At M. Markley Antiques, we are committed to your receiving the items you purchase as quickly and safely as possible. Here are four possibile alternatives for delivery:
1. Pick-up at the location designated by M. Markley Antiques;
2. Delivery using our preferred shipper, Plycon Transportation Group, for items being delivered in the United States;
3. Pick-up by your transporter, other than Plycon, at the location designated by M. Markley Antiques, for delivery within the United States or for export;
4. Shipment of small items within the United States by UPS.
Bear in mind that in today's inflationary environment, the costs of shipping, including transportation, fuel surcharges, and insurance, have risen dramatically. Depending on your location, delivery charges may exceed the price of the item you are considering. We have no control over these costs.
Because antique furniture is valuable, and often fragile, we believe that it should be "blanket-wrapped," meaning that it is enclosed in padded cloth wrappers and then securely taped.
To use alternative (1), above, please give us 24 hours notice of when you would like to pick up your items. If you wish to come outside of regular business hours, we will do our best to accommodate your schedule.
If you wish to use alternative (2), above, you may obtain a quote directly from Plycon Transportation Group. However, as a preferred customer of Plycon for almost two decades, we can obtain a quick quote for you, which should be binding for 30 days. Typically, Plycon will pick up the furniture within a week to ten days and deliver it to you within two weeks thereafter.
We have been using Plycon to ship our antique furniture to buyers all over the United States, always with outstanding results. Items are blanket-wrapped at our location. Especially fragile items may also be crated. Upon delivery to our customers, Plycon removes the wrappings and places the items where the customer wants them, including assembly when an item involves multiple parts.
Plycon no longer accepts COD payments, so customers must pay in advance, whether to us for payment to Plycon at the time of the pick-up, or directly to Plycon using the customer's credit card.
If you wish to use alternative (3), above, you should provide your shipper with the following consignor information:
Michael M. Markley
M. Markley Antiques
The Woodlands, TX 77380
Telephone and SMS text 281-748-2266
E-mail mmarkley@mmarkley.com
Transporters are responsible for all aspects of disassembly, packing, and loading of purchased items at the designated location. We do not provide labor for transporters.
The transporter must provide M. Markley Antiques with a Bill of Lading at the time of pick-up at the designated location. The Bill of Lading should comply with applicable laws and regulations covering interstate or intrastate transportation of goods by for-hire carriers.
We do not recommend shipping by providers who crate or "palletize" furniture because they may not blanket-wrap it, and will not pick it up at our location. Typically, they wrap an item in plastic, without padding, and then load and unload using forklifts, which can damage the furniture. They do not unpack and re-assemble furniture or place it inside our customers' premises in the spot where it will reside.
If you wish to use alternative (4), the item must be small, typically no larger than 15" by 15". We will provide you with an estimate from UPS in advance, including the costs of packing, transportation, and insurance. If acceptable, we will include the cost on our sales invoice to you. Typically, we will ship it within two days of receiving payment.
It appears that increased costs have led some haulers to not follow the rules requiring registration of motor carriers in interstate commerce. They may offer their services more cheaply but may not have insurance and other safeguards you will need to rely upon in case of loss or damage. We encourage you to do your due diligence before contracting with a transporter.
For any questions about the delivery process, please contact us as shown, below.