Italian furniture, American paperwork — and you never have to become an importer
Buying Italian furniture for a US project raises three practical questions long before it raises an aesthetic one: who signs, who is paid, and who picks up the phone when something arrives wrong. The answer here has two halves, and it is worth stating plainly. La Mercanti USA LLC is an American company, registered in Delaware: it is the entity American clients contract with and pay, in dollars, under American terms: a purchase order to a US company, not a foreign supplier your accounts department has to set up as an exception. The customs entry, the freight and the import paperwork are ours, not yours — you receive furniture, not a broker's invoice. La Mercanti Srl, in Italy, is the house behind it.
That second half is what you are actually buying. The offices of La Mercanti Srl — commercial, administrative and registered — are in San Benedetto del Tronto, on the Italian Adriatic coast: the same country as the workshops that build your furniture, and close enough to walk their production lines rather than read about them. Italian product, Italian service — buying from those same makers since 1997 is what turns a catalogue into a specification that survives value engineering — the finish still available in two years, the frame that takes the bracket you actually need.
And the chain is short on purpose: we are the distributor, and the only one: the furniture goes from the workshop that builds it to your loading dock through this company and no other — not an importer selling to a dealer selling to you, each adding a margin and a fortnight. One company answers for the specification, the order, the shipment and whatever has to be put right afterwards, which matters far more on the day something goes wrong than on the day you order.
Below you will find the details for the American company and for the Italian headquarters. Whichever you write to, the reply comes from the same team — usually while your working day is still ahead of you, because we answer at the end of ours.
That second half is what you are actually buying. The offices of La Mercanti Srl — commercial, administrative and registered — are in San Benedetto del Tronto, on the Italian Adriatic coast: the same country as the workshops that build your furniture, and close enough to walk their production lines rather than read about them. Italian product, Italian service — buying from those same makers since 1997 is what turns a catalogue into a specification that survives value engineering — the finish still available in two years, the frame that takes the bracket you actually need.
And the chain is short on purpose: we are the distributor, and the only one: the furniture goes from the workshop that builds it to your loading dock through this company and no other — not an importer selling to a dealer selling to you, each adding a margin and a fortnight. One company answers for the specification, the order, the shipment and whatever has to be put right afterwards, which matters far more on the day something goes wrong than on the day you order.
Below you will find the details for the American company and for the Italian headquarters. Whichever you write to, the reply comes from the same team — usually while your working day is still ahead of you, because we answer at the end of ours.
Our offices
La Mercanti USA Llc
3415 South Sepulveda Blvd
Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90034 - USA
Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90034 - USA
La Mercanti Srl
via Pasubio, 10 — 63074 San Benedetto del Tronto (AP)
La Mercanti Srl — VAT No. IT01525090443
FAQ
Do I contract with the American company or the Italian one?
Most US clients contract with La Mercanti USA LLC, the Delaware-registered American entity, and pay it in dollars. Some projects — particularly where an architect specifies directly with the factory schedule in mind — are handled through the Italian company. We will tell you which is simpler for your case before you sign anything, not after.
Can I pay in US dollars?
Yes, to the American company. The accepted methods are confirmed on the proforma before you commit, so there are no surprises at the payment stage. For anything unusual — a purchasing platform, a specific banking requirement — say so early and we will tell you straight away whether it works.
Can we meet in person before committing to a project?
Yes, and for significant projects it is worth it. We travel to clients and to sites, and we are at the main international fairs — NeoCon among them — where a morning together settles more than a month of emails. For everything else a scheduled video call with drawings and samples on screen is usually faster than a flight, and we can put physical samples in your hands before it.
Who handles freight and customs for a US delivery?
We do, as part of the order rather than as an afterthought: consolidating several Italian manufacturers into one shipment, the freight itself and the import formalities. The applicable terms are stated on the quotation, so the landed responsibility is written down before anything ships.
How quickly will someone reply?
Normally within one working day. We write at the end of the Italian day, which means the answer is usually waiting when you open. If something is genuinely urgent, put the deadline in the first line — it changes how the message is handled, not just how fast it is read.
How to decide which entity to work through
Five questions that settle it in a minute, before the paperwork starts.
Ask who is signing on your side
A US corporate purchasing department usually prefers a domestic supplier of record. If yours does, the American company is the shorter route.
Check how you need to pay
If payment must leave in dollars from a US account, that points one way. If your finance team routinely pays European suppliers, either works.
Look at who is specifying
When an architect is working directly against a factory's production schedule, the Italian company sometimes removes a step rather than adding one.
Consider the delivery terms
Who is responsible at which point changes the paperwork. Ask for the terms in writing at quotation stage — it is the cheapest hour you will spend on the project.
Then stop thinking about it
Whichever entity signs, the same people run the project. The choice is administrative, not a change of supplier — and we will recommend one if you would rather not decide.