This is why I said "not widely available", rather than "utterly impossible". If I buy something from Home Depot or IKEA in the US, and want it delivered, I generally have to arrange it myself, which generally involves finding someone on Craigslist or something. My understanding is that in Europe, it is available by default. Or in NYC, there were always people hanging around the parking lot to help with deliveries. This is not the case in most of the US.

Most anything you buy at Home Depot can be delivered. If you don’t believe me, just check out homedepot.com and see that most items can be delivered. It just costs money.

I have had appliances (fridges, washing machines, dryers), lumber, etc delivered. I have had a patio window replaced.

It may not be the case with IKEA but that place is even more known for cheapness. I just haven’t tried it with IKEA.

What ikeas are you going to? Having lived in several Canadian and US cities, home depot and Ikea both have delivery available (for a reasonable fee). Home depot also has truck rental, which is convenient enough for driving things home yourself.