FAQ
The questions everyone asks. The answers, straight.
Pricing, minimums, lead times, freight, fabric — here's how it all actually works. If your question isn't here, ask us directly; real people answer those too.
Sourcing, money, and logistics
How do you make money if quotes are free?
Our margin is built into the furniture price, the same way any supplier's is — you're not paying a separate fee for help. Because we quote landed cost, the number we give you is directly comparable to any other quote you collect. For large multi-vendor FF&E projects, we work on a scoped fee agreed in writing up front instead. Either way, you'll know how the money works before you commit.
Do you have minimum order sizes?
No hard minimum, but honesty helps here: commercial pricing usually starts making sense around 10–20 pieces, and volume breaks get meaningful from there. If you need two chairs, a retail store will genuinely serve you better, and we'll say so rather than quote you badly.
What are realistic lead times for commercial furniture?
Stocked programs: 1–4 weeks plus freight. Made-to-order domestic: 6–14 weeks. Overseas and custom programs: 12–20 weeks plus transit. Anyone quoting dramatically faster is usually quoting the production slot they hope for, not the one they have. We quote the date we believe, then track it.
Why does freight cost so much, and what's 'landed cost'?
Commercial furniture ships LTL freight — big, heavy, and crated — and the price swings on distance, freight class, and your delivery situation (loading dock versus liftgate, commercial versus residential address). Landed cost means furniture plus crating plus freight to your door in one number. It's the only number worth comparing, which is why it's the only way we quote.
What is COM?
Customer's Own Material — instead of picking from a factory's fabric card, you (or your designer) supply fabric from any mill, and the factory upholsters in it. It buys you exactly the look you want and adds a few weeks plus responsibility for the fabric's suitability. Before you commit yardage, we check the rub count, cleanability, and fire rating so the beautiful fabric is also the right one.
Do you serve Canada as well as the US?
Yes — we supply projects across both. For Canadian deliveries, the quote includes the border reality: duties, brokerage, and freight to your province, so the landed number is still the real number. Currency gets stated clearly on every quote so there are no exchange-rate surprises.
Can I get a sample before ordering 300 of something?
Usually, and on a real order you should. Most factories will sell a sample chair at or near unit cost plus freight, and on decent-sized orders the sample cost is often credited back when you proceed. For fabrics and finishes, swatches are typically free. Build two or three weeks into your schedule for sampling — it's the cheapest insurance in this business.
What happens if furniture arrives damaged?
First: note the damage on the delivery receipt before the driver leaves, and photograph everything — that one habit preserves the freight claim. Then we take it from there: we file and chase the claim, get replacements or repairs moving, and keep you out of the carrier-versus-factory finger-pointing. It's part of the job, not an extra.
Can you match a chair I saw somewhere else?
Usually, or get honestly close. Send a photo and your quantity, and we'll tell you what the commercial equivalent is, what it costs, and — importantly — where the cheap lookalikes cut corners, because with popular designs there are always cheap lookalikes.
Is 'commercial grade' real, or just marketing?
Real, when it's backed by testing. Genuine contract furniture is built and tested to commercial standards (BIFMA is the one you'll see cited) — reinforced frames, rated weight capacities, contract-grade foam and fabrics, finishes that tolerate cleaning chemicals. The marketing version is a residential product with the word 'commercial' in the title. The spec sheet tells you which one you're looking at; we read those so you don't have to.
Do you work with designers and architects?
Regularly, and happily. Send your spec sheets or FF&E schedule and we'll price to spec, flag availability problems early, handle COM logistics, and coordinate deliveries with the project schedule. We're comfortable being the supply half of a design-led project — it's what we've done for fifteen years.
I need furniture in four weeks. Is that possible?
Sometimes, honestly. Stocked programs exist for exactly this, and a surprising amount of decent commercial furniture ships within 1–3 weeks. What four weeks rules out is anything made-to-order: custom finishes, COM upholstery, special sizes. Tell us the real date and we'll tell you what's genuinely achievable inside it — before you commit to anything.
Questions about a specific category — chairs, booths, tables, hotel casegoods? Each sourcing page has its own FAQ with the category-specific numbers. And how it works walks through the whole process in three steps.
Question that isn't on the list?
Ask it in the quote form — even if you're nowhere near buying yet. Real questions get real answers, not a brochure.
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