--- title: "Only Part of Your Sofa Delivered? Why Parcels Arrive Separately" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/sofa-parcels-arrive-separately-partial-delivery/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Callum Reid, The Weather Man of Casco Bay" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/callum/" published: "2026-08-28" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "only part of sofa delivered, sofa delivered in multiple packages, floor sofa missing parts, sofa backrest not delivered, sofa parcels separate tracking" --- # Only part of my sofa arrived. Where are the rest of the packages? *One box on the porch and the rest nowhere in sight. Before you worry, read the tracking. Most of the time the rest of the fleet is still at sea.* Also asked as: I got the cushions but not the metal supports; The backrest and armrests didn't come > **The quick answer:** If only part of your sofa was delivered, the rest is usually still in transit: large orders ship as several parcels at the same time, each with its own tracking number, and they often land on different days. Metal bars, armrests or backrests commonly travel separately. Check every tracking number; if a piece is truly missing, send the workshop photos and get its answer in writing. ![Sage green and cream velvet floor sofa with a sage-faced bolster, beside a wooden stool with a white vase and a jute rug](https://cushionguide.com/media/modular-floor-sofas/sage-floor-sofa-wooden-stool-linen-curtain-1600.webp "A calm, nearly bare corner where sage velvet, raw wood and a linen curtain carry the look.") ## Key facts - Large orders ship as several parcels at the same time, each with its own tracking number. - Parcels from one order can arrive on different days. - Metal bars, armrests or backrests often travel in a separate box. - A sofa usually ships as 2-3 vacuum-compressed rolls of about 12 x 12 x 45-50 in (30 x 30 x 110-120 cm) plus a small bar box. - The shop sends the tracking number for any parcel you haven't received. - For a lost or omitted piece, send photos of what arrived and ask the workshop for the fix. Hardware such as an L-shaped bar travels separately with its own tracking. ## Why one box shows up alone Rain doesn't negotiate, and neither does a parcel network. A [modular floor sofa](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/modular-floor-sofas/) leaves the workshop as several parcels on the same day, and each one gets its own tracking number and its own route. Two can ride together while the third sits a day at a sorting hub. The box that lags is often the small one. The [metal support bars](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#metal-support-bars), armrests or backrests usually travel apart from the seat rolls, so cushions on the porch and no bars is a normal halfway point, friend, not a lost order. ## Is a sofa piece missing, or still in transit? 1. **Collect every tracking number**: There is one per parcel. Ask the shop for any number you don't have and it sends it. 2. **Read each parcel on its own**: A box marked in transit is still traveling, even if its siblings arrived yesterday. 3. **Open what came**: Vacuum rolls regain shape within 24-48 hours of opening, so let them breathe while you wait. The [first 72 hours Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/vacuum-packed-cushion-first-72-hours/) covers it. 4. **Report a real gap**: If every parcel shows delivered and a piece is still absent, tell the shop exactly which one. Missing pieces go straight back into production and are re-sent. ## The set that really did go out short A buyer in the US wrote in with one vacuum-packed piece on the floor and a fair question: were more boxes coming? Usually the answer is yes, check the tracking. This time the check came back plain. The set had gone out incomplete. No argument, no runaround. The missing pieces went into production immediately and shipped with their own tracking. Mistakes happen at sea too. What counts is how fast you bring the boat around. > **Tailor's margin:** Seat rolls and the bar box ship together but travel apart; a floor sofa with no metal bars on day one usually means the bar box is still in transit. > A sofa order leaves as 2-3 vacuum rolls plus a small bar box, each with its own tracking number, so one box on the porch is rarely the whole sofa. > > — Callum ## Buyer questions **A common question:** Only part of my order showed up. Where are the other pieces? **The workshop's answer:** Large orders ship in several parcels at the same time, each with its own tracking, so they can arrive on different days. The metal bars, armrests or backrests often come separately. Ask the workshop for the missing parcel's tracking number; if a piece is truly lost, send photos of everything that arrived, box labels included. **A common question:** Just one vacuum-packed piece of my set came. Are more packages on the way? **The workshop's answer:** The pieces ship together but can arrive separately, so check the tracking for every parcel. If one really is missing, the shop remakes and sends it; in one case the set had gone out incomplete and the missing pieces went into production right away. **A common question:** How big are the sofa boxes? Will they get through a narrow door or fit in a car? **The workshop's answer:** Sofas arrive as vacuum-compressed rolls of about 12 x 12 x 45-50 in (30 x 30 x 110-120 cm), usually 2-3 rolls plus a small bar box. A 26 in (65 cm) doorway, narrow stairs and a regular car are all fine. **A common question:** The pieces that did arrive are flat and thin. How long until they fill out? **The workshop's answer:** Vacuum-packed cushions usually regain full shape within 24-48 hours of opening. Allow 48-72 hours, and up to 3-5 days, before judging. Pulling, shaking and kneading speeds recovery; if a piece still hasn't filled out, send photos; in past cases the workshop sent a replacement. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Do all the parcels in a sofa order ship on the same day? Yes. Large orders go out as several parcels at the same time, each with its own tracking number. Because each parcel moves through the carrier network on its own, they can still arrive on different days. ### What happens if the metal bar is the piece that's missing? Check the bar box's own tracking first, since bars often travel apart from the seat rolls. If it is truly lost or was left out, missing hardware such as an L-shaped bar is sent on its own with tracking. ### Is it bad to leave the rolls that arrived sealed until the rest comes? A few days is fine. Short vacuum compression in transit doesn't damage the foam, and cushions return to full shape once opened. Just don't leave a roll sealed for months; open it and let the foam recover while you wait. ## Related at the atelier - [The package is tiny. Is my whole cushion set or sofa really in there?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-package-too-small-vacuum-compressed/): Yes, a tiny package can hold your whole order: cushions, floor cushion sets and sofas ship vacuum-compressed, so a full set with seat, backrest and armrests fits in a small, flat parcel. - [Doesn't vacuum-packing ruin a foam cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/does-vacuum-packing-damage-foam-cushion/): No, vacuum packing in transit does not damage a foam cushion: the foam returns to full shape once the bag is opened, usually in about 24 to 48 hours. - [My cushion has a hump or uneven corners after unpacking. How do I flatten it?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-hump-uneven-after-vacuum-packing/): A cushion with a hump after unpacking was usually folded before vacuum sealing, and it flattens as the filling recovers: sit on it, tug it back into shape, and work the filling, even beating it… - [Outdoor Cushion for a Hammock: Two-Part Rainbow Stripe Pad](https://cushionguide.com/readings/rainbow-stripe-hammock-cushion-cottage-garden/): A hammock pad works best in two parts: a seat section that lies in the hammock's belly and a raised back that props against its curve. - [Custom Bench Cushion and Backrest in Ivory: Order It Right](https://cushionguide.com/readings/ivory-bench-backrest-cushions-wisteria-pergola-dusk/): A custom bench cushion with a matching backrest turns a plain timber bench into an evening seat, and ivory is the color that still reads after dark under string lights. - [Mustard Bench Cushion by a Kitchen Island: Mixing Patterns](https://cushionguide.com/readings/mustard-cushion-oak-farmhouse-bench-kitchen-island/): To mix patterns around a dining bench cushion, give each layer one job: a plain cushion on the seat, one stripe lower down on a rug or runner, and texture in the pillows. - [Boneless sofas and couches explained: foam, metal bars and the box they arrive in](https://cushionguide.com/guides/boneless-floor-sofas/) - [Velvet floor cushions: pile, tufts and the marks a box leaves behind](https://cushionguide.com/guides/velvet-floor-cushions/) *Fair winds — Callum* --- Written by Callum Reid (https://cushionguide.com/masters/callum/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/sofa-parcels-arrive-separately-partial-delivery/