White glove delivery pricing per stop in the US: ranges and add-ons

What to take away

White glove delivery is a threshold service, not a curbside drop. Sample local delivery quotes show a template without the jargon. The crew enters the home, places items in the room, and removes packaging. Two-person teams are the default because furniture and appliances are too heavy for one person. Customers expect a fixed price, not a clock.

What the range covers

A local white glove stop for a sofa, mattress, or standard refrigerator often lands between $60 and $250. The base covers one delivery window, two-person unloading, and placement in the room of choice on the same floor. It does not include stairs, assembly, or haul-away. Carriers that quote below $60 usually limit the service to garage or front-door drop. A $250 stop typically covers multiple rooms, a tight hallway, or a large item.

Line by line

The invoice usually breaks into a delivery base, access fees, and assembly fees. The table below uses illustrative ranges from U.S. independent last-mile carriers.

A customer with a third-floor walk-up, two assembled pieces, and an old sofa removal could see $120 delivery plus $80 stairs plus $100 assembly plus $50 removal, or $350 total.

Not every stop needs every line. A delivery-only sofa to a first-floor apartment may skip assembly and removal. A refrigerator to a third-floor walk-up may carry all six line items plus a long-carry fee.

Labor classification changes the per-stop number. The DOL Wage and Hour Division FLSA page lists overtime and recordkeeping rules that raise labor cost on multi-stop days.

What moves the number

Item count, stairs, and assembly drive most per-stop variation. Weight matters when a crew must carry a 300-pound refrigerator up a narrow staircase. Building access can turn a 20-minute stop into an hour.

A stop in a building with a service elevator may avoid stair fees but still takes longer if the elevator is slow, and many carriers keep a per-stop labor rate separate from the customer facing fee. That split shows which stops clear overhead.

For the tax side of paying those crews, IRS Schedule C and 1099-NEC shape how you record per-stop labor.

What quotes leave out

Many quotes omit threshold placement and leave the customer with a garage drop. Others fail to cap stair fees, so a third-floor delivery can surprise the customer. A quote should state whether the crew removes old furniture, hooks up appliances, or carries items through a tight hallway.

White glove means inside the home, not curbside. Quote it as a separate service.

A clean quote caps stair flights and assembly time. Without a cap, one stop can add three flights and a 90-minute build. State the maximum in writing.

Parking tickets, building insurance certificates, and long-carry fees often appear only after the job. Ask for the floor, item count, and any assembly before sending a number. If you run a small fleet, FMCSA rules explain which stops require a USDOT number.

Example: two-piece bedroom set

Training also matters. Local delivery team training checklist owners reuse helps reduce damage claims and rework.

Where people overspend

White glove quotes go wrong when a carrier prices by the hour but pays by the stop. A crew that spends 45 minutes unboxing and assembling loses money on a flat $90 stop. Another common leak is accepting every stop without a zone check. A $50 base cannot cover a 40-mile trip.

If you use independent crews, the IRS independent contractor test shows that misclassification can alter your stop price.

Common questions