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Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

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Re: Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

#181

Post by johmas »

blakesterz wrote: post #167

I have a non-technical mattress question... why can't I get a mattress that doesn't give me terrible body impressions!?!? I've gone through several in my adult life. Once they start sagging it gives me terrible back troubles. Drives me crazy this can't be solved.

When you're shopping for a foam mattress, be sure you are getting something that has a higher density foam. I'd recommend something above 1.8 lbs. When looking for memory foam you'll want something even more dense like 4+ lbs.

For body impression, unfortunately most mattresses will do this over time. This is even more prevalent with natural options such as cotton or wool. You may want to consider replacing your mattress more frequently and using a mattress protector that will keep body moisture (sweat, etc) from being absorbed into the core.

Re: Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

#182

Post by Raphael »

daehee wrote: post #79
mpermar wrote: post #53

Being someone that considers himself literate in the mattress industry, as my wife runs a humble mattress storage and distribution firm I totally agree that the prices I could see visiting on the US are way over the top. If I lived there, well, making/selling mattresses must be a profitable business from the retail pricing I could see. Mind you I was on Silicon Valley which I imagine must be very pricy. The website i…

Thanks for the feedback, and I understand your concerns. I'll address them below. >> Even if mattress retailers are making a fortune on margins, well you guys also have margins too. And a retail price of $299..to..$499-king tells me that your mattresses are very low end. We of course have built-in margins on our products, and we try to keep it as fair as possible while supporting our operational overhead. But to writ…

2 lbs per cubic foot?

Re: Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

#183

Post by byjess »

nollidge wrote: post #127
byjess wrote: post #92

Well... Tuft and Needle is rediculous name for a mattress company. But congrats to your success. Also, please switch up your renders for actual photos. The renders are quite obvious and feel deceptive.

> Tuft and Needle is rediculous name for a mattress company I like it. It's classy, rustic, gives the impression of hand-made, and everybody likes seeing an ampersand in a nice typeface. Compare "Crate & Barrel".

I first thoughts were "matresses are tuff and may feel like needles in them."

Re: Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

#184

Post by johmas »

Slix wrote: post #162
johmas wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really is for sure. We've had to get a special machine to package the mattress in a smaller box but we're still paying for what's called Dimensional weight. It's large enough that we aren't being billed for the weight but rather the size. Luckily we've managed so far though and have been able to streamline some of the process. I imagine it will become easier as we grow.

Is the size of the box why you aren't using Amazon fulfillment, or is there some other reason?

Primarily because we do the fulfillment ourselves and because we don't want Amazon to take the customer service away from us.

Re: Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

#185

Post by mpermar »

tesseractive wrote: post #175
mpermar wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, there is tons of types of springs and more importantly spring layouts. Some manofacturers will use less springs than others, and that is very important. Personally I prefer spring mattresses over foam mattresses. They last much much longer as dangrossman commented, are more reliable and also much firmer. And also you can't leave aside the weather factor because spring mattresses are way more breathable than foa…

Doesn't quality latex foam have pretty comparable breathability? And my impression was that the firmness of foam was widely variable based on the type and density of the foam.

Not even close. No matter how porous the foam is, you can't match a spring. But bear in mind this factor can or cannot be relevant depending on where you live. If you live on a dry place, it does not matter; also if you take good care of your mattress (e.g. change sides regularly, open windows to air the room regularly, open the cover if it comes with one, use a mattress protector to avoid liquids to pour in, etc.) it will not matter that much either; but if you live on a humid place well... then myself I wouldn't go for a foam-only mattress.

On the firmess you're right, it is very variable. I've been myself sleeping on a foam-only sofa-bed mattress for almost a year and it is firm enough. The issue with latex or foam is that they distort with time. It is unavoidable. Depending on the quality of what you have bought that might be years but I've seen many poorly made mattresses that are returned within months.

It also depends on the weight of the people that is going to sleep as well. My wife would be worried if you were a customer insisting on buying a foam mattress and your weight as a couple were bigger than 180kg for example. Specially if it is a wide mattress as the weight would not be distributed evenly.

Re: Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

#186

Post by BHSPitMonkey »

steven2012 wrote: post #51

What type of foam do you use? My concern has always been that not enough testing has been done on the foam, and the chemicals used could leech into the both, especially if you like to sleep naked on the bed. I used to sleep on a memory foam mattress, but after a couple of years, I noticed a distinct discoloration of where I slept, and it suggested to me there was some sort of interaction between my body and the foam,…

There's some sort of interaction between your body and your bathtub, too.

Re: Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

#188

Post by mpermar »

whistlerbrk wrote: post #130
cmbaus wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are some fair points here. The product is more of a futon than a true mattress. It would be interesting if they offered a higher end latex model.

What does that matter if it provides a great night's sleep?

it might matter when you need it to provide 1000s of great night's sleep

Re: Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

#189

Post by johmas »

tesseractive wrote: post #175
mpermar wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, there is tons of types of springs and more importantly spring layouts. Some manofacturers will use less springs than others, and that is very important. Personally I prefer spring mattresses over foam mattresses. They last much much longer as dangrossman commented, are more reliable and also much firmer. And also you can't leave aside the weather factor because spring mattresses are way more breathable than foa…

Doesn't quality latex foam have pretty comparable breathability? And my impression was that the firmness of foam was widely variable based on the type and density of the foam.

It's very porous. If you took a piece of latex foam and blew air into it, you can feel the air come out of the other side.

Re: Tell HN: How we bootstrapped to the #1 rated mattress on Amazon.com

#190

Post by beagle3 »

jedrek wrote: post #133
cmbaus wrote: post #55

At one point I almost went crazy researching mattresses. I like to know what I am buying, but the industry is non-transparent. The same product can have different names depending on where it is sold. BTW, another product like this is range hoods. I'm impressed that you tried to break into this business. I thought the existing companies would have it tied up because of their distribution channels. I did look at latex…

Over the past 3-4 years I've bought two products that were a LOT more complicated than they have any right to be. One was a flashlight (who the hell knew flashlights could have firmware?), the other was my mattress. To this day, I'm not sure what the hell I'm sleeping on.

Do you have a link to a description of that firmwared flashlight?
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