Yes, IKEA Delivers—Here’s What You Need to Know Before You Order

With the launch of its new Planning Studio and the testing of IKEA furniture rental opportunities, IKEA is making it easier for anyone and everyone to shop their products—IKEA delivery is just another step in that direction. Order from IKEA and choose the delivery option with confidence that you’ll get exactly what you expect.

IKEA delivery could save you a trip, but you need to understand a few things about the IKEA shipping system before you buy.

Part of the joy—or joyful misery—of shopping at IKEA is prowling the aisles of the enormous warehouse, seeking that item code that means you’ve found your BILLY bookcase, pushing a laden-down cart and trying not to hit anyone, and triple-checking that you did, in fact, pick up all three boxes (and in the same color, no less) required to assemble your new shelving unit. It doesn’t have to be this way, though, because IKEA does deliver—and shipping IKEA purchases is less complicated than you may expect.

I’ll be the first to sign up to spend my day wandering around IKEA, snacking on Swedish meatballs and admiring every BESTÅ combo I pass. I’ve spent weekends doing just that, in fact, but when I found myself in a new apartment, in a new city, with no car, I realized that my preferred IKEA shopping experience just couldn’t happen. I turned to IKEA delivery, and I was ecstatic with the results.

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On IKEA’s website, most items have an option to buy online. (Some seasonal or special edition items won’t be available for delivery.) When you go to check out, you can choose delivery or Click & Collect, where you order online and then pick up the items at the store. If you choose delivery, the site will ask for your zip code and use that to calculate shipping costs, which is where things get a little funky.

How much does IKEA delivery cost?

Prices can vary by region, but all IKEA shipping costs are a flat fee: You’ll get everything for the same price, regardless of how many items you order or how much they weigh. Shipping is the same for an order of 10 products as it is for one, so you’ll want to make sure you’re ordering enough to make the shipping cost worth it.

There are two IKEA delivery options: Small or Large Item delivery. Small Item delivery—only available if your order includes picture frames, hangers, small textiles, or other small, shippable items—is $9.99. The items will be boxed up and shipped to your door through a standard carrier, such as FedEx, like most other online purchases.

Large Item delivery requires a little more coordination, but it means large furniture items—yes, even your new multi-piece media center—can be brought straight to your door. IKEA works with third-party delivery services to handle the actual delivery, and these services will bring the boxes (flat packed, like you would pick up at the IKEA store) into a room of your choice. (Yes, even if you live in a fourth-floor walk-up, like me.) You can work with the service to coordinate a four-hour delivery window on a particular day, during which someone will need to be home to receive the items. Fortunately, delivery is available on weekends. This service starts at $39. The delivery fee includes everything in your order, though, so you won’t pay more if you’re ordering furniture for a whole room than you would for just a single item.

IKEA also partners with TaskRabbit for assembly services, if you’re interested in having someone else put together your MALM dresser. You can have an assembly specialist come to your home after your IKEA delivery arrives to put everything together; prices for this service start at $38.

Perusing the enormous showroom and picking up furniture from an IKEA store might seem like a rite of passage for any furniture shopper on a budget, but it’s not always possible for people without cars, people far from an IKEA store, or people unable to lift the heavy boxes. To that end, IKEA delivery is a smart (and convenient) solution to getting the quality and affordability of IKEA furniture home without a huge hassle.

With the launch of its new Planning Studio and the testing of IKEA furniture rental opportunities, IKEA is making it easier for anyone and everyone to shop their products���IKEA delivery is just another step in that direction. Order from IKEA and choose the delivery option with confidence that you’ll get exactly what you expect, without gimmicks or tricks, and it might even be easier than a trip to the big blue warehouse store.