We offer delivery to most addresses in Australia, with no minimum order required.
Shipping charges will be calculated in your shopping cart once a product is added. These charges are calculated based on your shipping location. For Products that we are unable to show pricing for, please select the 'Quick Quote' Button, and we will quote you on the product you love, with delivery to your door.
Please contact us at [email protected] or call 1300 702 201 for delivery charges to remote regions in Australia before you make your order.
- We ship our products Australia-wide through a number of different freight carriers.
- We also offer direct door-to-door delivery (through the use of our own Online Flooring Store trucks) for customers that reside between the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, to Ballina in New South Wales.
- All flooring orders that are in stock will be dispatched between 2 to 5 working days after approval of your payment. Most arrive in 5-12 business days.
- Most flooring in stock can be dispatched within 3 working days.
- Please be aware that any delivery dates given are estimates only and cannot be guaranteed.
- To place an order with a delayed shipping date, call us on 1300 702 201 during business hours. Our customer service team will be happy to assist you.
Please e-mail [email protected] or call 1300 702 201 to check the status of your order, including the progress of your delivery.
If there is damage to your item as a result of negligence by the shipping company, you should immediately notify us by calling 1300 702 201 or emailing us at [email protected]. At the same time, please follow the steps below:
- Please inspect your item carefully together with the delivery driver. You need to write a clear description of the damage on both your copy and the driver's copy and signed on both copies by you and the driver. Please do not sign for items that are damaged during transition unless you have made a note for the damage on the delivery copy.
- If you believe the damage cannot be repaired or it is unacceptable then you should refuse to receive the item. Please contact us immediately so we can process a replacement for you.
- Please remember, once you sign for the item or give permission to the shipping company to leave the damaged item for you, you will be responsible for filing a claim with the delivery company and for all charges for the return shipment. If you find shipping damage to your item only after the driver has left, you should report it to the shipping company using information on the delivery docket and request an inspection within 10 days of the receipt. Please take some photos showing the damage and keep the original packing material until the inspection has been done. At the same time, please also notify us immediately regarding the damage.
Working out how a freight company will charge as a customer can be confusing, to say the least. The information below simplifies how freight costs can be incurred when sending flooring products.
Some freight companies charge by pallet space, which is capped at 999kgs. This means that 1500mm and 1800mm long products are charged as 1.5 or 2 pallet spaces, and 2400mm products are charged at an oversized pallet rate.
These are the measurement Parameters:
- standard – 1200 x 1200
- double – 1500/1800 x 1200
- oversized 2400 x 1200
- Some freight companies charge by the weight of pallets. Meaning that each additional box of flooring increases the cost.
- Some freight companies combine pallet space with the weight of the pallet.
Further additional costs include:
- Residential delivery fee
- Tailgate delivery fee
Full refunds are only offered if the product is found to be faulty.
No refunds will be given if you have simply changed your mind. For full details, please refer to our Payment & Refund Policy.
It is possible, but often works out more expensive to return the product than to keep it. Most suppliers have the following terms:
- Unused product must be returned to the supplier by the consumer at the consumer's expense.
- The Supplier will inspect the product and any that is in a resalable state can be claimed on. This is entirely at the supplier's discretion and they claim no responsibility for if the product is damaged in transit.
- Any resalable product will be refunded the price of the product, less a 25% restocking fee.
For all of our freight arrangements, we have a list of due diligence requirements that freight companies must adhere to to keep our deliveries successful.
At Online Flooring Store, we use local operators as much as possible. We know these operators on a first-name basis, and can contact them much easier when needed.
If the customer chooses to and the supplier allows it, you can pick up the product directly from the supplier or freight depot. Doing this can save you money on freight costs as well as picking up at a time that's most suitable for yourself, but there's a few things you also need to keep in mind.
You may need a ute or trailer to transport your product back, you'll need to unload all the products yourself and you also need to keep in mind that internal transfer fees still apply if you pick it up from a freight depot.
From start to finish, we communicate with you about the progress of your freight and if there are any delays. We know our operators on a first-name basis and we will forward any information directly from them to you.
We have practices in place to specifically avoid delay issues, which is why we work with local operators and have an extensive list of requirements for our freight to deliver well successfully.
In general, if a delay occurs, it may be due to the following reasons:- Illness of drivers
- Driver shortages
- Time of the year (Black Friday & Christmas in particular are especially busy)
- Delivery to rural areas with less frequent drop-offs
To avoid confusion, we generally give customers a freight cost if delivered to their house and offer a free pickup option from the warehouse where possible.
Freight issues become most apparent when considering sending a product from the eastern states to Western Australia. Quite often, customers will prefer to choose a similar product that we still sell but supplied in WA to avoid huge freight costs.
Although we still communicate with the customer, they must deliver promptly and safely once the freight company picks up a product. This is why we are picky with freight companies.
Reasons for freight time delays include:
- Illness of drivers – particularly COVID-related over the past few years
- Driver shortages as the economy changes
- Time of year – Black Friday & Christmas sale times are a busy time of year
- Availability of tailgate trucks in the area
- Living in rural areas where drop-offs are less frequent means customers will wait longer for a truck to fill up and travel to the area
- Unreputable freight companies, on rare occasions, may misplace freight, in which case they need to run a depot search to locate the missing products
- It is the responsibility of the consumer to ensure that the delivery site is ready to accept delivery of the product. If we are unable to deliver the product because the above conditions have not been met, or for another reason to which we have not been informed, this will result in a failed delivery.
- Failed deliveries will be returned to the supplier or depot from which they were collected. From this point the responsibility for product collection falls to the consumer, as the product is the property of the consumer. All additional incurred costs for Depot storage that occur as a result of a failed delivery are the responsibility of the consumer. Delivery fees will not be refunded in the case of a failed delivery.
- Re-deliveries will incur additional charges, as per the carrier. Re-deliveries will not take place until the re-delivery charge has been paid in full by the consumer.
Freight and Transport Types
It is no secret that flooring is a heavy product that takes up the room when transported. Now more than ever, freight costs and wait times are critical ingredients for a flooring retail business to consider to keep customers happy. Liaising between freight companies and customers is a part of our daily operation, and we see it as our duty to check in with freight companies to keep customers updated.
We have our own set of variables we measure against a freight provider to ensure they are everyone’s best option for having products arrive on time and damage-free. On rare occasions, delays and damage can occur, but this is kept to a minimum due to the reputable providers we use and all the options we disclose to customers.
This information covers the different freight options for flooring and considerations to make when choosing.
Tailgate delivery uses a truck with a hydraulic tail lift, usually accompanied by a manual pallet jack. When unloading, the flooring pallet gets wheeled onto the extended tailgate, which is lowered to the ground. Once on the ground, the pallet is wheeled off the tailgate. Tailgate delivery is separate from a tilt tray truck used in the towing industry, which is not designed to transport flooring. There may be rare occasions where a tilt tray tow truck could transport bulk orders when the product is safe from moisture.
Pros
- It saves money on hand unloading and is the most efficient delivery for flat surfaces
- Delivery is more time-efficient if you have a suitable driveway and surface
- Tailgate deliveries require experienced and professional operators and drivers
- A safe way to ensure your flooring gets delivered smoothly and on time
- The product is enclosed in a truck that has a solid roof, helping protect your flooring from the elements
Cons
- Because of the weight of a pallet of floorboards, you need a flat, level and hard surface (driveway/street & not gravel) to unload to. If there is a slight incline/decline or uneven ground, the pallet jack under the weight cannot safely come off the tailgate
- A tailgate load cannot exceed 999 kg for the operator’s safety
- Tailgate providers can be hard to find in some rural areas, or people may experience time delays with busy operators
- Narrow streets and driveways with low-hanging trees can provide extra obstacles for a typically tall and wide truck.
- Due to health and safety reasons, most tailgate companies will not do hand unloading
As the name suggests, anyone with a ute or trailer can undertake this versatile freight service. Typically, flooring is forklift loaded onto and hand unloaded off the ute or trailer.
Pros
- The ute/trailer can go anywhere, including challenging inclines and angles
- The customer can undertake this if they are willing to hand unload and have access to the right vehicle and trailer
- This can be a cheaper delivery method depending on the flooring type and how much there is
- The product gets delivered exactly where you want it
Cons
- Smaller local operators can be hard to find
- Hand unloading
- Multiple trips may be needed if there is more than one pallet
- The boxes must weigh under 25KG to be hand-unloaded safely
- Hand unloading increases the hourly labour rate significantly
Also known as a crane truck, it uses a hydraulic crane secured on the back of the truck. Straps/chains are attached around/under the pallet load and safely lifted to a flat surface. The product is left packed and strapped to the pallet.
Pros
- Some high-load-rated crane trucks can lower pallets over fences and get them to places where other delivery methods cannot
- It can be as efficient as tailgate delivery on a flat, accessible drop-off surface
- A more common service in rural areas
Cons
- Hiab truck operators can be hard to find
- Load capacities and capabilities vary according to the truck and crane setup
- Price can increase rapidly with the use of a hiab
- The truck needs a lot of space to make a delivery successfully
This rare setup consists of a long open flatbed truck with a custom bracket on the back, which houses a mobile forklift that can lift itself onto the back of the truck, where it is secured. On delivery, the typically three-wheeled forklift lowers itself to the ground. Once on the ground, it operates as a conventional forklift capable of unloading pallets onto various spaces, inclines, and surfaces. Most mobile truck-mounted forklifts have the bonus of bigger wheels and tires with more clearance and traction to reach difficult areas.
Pros
- Quick delivery
- Can drive into smaller areas
- Can operate on a slope
- Reduces the need for hand unloading
- A more common service in rural areas
Cons
- Load requirements need to be checked on the forklift
- Often a rare and hard-to-book service
- Weather and product damage can be an issue with an open flatbed truck
- It can be a very costly way of delivering
- Forklift trucks are in high demand in metro areas and are hard to secure for customers
If the customer chooses to and the supplier allows it, they can waive delivery costs by picking up their product directly from the supplier or freight depot.
Pros
- The customer will save on freight costs
- The customer can pick up the product at a convenient time, which is often much quicker than any truck delivery
Cons
- The customer will need a ute or trailer to transport their product
- The customer will need to hand unload the products themselves on their end
- Internal transfer fees still apply if the customer picks it up from a freight depot
For example, a Perth customer might want a pallet of a specific flooring that needs to be sent from Sydney. Typically, the product will be transported by train or heavy haulage to a depot for the bulk of the journey. One of the above methods is used from the depo or train station to the customer. Haulage and rail pricing increases or decreases rapidly depending on the weight and shape of the pallet load. To learn more about interstate transport and moving home items interstate, check out the guides by Mayfair Removals.
Pros
- Smaller and lighter products will be more affordable to transport
- You get the exact product you want, even if it has a long way to go
Cons
- 1.5m+ boards will typically span over two pallets (oversize), costing a lot more in freight
- Recently flood damage to railway lines between eastern states and Western Australia has caused rail freight price increases
The Online Flooring Store’s Difference
To ensure the smoothest transition with freight, we have and do the following:
- Most freight companies, if not all, will clearly state in their contracts and clauses that they take no responsibility for product losses or damage. We are insured for this at the Online Flooring Store and recommend checking retailers’ and trades insurance.
- From start to finish, we communicate with the customer about where their freight is and any possible delays. We forward any information directly from the freight company to the customer.
- We educate the customer on all the above points to help them choose the right freight choice for their situation, considering all points.
- The Online Flooring Store has a list of due diligence requirements a freight company must adhere to for an ongoing freight arrangement to be successful.
- We use small local operators where possible. We know each other by first name, and it’s been much easier to contact them when needed.
The Current Freight Market in Australia For Retail Business
For retail businesses across Australia in 2022, organising freight has been more complicated than usual. Generally, freight companies have been busier and, in some cases, overrun with work. As a result, both freight prices and wait times were more likely to increase. So far, in 2023/2024, we feel things are returning to what can be considered “normal” for freight companies. At this time, we are out of the busy time of year, and there is less of a shortage of drivers. Many companies find residential deliveries more challenging and limit the amount they are willing to do as they have recently been in a situation where they can be more selective with the work they choose to take on.
Flooring is one of the heaviest products to be transported, with a typical order of 60 – 100 square meters weighing anything from 800 – 1000kgs. Flooring will always need to be transferred from point A to point B, so customers need to be informed about their best options.
(Last Updated: July 26, 2024)
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We're a Certified Installer (Carpet & Resilient & Timber) with the Floor Covering Institute of Australia.
We're a member of the Australasian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA).
