easy chairShopping online for furniture has become a huge business. Over $1 billion has been spent on online furnishings in the past 12 months. But consumer feedback has been mixed. Here are some things you should know before shopping online:

  1. Many stores don’t allow you to return the item to the store, itself, because they may not sell the product at the store. You have to send returns to a return center. Many of the big box retailers require that you send your purchases back to this return center. This makes it difficult to exchange an item or get your money back.
  2. Some furniture web sites send furniture in hundreds of pieces. Ask how many pieces will come in the box. Also ask if you can see a diagram describing how to assemble the piece. Online furniture can be very inexpensive if you have to basically construct the whole piece, yourself.
  3. Comparison shopping online is difficult, because like with mattress companies, different stores use the same vendors but call the pieces different names.
  4. Getting samples of colors in color chips, fabric swatches and wood chips are necessary if you are really depending on the accuracy of what you see on the site to make your purchase. Monitors come in many sizes and color shades. Selecting something that matches exactly with what you see online is tricky.
  5. The price of the goods may sound good but shipping can be costly. Especially true with the larger retailers, who often contract with local delivery companies around the country. Try shopping local retailers first because they may offer less expensive shipping and assembly options.
  6. If you want to use a gift card to purchase furnishings online, be careful. Many retailers are only allowing you to use the gift cards in the store, or online, but not both.
  7. Just like with fashion, most furniture we buy has already been discontinued by the time we buy it (usually discontinued every 6 months), so make sure you ask what the warranty and return policy is. Warranties for defects should last at least one year. Otherwise, it only pays to buy directly from a retail store that has been in business for many years.

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