Purchasing your dream furniture is costly undertaking; especially if you have to buy several pieces at one go. Visiting almost every furniture store in your neighborhood to compare the prices and check the quality is also stressful.
Luckily, you can avoid most of the stress associated with purchasing furniture through online shopping. Buying furniture online is not one’s first priority when it comes to furniture shopping. Online purchases are on the rise worldwide, thanks to the high number of e-Commerce sites and the availability of internet-enabled devices.
People also prefer online purchases due to large discounts and great deals offered by online stores to attract potential customers from internet users.
For example, buying furniture online can be cheaper than purchasing from a brick and mortar store due to saving tricks like voucher codes and online coupons. Let’s see some tips for shopping online, which you can use when buying your furniture.
01. Buy Online Products at the Right Time
The only way you can secure great deals online is by shopping when the stores are struggling to make sales, or are trying to clear their old stock for new stock. For example, most online stores offer huge discounts during major holidays as it is the time when most people make such purchases. Some stores also have clearance sales at the end of the year, while others have a permanent clearance section where they sell such items at lower prices. Therefore, it is advisable to do some research to identify future sales if you wish to save money by purchasing online.
02. Check the Reviews of Online Products
The golden rule for online shopping is that you should always remember that an online company’s website only has the information they want to share with their potential and existing customers. Everything from the photo of the furniture to the description and the price can be enticing, but the only way you can know if it is real is by reading reviews by customers and third-party review sites.
The review sections will give you the real picture of the company’s products and their products’ quality since happy customers will recommend them and those disappointed will post share their frustrations. Many negative reviews from verified customers should act as a red flag, even if you are convinced by the price and the description of the product.
03. Research about Their Shipping Policy
Shipping cost is one of the significant factors to consider when purchasing furniture online, but most online buyers fail to give it the weight it deserves. For example, an online store can be selling their products at a lower price than the nearby furniture store, but it is located miles away from your home. A purchase from such a store can become more expensive than purchasing locally due to high shipping costs. So, every time you find an attractive price online, always remember to factor in the shipping cost.
04. Check the Site’s Return & Refund Policy
You should consider the seller’s return policy when buying furniture online because you have not physically assessed the furniture to check whether they can fit in the available space. You can purchase furniture from an online store to later find out that it is slightly bigger or smaller than you anticipated.
The only way you can avoid a loss in such a scenario is by avoiding online stores with complicated return procedures or stores not accepting returns at all. Look for a company with clear and favorable return policies.
Look for e-Commerce sites that offer flexible return policies like a 30 days return policy and free return shopping. This way, you will avoid the additional cost of shipping the item back to the seller or the total loss of staying with an item that does not serve the purpose as intended.
05. Compare Prices from Various Online Stores
Since there are thousands of online furniture stores, you can compare the prices before choosing the best store according to price. Make sure that you have compared at least three stores offering the same furniture before making the purchase. If you have furniture assembling skills, you can look for a store that sells unassembled furniture at a lower price and do the assembling work yourself. Additionally, if you are buying several pieces, do a price comparison for every item because the second item’s price can be lower than the selling price at the site where you purchased the first item. However, don’t forget to put factors such as shipping and return policies into consideration when comparing prices.
06. Find a Coupon Code to Save Money on Online Shopping
A coupon code can help you save some money when purchasing furniture online as it can offer great deals like free shipping or a price cut. Nowadays, most online stores are giving out coupon codes to attract potential customers to their websites. For example, an online retailer can automatically give new customers a discount coupon code after signing up. You can also hunt for the coupon codes from websites that collect coupons from eCommerce websites if you do not automatically receive them. For some of the best voucher codes, you can check here.
07. Subscribes to Several Sites’ Email Newsletters
If you are planning to buy furniture in the future, now is the best time to subscribe to the leading online furniture retailers’ email newsletters and follow their social media pages. Some of the sites offer discounts to individuals who sign up plus they will inform you about saving opportunities like clearance sales and discounts as well as the arrival of new products. You can also try emailing the seller to request a discount, and they may consider your request or give some helpful advice on how you can save.
Parting Words
When buying furniture online, the best deal is when you buy quality items at a lower place and have them delivered at your doorsteps. Don’t rely solely on the photos and the descriptions on the retailer’s website, but also check the reviews to identify the retailer’s reputation and ensure that site is not a scam. The above tips will help you secure the best deals when buying furniture from an online retailer. To know about more tips, we have an article which might turn out really helpful to you…
And before you take a leave, if you want to decorate your homes with trendy furniture materials, you must surely have a look at it here:
