How to Ship a Mattress

There are plenty of reasons you might want to ship your mattress. You may be moving across the country and don’t plan to replace your bedroom furniture.

Or you just bought yourself a fancy new mattress, but know a loved one, perhaps a cousin in college, who would love to sleep on your old mattress rather than the squeaky one in their dorm.

Whatever the reason, this post answers the question, “Is it worth it to ship a mattress?” We outline how to determine whether shipping your mattress is really the best choice, review the average costs of shipping a mattress, and walk you through the how-to of actually doing it.

What Does It Cost to Ship a Mattress?

The average cost of shipping a mattress ranges from $0.70 to $2.50 per mile. All in, you can expect to pay anywhere from $300 to upwards of $700 to ship your mattress, depending on the size and distance.

That’s because the cost of shipping your mattress not only includes the actual cost of shipping the mattress, but also:

• The cost of packing materials
• The cost of gas, if you’ll be driving your mattress to the shipping facility
• The cost of shipping insurance, if you choose to purchase it

That last one is optional, but one worth considering. Shipping insurance is normally available for a fraction of the cost, and it may give you some peace of mind if your mattress is still in good shape and worth more than the cost of shipping.

Is It Worth It to Ship a Mattress?

Whether it’s worth it to ship a mattress ultimately depends on how much your mattress is worth. Let’s say your mattress is still relatively new, and you paid over $750 for it. If you only have to pay $400 to ship it, that’s a better deal than buying a brand new mattress.

If, on the other hand, your mattress is old, it may only be worth a few hundred dollars. In that case, you’d essentially be paying more than its value simply to ship it.

The average mattress should be replaced every 5 to 9 years. If you’ve had your mattress for somewhere within that time range, you may be due for a new mattress. If this describes your situation, you might take your move as an opportunity to order a new mattress online from a bed-in-a-box brand and have it shipped to your new front door.

Finally, if you’re already planning to rent a moving truck to move the rest of your furniture, it may be more economical to just upgrade to a larger truck and fit your mattress inside with everything else.

How Do I Ship a Mattress?

If you’ve decided to ship your mattress, follow these steps to guarantee its safe arrival:

1. Remove Bedding and Disassemble Your Bed Frame

First, remove everything from the mattress that’s not the mattress. This includes your bedskirt, sheets, comforter, blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. Set these aside to pack up separately if you also plan on shipping them.

If you’re also shipping your bed frame, disassemble it. Gather any nails or hardware bits into a bag. Bonus points if you take notes during the disassembly so you can easily put it back together again upon arrival.

2. Measure Your Mattress

Next, you want to calculate the size and weight dimensions for your mattress. Start by measuring the size. Use measuring tape to measure the length, width, and height of your mattress.

If you have your original order form or packing slip, you may be able to find this information there. Alternately, if your mattress is still being sold, you can save yourself the trouble and find this information on the manufacturer’s website. Just confirm with customer service that there haven’t been any differences in dimensions if a new model has been released.

Below are the standard length and width dimensions for today’s mattress sizes:

Today’s beds have different heights, ranging from 6 to 15 inches or more. The thickness of your mattress will also affect its weight. Again, you can get the weight from the manufacturer’s website. Otherwise, make your best guess using the chart below:

Note that the mattress type also affects its weight. Innerspring beds tend to be lighter, while hybrid and memory foam beds tend to be heavier.

Finally, remember to account for the weight of any packing materials you’ll use.

3. Get Shipping Quotes

Now that you know what you’re shipping, it’s time to go from shipping to shopping — for quotes, that is. Can you ship a mattress through FedEx or UPS? You bet. You can get a quote for shipping your mattress from several websites and shipping providers, including:

• UShip
• TSI Shipping
• Freight Pros
• FedEx
• UPS

To receive a quote for the cost of shipping your mattress, you’ll need to enter the following information:

• Type of furniture item you’re shipping (mattress, box spring, bed frame, etc.)
• Mattress weight
• Mattress size
• Your sender information (address and contact information)
• Delivery information (address)
• Pickup and delivery dates

4. Schedule Delivery or Pickup

Once you’ve selected a shipping provider, you can choose whether you want them to pick it up from your home or if you want to drop it off at their facility. Sometimes there is an extra fee for one option or the other.

Pro tip: If you’re purchasing a new mattress, note that some mattress brands include White Glove Delivery. With this service, company representatives will come pick up your mattress, wrap it, and haul it away for disposal for you. They’ll also assemble your new mattress. This service usually costs upwards of $100, although some providers, like Saatva, offer it for free.

White Glove Delivery is a smart choice for those who aren’t able to physically maneuver their mattress for shipping, or don’t have a vehicle they can use to get it to the drop-off facility.

5. Prepare Your Mattress for Shipping

At last, it’s time to get your mattress ready for travel. Bubble wrap, shrink wrap, and packing foam are good tools for this. Wrap your mattress up, as well as your box spring and disassembled bed frame, if you’re also shipping those. Then, place your mattress inside a mattress encasement. If you don’t already own one of these, you can see our top picks in our Buyer’s Guide to the Best Mattress Encasements.

Mattress encasements zip on like a mattress cover, except that they’re much more protective and cover all sides of your mattress. Made from waterproof vinyl or cotton, they’re actually designed to keep out mold, bacteria, allergens, and pests like bed bugs.

These protect your mattress from stains and damage, and essentially allow you to extend its lifespan to the fullest, so you can keep on using it once your mattress arrives at its new home. They‘re a good investment and very affordable, costing $25 to $100 for a Queen size mattress.

Put everything inside a cardboard box. Fill the inside with packing peanuts or more bubble wrap or bubble envelopes. Then tape it up and reinforce the edges with packing tape.

If you are shipping a foam-based mattress, also include a note that the mattress should lay flat as often as possible during shipping. When kept in a vertical position for long periods of time, the integrity of the foam can be affected.

That’s it! Now you ship your mattress and patiently await its arrival.