Common Problems When Buying Furniture Online

Today, online shopping becomes more popular. It's very comfortable to sit at home in a cozy atmosphere and look through dozens of web pages with amazing furniture items. Thanks to the development of e-commerce, people now have a greater choice and more opportunities to purchase something unique and affordable to complement their interiors. However, they often face various problems connected to online shopping.

There are few problems when buying online that are easy to avoid

The main problems people face

When we don't visit a store and don't see a certain furniture element, we inevitably face a sort of challenge. Let's look at the most frequent problems:

• You can't see how the furniture looks in real life. All we can see at an Internet store is a picture (rarely, a video). Images are created to demonstrate the best qualities of the furniture, so it's really shortsided approach to rely on solely them. Photographers and designers use special lights and then correct the photos to make them more attractive. As a result, we purchase, for instance, a sofa and see the real color only after the delivery. The same concerns apply to real product dimensions. Even with all the characteristics indicated in the description, we can see those sofas in ready-made interiors in the pics. We can't understand the lengths of walls or heights of ceilings. Most of measurement problems are, however, easily avoided if you properly measure up your space.
• Difficult assembly. Not every online store can offer an assembly (or sometimes consumers don't want to pay the extra money and hope they can easily do it themselves). Here, for example, we offer assembly is select areas. As a result, customers may face great problems after the delivery of the item, especially if it consists of multiple elements. To successfully assemble the furniture, you will need to have special tools and to understand the instructions correctly. Assembly, in general, is not that hard since most furniture designed with ease of assembly in mind.
• A product delivery issue. People, who don't get used to buying online, do not always understand, which type of delivery to choose. Sometimes stores offer free delivery. However, it's required to look at the details. Free delivery doesn't usually include lifting, walkups and unwrapping. As a result, people have to do it themselves, which might lead to damages.
• Big accent on reviews. When buying via the Internet, all we can do to know more about a furniture item is to read the reviews and feedback of the consumers. Some of them can contain real pics and be really helpful. But sometimes people's opinions might be subjective and actually useless. As a result, you can buy something you won't like in real life or vice versa - refuse something that can really match your interior. For most products, especially new models there are no reviews at all.
• Return fees. If it happens, you want to return the furniture bought (for instance, because it has been damaged or doesn't suit your room size), any store will take certain fees to pay for the shipment. Any furniture item is quite large, so shipping fees can be quite an expense. Fees might be different depending on the store and shipping policies, but you shouldn't forget about them.

Read terms, measurements and think about delivery

Recommendations that help avoid mistakes

While the described problems are common, it's very easy to avoid them and enjoy online purchases. In fact, buying furniture online has many advantages, including a wider choice, more pleasant prices & discounts, and the absence of crowds. Consider expert recommendations to make online shopping beneficial and successful:

• Don't become obsessed with color matching. As a result, there won't be any disappointment with the real color of an armchair, bed or any other elements. The color will be definitely different (at least, for a bit), so without those crazy ideas about perfectly matching interiors, you will feel more satisfied with your purchase.
• Observe all the parameters indicated carefully, especially measurements. If certain characteristics aren't presented or you think there's a chance for mistake, it's better to contact the support team. Find the information about the material, height, length, and width. Besides, ask, if an item can be disassembled to go through the doorway.
• Pay for professional assembly, if that's an option. It will allow avoiding unpleasant situations with damages and the impossibility to return an item.
• Order proper delivery. It's better to pay a bit more money and make sure the furniture will be lifted and unwrapped to check its integrity.
• Read the return policy carefully. Various situations might happen when buying furniture online. And sometimes people have to return the items. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it's better to get familiar with the policy of an internet store to find out the cases when the return is possible as well as applicable fees. Furniture is tough product to handle and should be treated as such.

When buying any type of furniture online, it's important to be attentive to details like shipping, measurements and policies and don't make hasty decisions. Choose only reliable and reputable stores, which offer a wide range of high-quality products and all the associated services. Follow simple tips to avoid common problems and enjoy your new furniture purchase.