Buying Furniture Online: Essential Tips for A No-Regrets Experience
Online shopping has been gaining popularity for years and now has become a vital part of everyone’s life. However, many still consider purchasing furniture online slightly risky. There are numerous doubts around it – what if the furniture doesn’t fit in the room? What if it doesn’t look as good in the pictures?
While these doubts are valid, considering a few factors can help make online furniture shopping a breeze for you. With a few tips, you will be able to find the perfect pieces for your house
Here are some things to consider when doing online furniture shopping:
1. Determine Your Style
Before you begin the process of browsing furniture pieces online, you must know your style well. Are you looking for something retro, modern, chic, or rustic? Carefully look at the other pieces in the room to determine which furniture style will go with them. This will help you in shortlisting the options and keeping the search more focused. It will save you time and locate the right furniture quickly.
2. Accurately Measure Space
One of the major concerns of shopping online for furniture is not getting the right size. This is the most commonly made mistake among online shopping – not measuring the space accurately. Many simply look at the pictures and neglect to even do the measurements to see if the item would fit. Therefore, if you like an item, you must make sure that it will fit in the space. The last thing you need is a stool that doesn’t fit under the bar or a couch that is too big for the wall. If you are ordering a bulky item, you might also have to measure the front door to see if it would actually fit through the door. Be sure to take measurements two to three times to ensure you have the right numbers.
3. Understand When to Splurge or Skimp
Another important tip when it comes to buying furniture online is to determine your budget. When you are looking for quality, the price tag might be higher than others. You will have to decide if you want to skimp the budget or splurge out. Also, keep in mind that it is okay to cut the budget on some furniture items like a shelf or accent table. However, for bigger pieces like dining tables and couches, it is best to splurge a little to get a high-quality item.
4. Check Out Customer Reviews
When shopping online for furniture, be sure to learn more about the shop. What’s even more important is checking out the reviews by the customers. While the furniture piece will look fabulous on the website, does it really look that good in reality? This is what the customer reviews can reveal. Go through the reviews to find out what the customer felt about the items they purchased from the online store. Were there any damages to the items? Was the shipping delayed? Was the furniture high-quality and the same as the description. Also, keep an eye out for the way the online store has responded to the negative reviews. The reputed stores would accept their mistake and resolve the issues immediately. That will show you how competent the store really is.
5. Carefully Read Product Descriptions
Sometimes pictures can’t really tell the whole story when you are making online purchases. This is when product descriptions play a critical role in the decision-making process. Be sure to thoroughly read the description of the product you are considering buying.
Here are some things to look at:
- Measurement – Sometimes the lighting and angles in the picture would make the product look bigger or smaller. Therefore, check the actual measurement of the product in the description.
- Material – Faux suede or leather might look real, fabricated wood might look like real wood, and so on. Therefore, also check the material of the item to get a better idea.
- Care Instructions – Does the item require special care treatments or basic cleaning is enough?
6. Find out the Shipping Costs
This is one of the major things many online shoppers fail to consider. Shipping costs can often increase the overall cost by a lot. If you are shopping from a store that is in a different state then the shipping costs might be more. You could have found the perfect price for a piece of furniture but could end up paying double in shipping costs. Make sure to check the shipping costs before you make the purchase. There could also be ways to make the shipping cost work for you. You might be able to save on shipping costs by ordering furniture and appliances from the same shop, like Gimmie. Many online stores offer various household items and buying more things from the same store can cut down on the overall cost.
7. Go Through the Return Policy
This is another valuable online furniture buying tip that many often neglect. Sometimes, even if you have very carefully purchased a piece, it might not go well with the rest of the pieces or you may change your mind about it. You would have to send it back. Make sure to go through the return policy before you make the purchase. How much time do you have to make the return and who would be responsible for the return shipping cost? These are a few things you would have to check for a smoother experience.
If you are planning to purchase from an online store in another state or city, the return shipping could be expensive. Therefore, carefully view the return policy and determine if it would be worth buying from that particular store. Online furniture shopping can be a lot of fun when you do it right. Getting your favourite furniture item delivered right at your doorstep – what a perfect way to revamp your house! You could save you money and time if you carefully consider these things before you make the purchase. Be sure to shop from a reputed store, determine the right style, go through the shipping cost and reviews to make it a no-regret experience.
THANKS FOR SHARING THIS GREATE ARTICLE
Thanks for the tip on measurement, care instructions, and material when shopping for furniture online. I want furniture for my bedroom and especially those that have French designs to complement the overall design of our house. We will be sure to do your tips to ensure that we will be satisfied with our purchases. I have a question do brands have any kind of shipping insurance policy if furniture damage is on the way?
I like that you said that it is important to read customer reviews to learn more about the furniture shop. This is something that I will consider because I am planning to furnish the new house that I bought. My goal is to ensure that the new sets of furniture that I will shop for are durable and are satisfying in person, so I will do your tips.
Thanks for pointing out that it is important to check out the reviews by the customers when shopping for furniture online. My husband and I had our living room and kitchen renovated last week, and we are planning to shop for new dining room furniture. We want those that have French designs to complement the overall design of our house. We will be sure to do your tips to ensure that we will be satisfied with our purchases.
Thanks for mentioning the importance of checking the customer reviews of furniture before you purchase it for your home. My roommates and I are furnishing our apartment and we need to find the best dining table and chairs. We’ll be sure to read reviews on the products and furniture stores before we buy any pieces for our apartment.