How to Find the Best Online Furniture Stores

Shopping for furniture these days is much different than it was a few years ago. With the internet so readily available, it is much easier to shop for and compare furniture prices online. Here is some information on how to find the best online furniture websites.

Things You'll Need

• design ideas
• computer with Internet connection
• credit card for online ordering
• catalogs from popular furniture stores

Instructions

1. Search by brand name. If you love Broyhill furniture, you may want to do an Internet search for dealers that sell Broyhill products. And under the Broyhill subtitle, you may want to look for specific lines, like Broyhill's Attic Heirlooms or Fontana. If you're not looking for a specific furniture line, some other popular furniture brands include American Drew, Lexington, Ashley Furniture, Vaughn- Bassett, Thomasville, Stanley, and Baker.

2. Search by style. Do you love traditional furniture or is modern more your style? Keywords like "modern furniture" or "contemporary furniture" will yield you many results. You can also search by product type. For instance, if you are searching for a kitchen table, you can do a search for "round kitchen table" or "dinette set". The more specific your keyword search is, the better your results will be.

3. Check out the delivery and shipping fees. Even when you buy furniture from a big retail store, it's hard to get around the delivery fees. Expect to pay even more if you order your furniture online. Some online furniture sites even charge delivery and processing fees, making the delivery cost upwards of several hundred dollars. Make sure you do a check using your zip code to see exactly what the shipping costs will be. The shipping costs can often be the deal breaker when deciding between two furniture websites.

4. Check the return policy. It's not so easy to return furniture, but sometimes it's a must. Only deal with sites that offer a fair return policy. If an item arrives damaged, a reputable site will send a delivery truck out to pick it up and send you a replacement free of charge. It should not cost you anything to return a damaged piece of furniture. If you decide to return an item because you don't like it, you will likely have to pay to send it back. It is always worth a phone call or an email to customer service however, to plead your case if the piece truly doesn't look like it did on the website.

5. Make sure the site seems trustworthy. There are many mom and pop type furniture websites, and most of them offer great customer service, but always be careful when making such a major purchase online. Look for the Better Business Bureau symbol (BBB Online Reliability Program) on smaller furniture websites, and make sure it is a secure site if you are giving out your credit card information online.

6. A list of the Top Online Furniture Websites. If you're more comfortable dealing with major furniture websites, there are some wonderful sites to choose from. Here are some of the top online furniture stores.

7. Furniture.com (www.furniture.com)
   Furniture.com offers a wide array of traditional furniture and home accents. The site often offers sales and you can almost always expect at least a 10% discount. Because most of the furniture is shipped from local warehouses, the delivery fees are more in line with traditional furniture stores and the delivery time usually takes just a few days.

8. Crate and Barrel. (www.crateandbarrel.com)
   Known for their easy, contemporary style, Crate and Barrel is one of the best websites for affordable furniture. They offer custom upholstery with over 2000 fabric choices. Best of all, C&B's shipping fees are relatively reasonable. Crate and Barrel has a sister store, CB2, that offers modern furniture.

9. Potterybarn. (www.potterybarn.com)
   Potterybarn offers mostly traditional furniture with clean lines. Nothing too fussy, all of it timeless. Known for their gorgeous catalogs, it's wise to jump online and get your name on Potterybarn's mailing list. With the catalog as your reference, it can help you with the online ordering process. Potterybarn offers some cool new features on their website, like a pillow design tool. Potterybarn's furniture delivery fees are rather costly-most large items have a number in parentheses which is actually a surcharge in addition to the regular shipping fees. The best way to combat Potterybarn's shipping costs is to order in bulk-- if you spend over $3000, the delivery charge is reduced from 10% of the total furniture cost to only 5%.

10. Ethan Allen (www.ethanallen.com)
    Ethan Allen is a higher end furniture website and unfortunately most of their furniture items can still only be purchased through their retail stores. But the Ethan Allen website offers some great resources, like a room planning tool and design ideas. You can also browse through the Ethan Allen product line at your leisure, making ordering easier. Ethan Allen also offers interesting financing options, where you choose the repayment terms. It appears that the Ethan Allen website is prepping to offer more online ordering options. Currently, a sampling of their products can be ordered online.

11. West Elm (www.westlem.com).
    West Elm is a sister store of Williams-Sonoma and Potterybarn. West Elm offers quality, modern furniture. The West Elm website is reminiscent of Potterybarn's website, and it offers options to shop by room and shop by color. Like its sister stores, West Elm offers full color catalogs which can help you in the ordering process.

12. Room and Board (www.roomandboard.com)
    Room and Board offers custom furniture with over 200 fabric and leather choices. The custom dining tables are especially unique-- you can choose a base and a table top to suit your needs. Room and Board offers many "Create your own" items, from custom mirrors to pillows to tables and benches, all custom made to your specifications. Flat rate delivery makes ordering multiple furniture items from Room and Board very affordable.

13. Rooms to Go (www.roomstogo.com)
    This site is on the lower end, but it's a great, affordable option. You can order complete room packages, making it easy to match everything up. Or you can order piece separately- and there's a lot to choose from. Rooms To Go offers popular lines such as Cindy Crawford Home and Cottage Cove. Rooms To Go currently only delivers to 32 states in the U.S., so check their website to see if your state is listed.

14. Horchow (www.horchow.com)
    Horchow offers elegant, high end furnishings with a unique flair. Featuring gorgeous hardwoods and mirrored pieces, Horchow is the place to look if you want something distinctive. And while the initial prices may be ... well, pricey, the sale prices are often fabulous. Horchow does tack on the dreaded additional shipping and processing fees, but in this case it's a small price to pay for interesting pieces of furniture.

15. Ballard Designs (www.ballarddesigns.com)
    Ballard Designs offers an interesting mix of traditional and eclectic furniture. Most upholstered items have a variety of interesting fabrics to choose from and many of the furniture pieces have an old world feel to them. Ballard Designs offers several truck delivery options, including Threshold Delivery (which is more of a drop off and does not include unpacking or placement in your home) or the upgraded In-Home delivery.

16. Ikea (www.ikea.com)
    No list of online furniture stores would be complete without including Ikea. Although Ikea furniture is not for everyone, it's a great affordable solution for people on a budget. Many furniture items come shipped in flat packaging for in-home assembly.

Tips & Warnings

• Compare pieces before you order. You can often find the same furniture brands at multiple stores and the prices can vary by hundreds of dollars.

• Only deal with reputable sites when using your credit card online. If the site looks unprofessional, don't shop there.