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Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

nytimes.com

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Re: Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

#31

Post by tehwebguy »

wiremine wrote: post #18

We recently moved and my wife attempted to purchase 5 different items from Wayfair: we ended up returning 4 of them. The problem was color: the photography online was typically very different from the final product. We kept thinking there was a simple fix: send sample veneers to a customer to let them see what the actual product looks like. They could rent them out like lots of other furniture places do with fabric.…

Yeah we got an entertainment center, really poor paint job. Drop shipping without QA is bad news.

Re: Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

#32

Post by fullsailor »

KGIII wrote: post #27
eli wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who would ever buy a book online without being able to leaf through its pages?

The two are very different. With a book, you have a reasonably known quantity and it's much easier to ship it back. I'm half convinced people keep IKEA furniture because they can't figure out how to get it back in the box.

You don't necessarily need to disassemble and return it in the box. I bought and returned two bedside tables (HEMNES) recently. I only constructed the first and was unhappy with how it looked once it was in my room. They accepted the returns no questions asked.

Re: Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

#33

Post by basseq »

Quality is really hard to judge. I bought a $500 desk on Wayfair last month, and was unhappy with the quality: cheap-o joining and cheap-looking laminate. It was chipped and broken when we got it, and because it would be too expensive (and worthless) to ship back, they just refunded our money and told us to donate it. I found a veneer desk locally for 50% of the price that I'm much happier with.

Re: Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

#34

Post by rhcom2 »

alistproducer2 wrote: post #23

Who are these people buying sofas, mattresses, pillows etc online? Bedframes, end tables, storage? Sure. Amazon knows what's up and realizes it has to have some form of brick-and-mortar to sell goods that [normal] humans will never be comfortable buying sight unseen.

I bought from one of those mattress in a box companies. They had free return with pickup so I figured it was pretty low risk and I was very happy with the result. Best mattress I've owned.

Re: Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

#35

Post by ghaff »

nsxwolf wrote: post #15

I've been burned by online furniture too many times. There's just no way to get a sense of something's quality online. You need to be able to touch it. Price is not an indicator. My grandfather bought a couch and coffee table from Ethan Allen in the 1960s. They seemed to have been carved from a single block of wood and weighed a ton. Now everything they sell feels like it is made of cardboard, but it costs thousands…

If something is really standardized and, especially if you can try it out beforehand like an office chair, it can make sense if you find a particularly good deal online. Got an Aeron that way and still going strong after 15 years with a free warranty repair at about 7 years.

But yeah, in general, furniture like sofas really needs to be experienced, it's almost impossible to return, and you'll hopefully have it for a long time. Of course, even experiencing something in person is no guarantee and, as you say, a lot of furniture these days is basically crap.

Re: Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

#36

Post by jedberg »

I bought one online from Costco.com. After I ordered, they sent me a fabric sample and made me sign a sheet that had things like "I have checked the fabric sample and the color and texture are to my liking", and "I understand that this couch is firmer than most".

When it arrived they put it together and everything was fine. Then a month later a seam popped. I called them and they said, "We can send someone to fix it, no charge, or give you $230, your choice". I assume $230 was the cost of repair.

Re: Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

#38

Post by twic »

alistproducer2 wrote: post #23

Who are these people buying sofas, mattresses, pillows etc online? Bedframes, end tables, storage? Sure. Amazon knows what's up and realizes it has to have some form of brick-and-mortar to sell goods that [normal] humans will never be comfortable buying sight unseen.

I bought a mattress and a divan online.

There's no point looking at a mattress in person; poking and lying down on it doesn't tell you what it's like to sleep on, so you have to go on reviews anyway.

A divan is just a box for the mattress to go on. I wanted some particular mechanical properties, which i could check by sending emails. Staff in a shop wouldn't have had a clue.

Re: Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

#39

Post by KGIII »

fullsailor wrote: post #32
KGIII wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The two are very different. With a book, you have a reasonably known quantity and it's much easier to ship it back. I'm half convinced people keep IKEA furniture because they can't figure out how to get it back in the box.

You don't necessarily need to disassemble and return it in the box. I bought and returned two bedside tables (HEMNES) recently. I only constructed the first and was unhappy with how it looked once it was in my room. They accepted the returns no questions asked.

Has that changed? I know several who have complained about needing to return it in its original packaging. At least I'm pretty sure it was IKEA that they conplained about - and there have been several.

I'll defer to you, as I haven't actually even been in one, personally.

Re: Buy a Sofa Online? Wayfair Is Counting on It

#40

Post by WillPostForFood »

buckhx wrote: post #4

Just got one from Joybird. The swatch samples are a big plus. It definitely creates some anxiety not knowing how things will actually play out though.

How do you like it? Their products look great online, but have never seen one in person.
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