He asked, Refuse? I said yes, please. And up the lift went. Costco contacted me about the refusal and either refund or send replacement. I opted for replacement. Mind you, at the time, this was a $999 cabinet (now over $1800 for same one) and on the way. This time, I asked if I could look in the trailer, and it had another ding to the back of the packing. I chanced it and it was cosmetic. Plus that would be against the garage wall. The drawers were solid and actually pain to open. Center doors were flimsy but stainless steel w/locks. I kept it for 7 years then sold to a buddy for what I paid (he knew it was $1800 new… so a deal for us both. And the ding wasn’t an issue (again, it would be against a wall, unseen).
I don’t think handlers and warehouse folk care. Or if they do, who knows what the driver packs/unloads and in what order (logistics).
I do know, I don’t mind scratch and dent appliances if cheap enough, ext warranty is available. Doors can be replaced and sides/back can be hidden.
Josh H.
I worked in a warehouse for a bit, and the major metric that leadership was concerned with was dollars shipped. Basically, we had to maximize the dollar amount of product leaving the facility every day. What that means for the people on the floor is that we had to work our buns off to meet quota, and prioritize speed rather than safety and package care. It didn’t matter how damaged the box was, if it was a high value item it was going to be shipped. I’m not saying that this is the definitive issue at hand, but in my experience it did cause quite a bit of damaged product to be shipped to customers (and a higher accident rate than others in industry, but that’s a whole other discussion).
Bobby
I was expecting you to reference this video of a Home Depot delivery gone bad from TikTok, but here it is for your enjoyment https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRpuR4R8/
Jim Felt
How do people that stupid even get hired? Asking for a country?
Bart
People that stupid get hired because smart people won’t take a job that pays far below a living wage. Consumers keep mindlessly spending money no matter how bad the service is, so why spend money on good employees?
Jeremiah
Oh boy, here we go again with this elusive “living wage” and some how deserving more than what is being paid, especially when you don’t even know what thry are being paid.
Jeremiah
Somehow that looked extremely staged.
Scott K
This is a broad generalization, but items just don’t seem as carefully or thoughtfully packaged anymore. There was a time when anmazon would shrink wrap books to a piece of cardboard to avoid damaged- now they are tossed in a box with a few sealed-air bags floating around. Our Bosch fridge arrived with a damaged door and we received three replacements because the first two were packaged so poorly that they arrived damaged. I will say we’ve had much better experiences with UPS and USPS compared to FedEx.
xu lu
HD is hit or miss for me. About 1/2 the time things are perfectly delivered. The other half has had significant damage. I would prefer to pick it up but have no means to move the very large heavy damage susceptible products. The culprit is often poor and inadequate manufacturer’s packaging.
Justin
Mm most recent freight delivery had missing items. I refused delivery, but the guy wouldn’t take it back so I ended up with partial delivery. I received 1 of 3 boxes. The box had that label so it was obvious other parts were missing. labeled on the outside). Delivery guy called his manager on speakerphone while he was here and his manager told him to leave it. Took several weeks and many calls to finally get a refund from HD even though I wanted the actual missing parts. It was useless without the other parts so I had a rather large package collecting dust for a long time. Eventually I bought it from another company so now I have a spare frame rail.
Jim Felt
I think Zoro and/Grainger would do better. They certainly have for me.
But of course they typically have different brands than the two big box mostly retail chains.
KMR
For anything that may be a freight delivery through Home Depot, I usually choose the “Ship to Store” option instead. It gives me the opportunity to inspect the item with an actual HD employee present and I’m able to refuse it immediately at the store if there is an issue with the item. They then load into my pickup or trailer, and I’m unable to maneuver the item to wherever I want on my time table when I get back home or my workshop. I’ve opted to go right to the freight depot as well and collect my items there just to cut out the last-mile delivery guy. Also easier to just refuse it after seeing it in the freight warehouse before they get the guy with the forklift to load it for you.
Jeremiah
“Unable to maneuver,…” ? I think you might want to edit thst part.
KMR
Thanks, didn’t realize my typo. But it doesn’t seem that there is any way to make edits on this site.
Jeremiah
While I agree that returning or denying reception is some times easier at HD, or other stores, certain things are harder to do with a pick up truck, especially these large tool boxes with side cabinets and hutches etc. Unless you have a forklift or overhead crane/hoist.
My other complaint about ship to store is that sometimes my items will be at the store a day or two longer than if I had it delivered to my house or jobsite. Thry need to take it off of the truck, have it go through receiving and then have it pulled, call/email/txt you to come get it. That can add a few more days to the process. One of my items was actually sent back to the vendor once, because it sat in receiving for a week and no one knew who it was for. Luckily I went there and asked about my order and the Customer Care Associate was able to call the vendor and explain. They denied delivery and had it sent back to me two days later.
This is one reason I always order my supplies/materials so early and have them scheduled to be delivered at least 2 weeks before they are needed. When they call to confirm delivery date and time of day window, if I’m not ready, I ask them to hold and deliver later. HD delivery is extremely accommodating.
KMR
I have both an overhead hoist and a set of forks for the quick attach on the loader of my tractor. So yes, I’m better positioned than most to handle large purchases / equipment on my own.
Jeremiah
For the large amount of deliveries I’ve received from HD over the years as both a home owner and a contractor, I can confirm that they are professional, especially compared to Lowe’s. I will do my best, and then some to avoid walking into a Lowe’s, let alone get a delivery.
However, a majority of my deliveries from HD have been perfect. The few that were either wrong or damaged were talen care of immediately. There was one exception though. I ordered a refrigerator for my house. It was delivered with a small dent on the left side that was barely noticeable when placed next to the cabinets. I accepted it but opted for a partial refund for damages. It was supposed to be like $200. The refund was not sent, so after a few months, I called HD, as well as the manufacturer. I finally got HD to honor the refund, but instead of $200, they gave me $325.
I had a load of sheetrock delivered to a jobsite. It was supposed to be green board, for the bathrooms. They delivered it before anyone was at the site. When I got there, I started moving it from the driveway to the garage. I noticed it was the wrong material, so I called HD. They noticed the mistake and sent the correct truck instantly. When the guys arrived, they set the correct load down, loaded the incorrect material and also moved the new load into the garage, even though I had not paid for threshold delivery. Oh, and they would not accept any tip, no matter how hard I tried to give it to them.
But for the most part, I haven’t had a lot of messed up deliveries from HD.
Now, if you want to talk about Lowe’s, you’ll need an entire new entry, and I don’t have time for all of that typing.
Bob
Never understood the “no tipping” corporate policy. I guess I can understand corporate not wanting customers to feel they have to tip automatically but if a guy really goes out of his way to help me out I’m happy to pay for his lunch.
I have found guys that aren’t supposed to accept cash will take waters and some snacks. Everybody loves snacks lol.
Bob
Stuart,
Have you considered investing in a small utility trailer? I would imagine a nice 7 x 12 single axle 3500 pound GVW with fold down expanded metal mesh drive over back gate. Think a landscapers trailer but single axel light duty. This one is $3k at Home Depot (yikes they doubled in price from the last few years) https://www.homedepot.com/p/Karavan-6-ft-x-12-ft-Wood-Floor-Utility-Trailer-Kit-w-Patented-Pivot-Down-Rail-System-KHD-2990-72-12-RR/309788601?
You can find better ones with more features for same or less money at a dedicated trailer store. But something like this would be perfect for loading toolboxes, stationary equipment, bulky sheet goods, project supplies etc.
The cons are purchase price, registration and insurance costs. Also a parking spot for it and having a tow vehicle. But even most compact cars can tow a 3500 pound trailer. And if it doesn’t have a hitch they can be added for a couple hundred bucks. Hitch can be used for a bike rack too.
I could see there being a lot of interest from the toolguyd community if you reviewed some of the homeowner and light commercial trailers.
I personally really enjoy checking out trailers and how guys set them up to meet their particular needs. I especially like the custom built specialty trailers. Some pretty talented fabricators and engineers out there making some pretty cool trailers. Anyways just a thought.
DRT42
This is good advice. I hauled all kinds of stuff with a HFT 4×8. You cannot imagine the look on the lumber yard guy’s face when I would pull in with a Honda Civic and a 4×8 trailer. Hauled more things than you can imagine. Thousands of pounds. Finally moved up from the 4×8 to a 6×10 and that is what I recommend. The 6×10 can carry so much more stuff – real tires, real axles, real load capacity. If you spend a few extra bucks and get aluminum, you can leave it outside without rusting, and you won’t regret it. My wife frequently reminds me what a good investment that trailer was (yes, seriously – how often does that happen ?) Buying an aluminum 6×10 is one of the best purchases I ever made.
Stuart
I don’t have a pickup, or the parking/storage space for a trailer.
Even with a trailer, a lot of my freight deliveries cannot easily be picked up at local stores.
With this order, freight was free/included in the price, and so ship-to-store wouldn’t have even saved me any money.
With my current SUV, adding a factory hitch would have resulted in stepping up to the next package at a significant premium, or a custom order with extensive lead time and loss of inventory discounts. I figured I could add one if/when I really needed it, but that hasn’t happened yet.
I’ll likely get a hitch with my next car or truck, but don’t foresee myself getting a trailer – at least not given my current needs and circumstances.
John H
Tried to buy a safe from HD and after two damaged deliveries, we gave up. They do not seem to care. Picking up at the store was not an option.
TomD
This is why I do freight to store, so I can refuse it right there with no funny business. The amount of freight damage to pallet goods is insane.