The Internet has made buying home furnishings & decor items easy. What once was an arduous process is now as simple as pointing and clicking.
Buying furniture online can be tricky so you need to be careful when doing so. You have more stores to buy from, more selections and more prices to compare. It also has some disadvantages. You can no longer see or touch the piece up close; or see how it would fit with the furniture you already own. But buying online can be done simply and successfully if you keep certain things in mind.
Find out if the website has a local warehouse or store. Doing this may give you the opportunity to see the piece(s) in person, as opposed to just a picture. Before going to a store, take measurements to make sure the furniture will fit where you want it to go. Online furniture stores usually have the measurements stated in the description of the furniture.
Take the time to look at as many websites as you can to compare both prices and pieces available. Also make very sure you understand shipping costs which can be inflated to bring more income to the store. Some sites include shipping fees in the price of the furniture. Some do not. This could be why some stores seem to have higher prices on their furniture. If this is the case, the site will advertise "Free Shipping." Then there are some stores who cannot quote an up-front shipping cost until they have the delivery location. Some modes of delivering merchandise (UPS, FedEx, truck transportation) have different rates on the same item going to different ship-to locations. In this case, emails may need to be sent (both ways) to determine the fees and IF this item is still something you really want to purchase. You may find the same piece on two different sites but if one has free shipping, you may have already saved yourself some money.
A big advantage to buying furniture online is the delivery factor. A local store may charge you a delivery fee. Online stores know they have to deliver it so it is covered in the price of the product. This helps if you are unable to transport the furniture home yourself. And to make it even more convenient, you may be able to choose the delivery date or even the time.
Local stores tend to be more expensive as they have the overhead to pay for as well as the cost of the furniture itself. So compare diligently. Buying online can save you money, time and mental exhaustion if you do your homework first.
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