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From Home Furnishing Business
Coaster Fine Furniture Partners with Pinnacle Logistics for Fixed-Rate Container Offers
June 16,
2025 by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry 
Coaster Fine Furniture, a leading North American furniture distributor, has partnered with Pinnacle Logistics to offer a new fixed-rate container option dealers that set pricing and increase likelihood of access during peak periods. The program is specifically designed to help dealers located outside of Coaster’s distribution center areas, and in particular smaller independent dealers, navigate fluctuating freight costs and the unpredictable tariff environment.
The new program provides access to a range of container companies across a wide array of global locations at competitive rates. For smaller retailers who typically must take their chances on negotiating the spot market, the initiative offers a stable, simplified alternative to traditional freight arrangements.
“Coaster is addressing inflationary pricing by offering container-direct business to dealers who typically don’t have the resources or infrastructure to manage it themselves,” said Mindy Leitwein, national accounts manager at Coaster. “We’ve partnered with Pinnacle Logistics to support dealers who have never purchased via container previously or don’t have the in-house logistics expertise necessary to negotiate fixed contracts that will guarantee them stable freight rates.”
According to Leitwein, the new program levels the playing field for independent retailers, shielding them from the unpredictability of the global shipping market while guaranteeing they can purchase Coaster product at the lowest prices—ensuring they can plan their business accordingly while knowing exactly what their final cost will be.
“During a time of major upheaval at the ports, there’s a lot we cannot control, but this new program allows us to control the most critical variable in direct shipments because it gives us more container inventory to choose from,” Leitwein said.
Indeed, the executive said, “when you bid on the spot market to arrange your own freight forwarder, your rate can change from the time you place your order with a factory to the time it ships. One day it could be $3,000 and the next, $8,000. Unfortunately, you never know exactly what your freight costs are unless you are big enough to negotiate a fixed contract.”
Instead, the Pinnacle Logistics program removes that variable in direct shipments—sustaining the retailer’s fixed rate with a year-long contract. “This is also especially valuable given that there is no negotiated rate at the distribution center level,” Leitwein said.
The program uses a direct pricing model, so dealers are able to consolidate product types—such as dining and bedroom furniture—into a single container from a single factory. This can significantly reduce per-item shipping costs and improve operational efficiency. Dealers can often mix multiple product styles and finishes within the same container, reducing the common concern that by flowing containers a dealer will have too much of a single SKU. And, under this model, Coaster customers can get an all-inclusive rate with applicable fees and tariffs.
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