Every piece we ship crosses an ocean and clears customs before it reaches you. This page explains how long that takes, what arrives at your door, and what to do in the two minutes that matter most — when the truck is there.
Lead times
Production. Each item shows its own production time on its product page: it depends on the manufacturer and on the finish you choose, and runs from in-stock to roughly eight weeks. The clock starts when your order is complete — that is, once you've confirmed finish, fabric, dimensions and configuration — because that's when the factory can release it.
Transit. Four to six weeks by ocean freight, which is how most orders travel. About one week by air, available where the piece and the timeline justify the cost.
Two things that genuinely move dates. Italian factories close for most of August, and the year-end holidays slow customs on both sides. We plan around both and tell you before you order.
Transit and customs clearance depend on the carrier and on federal authorities, so we give them as estimates rather than commitments. Your actual date is confirmed in writing once the manufacturer confirms the order.
If a date slips, you hear it from us first. We'll write to you with a new date and what you'd like to do about it. If the new date doesn't work for you, you can cancel and be refunded in full — no argument, no restocking, no conditions. We would rather lose an order than have you find out from an empty loading dock.
How we deliver
Choose the level of service that fits the site. All of them are quoted before you order, never added afterwards.
- Curbside — the crate is unloaded at the building entrance, unopened. This is the standard service.
- Threshold — brought inside, to the entrance or ground floor.
- Room of choice — placed in the room you specify, where access allows.
- White-glove — inside placement, uncrating, light assembly and debris removal.
- Professional installation — certified installers, with a certificate of insurance where your building requires one.
Before the truck arrives. You'll get tracking where the carrier provides it, and the carrier will call to schedule an appointment window. On your side: clear the path, protect finished floors, reserve the elevator or loading dock, and tell us in advance about anything we can't see from here — narrow streets, restricted hours, building certificates of insurance, freight elevator dimensions. These are what send a truck away full.
Storage and phased delivery. If the site isn't ready, we can hold goods in warehouse and release them by construction phase. Costs are quoted in advance, always.
At delivery
This is the part that matters. It takes two minutes and it protects you completely.
Inspect the crates before you sign. If a crate is crushed, punctured or has been re-taped, write what you see on the delivery receipt before signing. A clean signature on a damaged crate closes the door on the freight claim: that note is the single document that lets us open it.
Send us photographs within 7 days. Email info@lamercanti.us with pictures of the crate and the piece. That's all we need to start.
Then it's ours. Shipments are fully insured. We file the claim, and we arrange repair or replacement at no cost to you. You don't call the carrier, and you don't call the factory in Italy.
One thing we say early rather than late: wood, leather, stone and natural textiles vary in color, grain and figure from piece to piece. That isn't a defect — it's the reason these materials cost what they cost. If you're uncertain, ask for samples before you order.
Duties, customs and tax
Most of our quotes are DDP — Delivered Duty Paid, Incoterms 2020. We handle export documentation, ocean or air freight, insurance, US customs clearance and import duties. Nothing is collected at your door and no broker will call you for payment.
Where a project calls for different terms — EXW, FOB, CIF or DAP, typically when your own freight forwarder is involved — we'll quote them and set out exactly where our responsibility ends and yours begins.
Sales tax. Prices exclude applicable sales tax, which is calculated at checkout where we're required to collect it.
Canada
We deliver to every Canadian province, normally DDP with duties and taxes included, or DAP where you prefer to clear the goods yourself.
Canadian orders always carry a stated delivery date in the order confirmation, and if it moves we'll write to you with a new one before the original date passes. Return of goods, where it applies, is arranged and paid by us.
Not included
Electrical connections, wall mounting and anchoring, structural work, and removal or disposal of existing furniture. We can quote any of these — just ask before the order, not on delivery day.