How to Move Large Antiques Home from Round Top

A six-foot French armoire from Marburger Farm costs about $475 to white-glove ship to Chicago. The same armoire goes for $180 if you rent a U-Haul trailer and drive it home yourself. And it costs $0 if your friend who lives in Houston comes up with his pickup truck and you buy him a steak dinner.

Every option is real, every option is used regularly at Round Top, and the right answer depends on where you live, what you bought, and how much logistics you can handle. Here's everything you need to know.

The Four Options

1. Drive it yourself with a personal vehicle, rental SUV, or rental trailer
2. White-glove shipping with a Round Top-specialized shipper
3. LTL (less-than-truckload) freight through commercial carriers
4. Local pickup service in Texas, then long-haul shipping

Option 1: Drive It Yourself

The cheapest option, hands-down. The problem is matching your vehicle to your purchase.

A standard mid-size SUV with seats folded will hold:

• Up to a 6-foot dresser or chest of drawers (sometimes laid flat)
• A loveseat (sometimes, with seats removed)
• Most chairs, tables under 4 feet, and smalls
• A small armoire up to 5 feet, lying flat

A full-size SUV or pickup will hold:

• Most 6-foot armoires (lying flat in a truck bed)
• Large case goods
• Multiple chairs and smaller furniture
• Most beds (queen and smaller)

A U-Haul truck or trailer will hold whatever you bought.

Renting a Trailer at Round Top

U-Haul in La Grange is the closest rental location. They have:

• 4x8 trailers: $19-$25/day
• 5x8 trailers: $24-$30/day
• 6x12 trailers: $35-$50/day
• 4x8 enclosed cargo trailers: $30-$45/day

You'll need:

• A vehicle with a trailer hitch (the right class for the trailer weight)
• Working trailer lights connection
• About 45 minutes for paperwork and inspection

Booking matters. During show weeks, La Grange U-Haul trailers book solid 1-2 weeks ahead. Reserve early.

An alternative: Brenham and Bellville have additional U-Haul locations 30-45 minutes from Round Top. They're less booked but you'll lose half a day fetching the trailer.

Pickup Truck Rental

Home Depot in Brenham rents pickups by the hour ($19/hour, $80/day for a standard pickup). They go fast during show weeks but they're a good option if you only need transport for a few hours.

White-Glove Shipping

White-glove is what most out-of-state buyers use. The shipper handles everything: pickup, packing, transport, and delivery into your home with placement.

Average costs (2026 rates):

• Single small piece (chair, side table): $150-$250
• Medium furniture (dresser, console): $300-$500
• Large furniture (armoire, dining table): $400-$750
• Multiple-piece consolidation: $800-$2,500+

Common shippers working Round Top:

• Plycon (national, premium pricing)
• Craters & Freighters (mid-range, very common at Round Top)
• Furniture Cab (regional, southeast US specialty)
• Independent Texas-based haulers (often the best value)

The dealer is your best source. Most established Round Top dealers have a preferred shipper they work with regularly. Ask: "Who do you use for shipping?" They'll usually give you a card or contact info on the spot.

How White-Glove Actually Works

1. You buy the piece at the booth
2. You give the dealer your shipping info or contact the shipper directly
3. The shipper picks up from the dealer's booth (often same week, sometimes 1-2 weeks later)
4. The shipper consolidates with other loads heading your direction
5. Transit takes 2-6 weeks depending on distance and consolidation
6. The shipper calls 24-48 hours before delivery to schedule
7. Two people arrive with a truck and place the item in your home

Tipping: $20-$40 per person for in-home placement is standard.

LTL Freight

LTL is what you use for large pieces when white-glove is too expensive. Commercial freight carriers (Estes, Old Dominion, R+L) will pick up palletized furniture and deliver to a freight terminal near you, or to your home for an upcharge.

Costs: typically 40-60% less than white-glove for large items, but you have to:

• Get the item palletized and wrapped (some dealers do this for $50-$150)
• Receive at a commercial terminal or pay $100-$200 for residential delivery
• Have help unloading at delivery
• Accept some risk of handling damage

LTL works best for: heavy stone pieces, garden statuary, very large furniture where white-glove pricing gets crazy.

Local Pickup + Long-Haul

This is the hybrid approach. You arrange for a Texas-based service to pick up your purchase from the dealer, transport it to a warehouse in Houston or Austin, and then ship from there using a more affordable long-haul carrier.

Why it's useful:

• Cheaper than white-glove for long distances
• Easier scheduling than coordinating direct pickup
• Allows you to consolidate multiple purchases from different dealers

Common Texas-based services:

• Several local moving companies based in Brenham, La Grange, and Houston advertise at Round Top
• Cards are posted on bulletin boards at venue offices
• The Round Top Finder vendors page lists shipping-related services

What Things Actually Cost: Real Examples

These are real shipping costs from Round Top to various destinations, fall 2025:

Round Top → Dallas (240 miles):

• White-glove armoire: $350
• LTL palletized: $180
• U-Haul self-drive: $90 (gas + trailer)

Round Top → Atlanta (900 miles):

• White-glove armoire: $625
• LTL palletized: $280
• U-Haul self-drive: $420 (gas + trailer)

Round Top → Chicago (1,100 miles):

• White-glove armoire: $475
• LTL palletized: $320
• U-Haul self-drive: $580 (gas + trailer + hotel)

Round Top → Los Angeles (1,500 miles):

• White-glove armoire: $850
• LTL palletized: $475
• U-Haul self-drive: not realistic

How to Negotiate Shipping

If you're buying a piece for $1,200 and shipping is $500, ask the dealer: "Can you include shipping in the price?" The answer is sometimes yes, especially on slow sales or end of show. Dealers often have shipping arrangements that are 20-30% cheaper than retail rates from the same shippers.

The other negotiating angle: if you're buying multiple pieces from one dealer, the shipping consolidation drops the per-item cost significantly. Two pieces from one dealer ship for roughly 1.4x the cost of one piece, not 2x.

What to Pack vs. Ship

Always ship:

• Anything over 4 feet that won't fit in your vehicle
• Heavy stone, metal, or glass pieces over 50 lbs
• Fragile decorative items in volume
• Anything you can't physically lift solo

Always carry yourself:

• Smalls under 10 lbs
• Jewelry and watches
• Anything irreplaceable (one-of-one finds)
• Anything you'd be heartbroken to lose

The annoying middle:

• Mid-size furniture you could maybe fit
• Art that might survive in a car
• Lamps and lighting (fragile)

For the middle category, think about your worst-case driving day. If you have to make an emergency stop, can the piece survive being shifted around? If not, ship it.

Timing Your Shipment

Don't expect shipping to happen immediately. Most Round Top shippers:

• Pick up within 7-14 days of purchase
• Consolidate loads for 1-4 weeks
• Transit 1-3 weeks
• Deliver within 6-10 weeks of purchase, total

If you're buying for a specific event or deadline, buy early in the show or skip shipping and drive it yourself.

Storage Between Purchase and Shipping

Some venues offer short-term storage. Marburger Farm and a few other organized venues have arrangements where the dealer can hold your piece until pickup. Always confirm before assuming.

Many shippers will pick up from the dealer's booth and store at their warehouse for free for 30-60 days. After that, storage fees kick in ($1-$3/cubic foot per month).

My Honest Recommendation

For one or two medium pieces with a known destination: white-glove. It's worth the money for the peace of mind.

For volume purchases or large/heavy items: LTL freight or a hybrid local-pickup arrangement. The savings on multiple pieces add up fast.

For a single small-to-medium piece: drive it yourself if you can. Even renting a U-Haul trailer for $25 and adding 6 hours to your trip is cheaper than shipping, and you have the piece in your hands the same day.

Use the Round Top Finder vendors page to find dealers and the map to consolidate pickups efficiently. And start asking dealers about shipping the moment you start buying — they'll point you to options you wouldn't find otherwise.