How Freight Delivery Works When You Buy a Pallet
Pallets do not arrive in a parcel van. They come by freight, and the process catches out almost every first-time buyer.
Before the truck arrives
Someone has to be there to receive it. Freight carriers do not leave pallets unattended and a missed delivery costs time on both sides. Pallets and truckloads move by freight. Someone needs to be available to receive the delivery.
Unloading
A loading dock makes this trivial. Without one you need a way to get a loaded pallet off a trailer, whether that is a forklift, a liftgate arrangement, or people and time to break the pallet down by hand where that is practical.
Inspect before you sign
This is the single most important paragraph on this page. Look at the load before you sign the delivery paperwork. If shrink wrap is torn, boxes are crushed or the pallet is visibly short, write it on the paperwork before signing and photograph it.
A clean signature is a statement that the freight arrived in good order. Recovering a damage claim after a clean signature is considerably harder, for us as much as for you.
Raising a claim
Freight damage must be noted on the Bill of Lading and reported within 48 hours of delivery, because that is the carrier’s deadline. A wrong or defective load can be reported within 30 days. We need damage noted on the delivery paperwork before you sign, plus photographs. If we ask for a load back on an approved claim, we arrange and pay the freight.
What shipping costs here
Shipping is included in the listed price. There is no separate freight charge at checkout. Delivery is 1 to 5 business days to the mainland. Alaska and Hawaii take 3 to 7 business days.
More guides
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What a liquidation pallet actually is, what unmanifested means, and who should not buy one.
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Cost per piece, realistic sell-through, and the costs that never appear on the invoice.
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What is really inside an Amazon returns pallet, and why the unboxing videos mislead.
What pallet freight delivery actually costs
Pallet freight delivery is priced on weight, distance, class and whether the destination is commercial or residential. A residential delivery with a liftgate costs a carrier more than a dock-to-dock move, which is why many sellers quote freight separately after you have already committed to a price.
We do not. Free US shipping is included in every listed price, there is no separate freight line at checkout and a liftgate is available at no charge if you have nowhere to unload. What you see on the listing is the total.
