Gun Safe Shipping & Delivery: The Good, Bad and the Ugly

Are you ready to invest in that gun safe you’ve always wanted? Maybe you’ve seen a few safes in sporting goods or box stores over the years and thought, “Hey! I need one of those, and now is finally the perfect time to buy one!”

I mean, heck, the gun safe you want is on sale and in stock on the website. But before you pull the trigger and check out, you can’t quite figure out how to get this thing delivered and installed. It’s large and often VERY heavy. How are you going to put it where you want it?

You’re not alone. We have seen this situation play out time and time again over the years — customers who scored a ‘bargain’ from a large corporate company but are beyond frustrated at the delivery service.

Big Box Stores Focus on Price Point, Not Service

Mass merchants often buy truckloads of discounted safes and offer them amongst the plethora of other consumer goods in their stores and website. When it comes to safes, they use these products to drive traffic into their stores, hoping customers also buy a pair of jeans, some ammo, or a rotisserie chicken.

The problem with most of these companies is that they’re not focused on one product. When it comes to safes, especially when it comes to moving safes, they’re ill-prepared. They haven’t invested in the right equipment or people to provide you with the service you’re looking for.

The following is what you can expect with delivery from some of the popular big box stores:

Tractor Supply Gun Safe Delivery

Let’s take Tractor Supply's Standard Safe Delivery for example. Have you tried to figure out what that means or what’s included? You’ll typically end up reading review after review about a large, heavy safe being dropped off on the curbside — leaving you with no way of moving the product.

Additionally, if there is any damage once you unbox your new safe, Tractor Supply will tell you to call the manufacturer. You’re left navigating the warranty process!

Sportsman’s Warehouse or Coastal Farm & Ranch Gun Safe Delivery

If you buy a safe from Sportsman’s Warehouse or Coastal Farm & Ranch, the only option you have on the website is to pick it up in-store. Most customers don’t have the capability to pick up a safe that can weigh 500-1,000 pounds. And even if they do, they don’t want to risk hurting themselves, damaging their new safe, or damaging their home.

We’ve been hired dozens of times by customers who have purchased a safe at one of these mega stores to pick up their new safe at the store and provide our professional, in-home delivery and installation service.

Professional Gun Safe Delivery is an Investment

As a specialty safe company since 1988, we have delivered tens of thousands of safes to homes and businesses. We’ve gained the necessary experience and invested in the right tools to get the job done. Additionally, we’ve hired and trained some of the industry’s best and highly skilled safe movers, many of whom have been with our company for over a decade. Some of these tools include:

• Door Jamb Protectors

• Floor Protection

• Ultralift Motorized Hand Trucks

Gun Safe Free Shipping Isn’t Free

In the world of Amazon and “Free Shipping,” consumers have been trained to look for the lowest price. Generally, this price includes shipping and/or delivery. Free shipping works for a new Christmas tree or espresso machine. But when it comes to a heavy safe, don’t be fooled. Nothing is free.

Big box stores that offer free shipping on gun safes build the shipping costs into the price, making you feel like you’re getting a deal. Again, on smaller items, this works great. We even offer free shipping on many of our quick-access safes and Byrna launchers.

Not only do these box stores miss the mark with their safe shipping policies, we see similar problems with online only retailers as well.

Professional Gun Safe Shipping & Delivery

However, when it comes to not only investing in the right safe for your needs and getting the safe installed where you want it safely and professionally — seek out an expert in your area. There are locally owned and operated safe companies throughout the U.S. that offer you the product and service you deserve.

We’re Here to Help

If they don’t have the safe you’re looking for, we encourage you to call and see if they can help you with delivery and setup. Even if you don’t purchase your safe from them, many companies will still help you deliver and install a safe from another retailer. If they can’t or don’t want to help, call us. We will find you a solution, no matter where you’re located!

If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, WA, OR, ID, MT — NW Safe will match or beat anyone’s price on an apples-to-apples safe. Our professional safe delivery and installation cost is based on the size and weight of the safe, in addition to the difficulty of the installation. For example, a garage or ground floor install is less than going up a flight of stairs or around a home with a steep slope.

You can get a delivery and installation quote by completing our Move Form.

Cost of Delivering a Gun Safe

Want to learn more about the cost of delivering a gun safe? We can help with that! Get all the details on what factors go into the price, the different levels of delivery services available, and examples of unique installations we’ve achieved.