The Designer’s Glossary of Receiving and Delivery Terms

Trade logistics has its own vocabulary, and it is used loosely enough across the industry that the same word can mean different things. Here are the terms designers run into most, defined plainly.

Receiving

Taking delivery of vendor and freight shipments at a warehouse, where each piece is inspected, documented, and stored, instead of shipping direct to a job site or client.

Sidemark

The label a designer assigns to a shipment to tie it to a specific project and client. Used consistently on every purchase order and carton, it keeps a whole-home order organized. See what a sidemark is.

White-glove delivery

The full-service tier: wrapped and padded transport, in-home carry, room-of-choice placement, detailing, assembly where needed, and debris removal. See what white-glove actually means.

Threshold delivery

The piece is brought just inside the entry or garage and left there, usually still packaged. A step above curbside, well short of white-glove.

Curbside delivery

The carrier leaves the shipment at the curb or driveway. The client handles everything from there.

Protective wrapping

Wrapping and padding a piece for transport and carry-in, protecting the finish where damage actually happens, on the truck and through doorways.

Room-of-choice placement

Carrying each piece to the specific room where it belongs and positioning it to the designer’s plan, rather than leaving it by the door.

Consolidation

Holding a full project in storage until every piece has arrived, then delivering and installing it in one coordinated day. See why consolidation matters.

Freight claim

A claim filed against a carrier for damage that happened in transit. Depends on documentation at receipt.

Vendor claim

A claim filed against a supplier for a defect or a piece that shipped compromised, usually within a defined reporting window.

Detailing

Cleaning, finish touch-ups, and a final once-over before a piece is delivered, so it arrives looking the way the tearsheet promised.

The designer firewall

The boundary that keeps a receiver from selling furniture or marketing to your clients, and keeps your account details confidential. See the designer firewall.