Shipping policy

We have 3 methods of shipping:

1) Personal delivery: We make deliveries once per month from Northeastern VA to New England and cross-country several times per year. Our delivery service is usually the slowest, but it is always the least expensive and most reliable. We have been shipping for ourselves locally since 2007 and cross-country since 2008. We have NEVER damaged a door that we shipped since we started shipping for ourselves. All payments for our services are to be paid in cash upon delivery. We assume all deliveries can be made by climbing up or descending down no more than 5 steps and that no elevator will be required. We could go up/down more stairs or take an elevator for an extra charge.

2) Local pick up: available in Scranton, PA. If you contact us 2 - 3 days prior to pick up, we could arrange for 24/7 pick up.

3) Third-party shipping: Below is a list of all of the shippers that we use when we cannot personally deliver or if you are unable to pick up. We freighted from 2004 - 2020 and will no longer freight. Not only does the freight industry not insure shipments of antiques, but we incurred so many damages and ridiculous additional charges that it was no longer feasible to freight. If you would like to set up freight, we could crate or palletize your item on our end for an additional charge and your freighter could pick up from our business with loading dock Monday - Friday between 8AM & 3PM.

USPS: We use them for shipping hardware. For all packages weighing less than 1lb we used "First Class Mail" and for all packages heavier, we use "Priority Mail."

UPS and FedEx: We use this service for shipping doors, windows, furniture, and all other larger items that weigh less than 150lbs and are smaller than 165" (longest side + 2(width) + 2(depth)). All shipments are insured, HOWEVER, due to their packaging requirements and extremely difficult claims process, we cannot guarantee reimbursement for total loss, repairs, or loss of value due to their handling. They require that all items are packaged in 2" thick foam (not too hard & not too soft) on all 6 sides, which is reasonable. However, they require that all packages are covered in double-wall, corrugated cardboard which has 375-lb/square inch, burst-strength resistance which we thick is ridiculous. We ship 30 - 80 lb wooden doors not 600+ lb steel, commercial appliances.

Although damage and loss are rare, they do happen to us about 3 - 5 times per year. If your item arrives damaged:

Please take photos of all 6 sides of the box or crate that the item came in, close up of any portions of the box or crate that were damaged, photos of the shipping label, and photos of the damage(s) to the item.
DO NOT throw away any of the packaging, as they will send a driver to come and inspect it. If the packaging material is unavailable for inspection, they will deny the claim.
Provide us with your phone number and answer/call back calls from UPS. They always call to set up an appointment for their driver to inspect the damaged package and item. They will call 2 - 3 times (sometimes in the same day) and then promptly deny the claim.
Even if the item is completely destroyed, DO NOT throw away the damaged item. If filing a claim for total loss (full compensation) they will come to pick up the item before they send a check for reimbursement. Basically, if they can't keep the damaged item they won't give you any money.

Again, we want to be perfectly clear: We cannot guarantee that any item shipped with UPS or FedEx will not arrive damaged and we cannot guarantee ANY reimbursement from UPS or FedEx for any damage they caused. We will file a claim and do our best, as always, to get money back from them for damage, but they are making it more and more difficult to win a claim.

U-Ship: This is our preferred "Third Party" shipping method. It's the most expensive and usually the slowest, but it's the most reliable. We post your item for transport on "uship.com" and let you know any reasonable bids that come in from various, independent shippers from across the country that are registered on that site. Once you approve of the bid price and timing of the shipper, we'll coordinate with him/her to deliver your items. We don't charge a broker fee or anything in addition to what we need to pay U-Ship.

If you would like to use this shipping method, please provide us with a phone number to give the driver and any notable instructions or details they should be aware of (i.e. needs to be brought up a flight of stairs or more; accessing the delivery location via a long, narrow windy drive way with low branches; business address with limited or no parking in front; etc.)