What White-Glove Delivery Actually Means
White-glove delivery means a piece is treated as the finished product it is: wrapped for transport, carried in by hand with care, placed exactly where it belongs, detailed, and left ready to use with all the packaging removed. It is the opposite of a freight carrier leaving a boxed sofa at the curb.
What is included
- Wrapped and padded transport so nothing rubs or scuffs in the truck.
- In-home carry and placement, room-of-choice, positioned to the designer’s plan rather than dropped inside the door.
- Detailing and touch-ups before the piece leaves the warehouse, so small blemishes never reach the client.
- Debris removal, with cartons, foam, and wrap taken away so the room is left clean.
- Assembly and setup where the piece calls for it, so it is ready to use.
Why it matters for designers
A room only becomes the rendering in the last fifty feet, on the truck ramp, up the stairs, and into place. A curbside drop puts all of that on the client or the designer, and it is where an otherwise flawless project can fall apart. White-glove delivery is what protects the presentation you have spent months building.
White glove is a standard, not an upsell
Some operations treat white-glove as a premium tier you pay extra to unlock. At Trade Receiving it is simply how furniture is handled, because fine furnishings do not tolerate any other approach. Delivery is priced per item by size, with hourly and mileage components where they apply, and the fee schedule is published so there are no mystery invoices.
What to confirm before you book
Ask any delivery partner what their white-glove service actually includes. Does it cover placement, or just entry? Detailing, or only transport? Debris removal? Assembly? The term is used loosely across the industry, so the details are where the real difference lives.