Threshold vs White Glove: What’s the difference?

If you’re selling premium products that are unwieldy or difficult to install, giving your customers additional assistance ensures a positive end-consumer experience. As more businesses sell oversized products online, more companies turn to customizable shipping services such as threshold or white glove delivery to boost customer satisfaction. 

Understanding white glove delivery  

White Glove delivery services are additional services offered by carriers upon delivery of goods. Services include carrying items to a room of choice, unpacking, assembling items, and disposing of packing materials.  

Understanding threshold delivery   

During a Threshold service, carriers will deliver the item and place it in a dry and secure area of the customer's residence, typically the garage, porch, or first door of the address. 

What’s the difference? 

1. Service level  

Threshold requires less demand from the carrier compared to White Glove services. Once an item is left at the first door of the address, the shipment would be marked as completed. Note that there is a difference between Basic Threshold and Threshold. Basic Threshold service requires no appointment made, which typically means the merchandise will be left in the first dry area of the residence if the customer is not home. If you request an item to be delivered when a customer is at home, an appointment will be made with a signature required upon delivery to the first door of the address.    

Think of White Glove services as the Cinderella treatment in shipping services. Carriers will carry an item to a room of choice requested by the customer, followed by product assembly and disposing of packaging materials, therefore not letting the customer lift a finger. It is an upgraded version of a threshold service.  

2. Cost  

The difference in service level renders a cost difference. Threshold service is an additional service on top of LTL shipping, and each carrier prices it differently. Clearly stating the drop-off location description would help you get the most accurate quote from carriers. 

White glove services are usually for expensive, heavy, and fragile items such as furniture, luxury goods, medical equipment. By providing that extra level of care, the cost is typically higher than Threshold. Price is dependent on the distance to destination, delivery speed, special transport equipment such as liftgates or forklifts.  

3. Area of delivery  

Although Threshold involves delivering to the first dry area of the residence, it depends on the type of residence carriers deliver to. If it's a house, it can be delivered beyond the front door, porch, or garage. With apartments or condos, carriers would place your products beyond the first entrance, typically the lobby. If stairs are required to access the residence, carriers will leave the item at the bottom of the stairs. Therefore, it is essential to ask for residential address details and communicate delivery expectations to customers before booking a shipment.  

White Glove also offers "Room of Choice" as a delivery option. In this case, the carrier will deliver the item and place it in any room the customer desires if there is a clear location for placement. For an additional fee, assembly and packaging removal are available.  

4. Types of products  

Certain products require White Glove shipping because these items are easily damaged if not handled properly. Some examples of these items are electronics and appliances, heavy furniture, medical and lab equipment, fitness equipment, fragile art pieces, and luxury goods. 

Although White Glove would result in the highest customer satisfaction, there are some distinct scenarios where Threshold might make more sense.  Threshold is the best option if you're selling goods sensitive to rain or sunlight but don't require installation. If you're delivering to a commercial unit in large quantities, White Glove may not be necessary for every item in one shipment.    

Conclusion  

The difference between the benefits of Threshold and White Glove depends on the type of product you're looking to ship. The best way to assess what is right for you is to consider the customer's perspective and deliver the most excellent customer experience.