Moving into my first real studio next month — fourth-floor walk-up off 5th Ave in Sunset Park. I don’t have a car, don’t know the neighborhood yet, and I need a bed, a small couch, and something to put clothes in that isn’t a suitcase. I’m not from here, so I’m asking straight: what’s the actual play? IKEA delivery? FB Marketplace? Some guy with a van? Also do I tip the delivery dudes if they’re dragging a couch up four flights of narrow stairs? My lease says nothing about move-in fees, but I keep hearing I should talk to the super first. Tell me what you wish someone told you.

Welcome to Sunset Park. Talk to the super on day one — especially if there’s a service entrance or an elevator you can reserve. Some buildings want a security deposit for the move. IKEA delivery is fine for boxes, but their basic service will often leave stuff with you or in the hall; if you want it carried up and assembled, you pay for the higher service. FB Marketplace is where you get better wood furniture for cheap, but don’t buy upholstered stuff unless you can check every seam and know what bedbug marks look like. If they haul it up four flights, tip them cash per guy. Not mandatory, but they will absolutely remember you next time.

Oh! Have you looked at Housing Works or Big Reuse? I’ve found solid dressers and end tables that survived decades. The catch is you need a man with a van or a Zipcar on a weekday. Also check for a freight elevator reservation before you buy anything huge! I got a couch off FB Marketplace in Rockaway and had to wait on the sidewalk for the seller’s cousin’s van for an hour. For a fourth-floor walk-up, if IKEA offers the in-home delivery with stairs, just do it! It saves your back and your friendship if you were going to ask someone to help. Make sure someone is there to inspect the boxes before the delivery person leaves. Have you tried TaskRabbit for assembly? That’s what I’d do for a dresser or bed frame. And yes, tip cash — they’re doing the part you don’t want to do.

Honestly, ask the super if he knows a guy. A lot of buildings have a go-to mover or handyman who already knows the stairs and the turns. I did that in Morris Park and he moved a dresser and a box spring up two tight flights for cash, no headache. If you buy from FB Marketplace, go see it before you commit and don’t send a deposit. If you’re on a budget, stick to a mattress in a box and a couch with removable legs. Tipping delivery at a walk-up: give cash if they get it into your apartment, less or nothing if they leave it in the vestibule and split. Also, buy a mattress cover immediately.

Appreciate all this. The super thing seems like the move — I hadn’t even thought about reserving a service entrance. One other thing nobody tells you when you’re new: if you’re in a rent-stabilized spot or think you might be, read the existing thread "Rent-stabilized preferential rent addendum in renewal: do I have to sign it?" before you get distracted by couch logistics: Rent-stabilized preferential rent addendum in renewal: do I have to sign it?. Not to be dramatic, but the lease stuff matters more than the furniture.

Good point. Furniture can wait; a bad lease addendum can’t. I’d also say don’t try to do the whole apartment in one weekend. Get the bed and a lamp, live in it a few days, then figure out what actually fits in the room. Walk-up deliveries are easier on weekday mornings when the street isn’t full and the neighbors are at work. If you get a couch with a fold-out, make sure it can make the turn at the top landing — measure the rail and the doorway before you buy.