Store Pickup and Delivery in Toronto: IKEA, Home Depot, Costco and Marketplace

When Does It Make Sense to Hire a Truck Instead of Store Delivery?

Hire a truck when store delivery doesn't fit your timing, your item or your building, or when there's no store delivery at all.

Big retailers all deliver, but on their terms. IKEA Canada's truck deliveries, for example, come with a "non-promised delivery date" on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and every service is priced "from" a base rate that changes with the order (IKEA Canada delivery). Costco.ca builds shipping into the price of items it sells online, while warehouse items are sold cash-and-carry (Costco Canada).

A truck you book yourself tends to make sense when:

• You bought something in the warehouse or store and it won't fit in your car
• You need it on a specific day, not "sometime next week"
• You're collecting from more than one store in one trip
• You bought it on Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji, where there's no delivery
• You want it carried inside, placed or assembled, not left at the curb

How Does a Store Pickup and Delivery Work?

You buy the item and arrange the pickup, we collect it and bring it to your door or into your home.

1. Buy and choose pickup. Pick in-store pickup or Click & Collect at checkout, or agree a pickup time with a private seller.
2. Authorize the pickup. Big retailers only release orders to named people. More on this below.
3. Send us the details. Store or seller address, what the item is, its size, and your address and building access.
4. We get a price to you. Then we agree the pickup time.
5. Pickup and delivery. We load at the store or seller and bring it to you, carried in where you want it.

Our big-item store pickup and delivery covers furniture, appliances and marketplace purchases. White glove service and assembly are available as add-ons.

What Should You Have Ready Before the Pickup?

Have the order number, a pickup authorization in the driver's name, the item's dimensions and your building's access details.

The authorization is the step that trips people up, and each store handles it differently:

Store	Can someone else pick up?	What they need	How long it's held
IKEA Canada (source)	Yes. Name an alternate collector at checkout, or forward the "Ready for pick-up" email with a note authorizing them (source)	Government-issued ID matching the name you gave IKEA	The pickup window you chose; unclaimed orders are cancelled
Home Depot Canada (source)	Yes, if you add an Alternate Pick-Up Person when ordering. It can't be added after	Order number and photo ID	Until closing time two days after your selected date
Costco.ca order shipped to a warehouse (source)	No. Only the member who placed the order	Pickup email, government photo ID, membership card in that name	7 days after it arrives

So for Home Depot, decide before you check out. For a Costco.ca warehouse pickup, plan to meet the truck at the warehouse yourself.

Also note that Home Depot's curbside pickup isn't available for bulk-sized orders, so large items come from the service desk. IKEA itself advises checking package dimensions and weights, listed on each product page, before you collect.

Then measure at home: doorways, hallway turns, stairwells and the elevator. A sofa that fits the truck can still get stuck at a tight landing.

How Do Condo Deliveries Work in Toronto?

In most Toronto condos you book the elevator and loading dock with management ahead of time, and the delivery has to fit that window.

Every building sets its own rules, but published Toronto examples follow a pattern:

• Elevator booking and a deposit. At 500 Richmond Street West, moves and deliveries are booked through the superintendent for up to four hours, with a $250 refundable deposit (MTCC 1290 elevator booking).
• Set hours. The Candy Factory Lofts on Queen West allow moves on weekdays and Saturday mornings only, with none on Sundays or holidays (Candy Factory Lofts booking form).
• The loading dock, not the front door. The same building sends deliveries to the rear loading dock.
• Elevator padding. Protective pads are often required during the booking.
• Certificate of insurance. Some managers ask the moving company for a certificate of insurance instead of, or as well as, a deposit (Urbaneer). Ask your management office what they need. Tanco can provide a certificate of insurance when a condo or building manager asks for one.

On the street, the City of Toronto lets moving vans park while actively loading or unloading, as long as they follow posted signs and parking rules (City of Toronto parking regulations). Our Toronto condo moving checklist covers bookings in more detail.

How Do You Buy Safely on Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji?

Meet in daylight in a busy public place, inspect the item before paying, and never send a deposit for something you haven't seen.

In late 2024, Toronto police warned about eight robberies in two months tied to online marketplace meet-ups, many in North York. Their advice: meet during the day, skip isolated locations, bring another person, and leave if anyone is wearing a face covering or disguise (CP24).

• Meet somewhere public and well lit, such as a coffee shop or shopping centre (Kijiji safety tips)
• Bring a friend if you have to go to a private home
• Inspect the item before paying, and don't send money before you've seen it
• Don't send deposits for high-value items without confirming they're real (Facebook Marketplace)
• Be wary of fake e-transfer emails and texts, and of prices that are too good to be true (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)

Booking a truck helps with the first problem too: you can see the item and pay, and the crew does the loading.

What Big and Awkward Items Does Tanco Transport Handle?

We handle furniture, appliances and marketplace finds that won't fit in a car, from single pieces to multi-store runs.

Common jobs include sofas and sectionals, dressers, bed frames and mattresses, dining tables, flat-pack furniture in boxes, washers, dryers and fridges. If you need a piece taken apart to fit a stairwell and rebuilt inside, or a flat-pack order assembled, assembly can be added. For a single couch or dresser between two homes, see small and single-item moves. Same-day store pickup is available, so a piece you buy in the morning can be home the same day. Mention it in your request or call us.

We pick up across the GTA, including from big-box stores in North York, Etobicoke and Vaughan, and deliver anywhere in Toronto and the surrounding cities. To book, send the details through our quote form.

Questions