Buying furniture online is just as easy as buying from an actual store these days. You only need to browse a store’s website and just order your furniture from there–no fuss, no hassle. But even with convenient access, is buying furniture online the best option for you?
We’ll help you find out by showing you the pros and cons of buying furniture online versus in-store.
Pros of Buying Furniture from Online Stores
1. Broader range of options
Compared to a furniture shop’s physical store, it’s highly likely that you will find more furniture pieces, in various colors and configurations, from its online store. You can access the complete catalog and see the list of all the products online. Whereas if you visit the actual location, you solely rely on the display, which may be fairly limited.
2. Easy access to product details
You can access more information about a product in an online furniture store. Sure, the salespeople from a physical store can also provide you with the information you need. But it’s often quicker to find every bit of detail online at a glance. Plus, it’s easier to compare furniture prices with similar designs online.
3. Saves time
One of the advantages of shopping for furniture online is that it saves you time. If you shop online, you don’t have to allot a portion of your precious time to drive to a furniture store and look for what you need there–with little to no assurance that you can find the right piece. It is sometimes more convenient to browse a furniture store’s website, add items to the cart, and then hit “checkout.” By simply doing just these, your order is on its way, easy peasy.
Cons of Buying Furniture Online
1. Uncertain quality
When you buy furniture online, you can’t physically see or feel its quality, which is understandably worrisome. Buying products online, especially furniture, is like a gamble, with hardly any way to ascertain their quality beforehand. Even with all the product’s pictures, details, and reviews online, ensuring you’re getting the quality you expect is challenging.
2. Different return policy
Some furniture companies have different sets of return policies for their online and physical stores. Sometimes, it’s trickier to return items when you purchase them online–plus, you may need to shell out more money for return shipping and restocking fees. This may put you at a disadvantage since you can’t be sure about the furniture’s quality until you receive it.
3. Shipping time
It’s ironic because buying furniture online saves time, but it also doesn’t. For the most part, it’s convenient timewise until there are shipment delays. Even if there aren’t, it may take a bit of time for your furniture to arrive. Good furniture sometimes takes longer to create and customize, which is sometimes the reason behind the waiting period.
Buying Furniture Online at T.Y. Fine Furniture
T.Y. Fine Furniture has a physical store in Columbus, Ohio, and if you’re in the area, feel free to visit us and check out our handcrafted solid wood furniture. Aside from our in-house furniture, we also showcase pieces from great brands like Stressless by Ekornes and American Leather.
You can easily buy furniture from our online store, too. With us, you’re safe as we ensure that all the furniture pieces we offer are of the highest quality and made with the best local materials available. We only use natural hardwood–maple, oak, walnut, and cherry–sourced within 100 miles of our shop. All our furniture pieces are put together using traditional joinery and polished with our very own organic, food-grade wood finish.
Each furniture piece is made to order, but in most cases, it ships in under four weeks. Every item is handcrafted to ensure quality, which is why it takes us some time to ship out. As we approach furniture design holistically, we ensure that our furniture is easy to assemble. Aside from all these, we also offer:
- 30-day return period
- Shipping across the US, including Canada
- Safe packaging using cardboard-based padding and air-filled cushions
- Virtual design meetings for custom furniture
- Interior design help and support.
Should You Buy Furniture Online?
Even with all the pros and cons above, the question remains. Should you buy furniture online? The answer is both yes and no–it depends on your priorities. If you feel that the pros outweigh the cons, buying furniture online is a good option for you and vice versa.
It also matters where you’re buying furniture from online. If you’re getting furniture from reputable brands with good online shops, it may be worthwhile to purchase from them.
Find out why you should buy furniture online from us:
Why You Don’t Have to Live in Columbus, Ohio to Buy Furniture From T.Y. Fine Furniture