How to Buy Furniture Online

Whether you need a single stunning piece for your living room or an ensemble for your bedroom, you're likely to find an excellent selection online. If you're a careful shopper, you'll get just what you want for less than the retail price.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Area Rugs
• Armchairs
• Coffee Tables
• Furniture Polishes
• Houseplants
• Lamps
• Measuring Tapes
• Sofas

1. Enter the word "furniture" in a search engine such as Alta Vista or Yahoo. If desired, enter more specific words such as "wood furniture," "sofas" or "bedroom furniture." You can also click a Related Site or click the desired boxes for furniture in the shopping list below and choose the "shop online" function.

2. Read information on the sites about shipping costs, taxes, delivery, guarantees and returns. Furniture is expensive to return so you'll want to get it right the first time.

3. If you're not set on buying a certain item, browse the site for specials and sales. You may be able to save an additional percentage on these items.

4. If you have specific items in mind, click the category (generally "bedroom," "living room," and so on, or more specifically, "chairs," "dressers," and so on).

5. Take advantage of any helpful tools that the sites offer, such as style guides and room planners.

6. Note that some online furniture sites sell name-brand furniture at a discount, while others are manufacturers offering their own lines. If you are more trusting of name brands, buy from a source that sells furniture from known manufacturers.

7. If you find an item you are interested in, click it. Look at the picture and carefully read the product description.

8. If you want to order the item, click to add it to your "cart." Pay special attention to options such as upholstery choices for upholstered furniture and various finishes for wood furniture.

9. Fill out the order and shipping information.

Tips & Warnings

• To save money, watch for sites that offer free shipping, sales and/or discounts if you register or buy now.
• Some sites offer online financing programs, which means you can pay for the furniture over time through your online account. However, not everyone will qualify for this option.
• Before you order furniture, be sure you have accurately measured the space where the furniture will go and have explored a realistic layout.

[decorgeek]

on 8/15/2009 This is a great write up on buying furniture online. I have also written up a post on my experience with buying large furniture online. I did my homework and was confident with my purchase because I knew the return policies and prepared for the worse. To read my post visit: http://decorgeek.com/how-to-buy-furniture****/43
Happy shopping-
The Geek!

[lschofield]

on 12/27/2007 Something to be careful about is the shipping cost. If you need to return the item for any reason, the shipping & handling charges will not usually be refunded (and those can be substantial).

I've heard of horror stories where a "set" pictured on a website no longer included some of the pieces. When the buyer received the set (minus bar stools appearing in the picture), she was referred to the small note on the webpage, stating the bar stools were no longer included with the set. The store gladly returned the item, less the shipping and handling charges of over $100!

I run an online coupon site at http://www.centsible.net and have researched the many ways to save shopping online, as well as what to watch out for. My advice is just to be absolutely sure of what you're getting, and be aware your shipping charge is not recoverable.