How to take advantage of the Furniture Market without taking a risk!

by | Oct 20, 2014 | blog, DIY Tips

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Purchasing furniture is not an everyday occurrence and the experience can be both exciting and traumatising if you blow the majority of your budget on a product that turns out to be well below your expectations.  If you are looking to completely renovate your home and are in need of many items of furniture, then the eventual purchases could come after months of saving up and limiting your social activity, so you need to make sure that all those cutbacks have been worth it.  Here is a list of ways of how you can cut out the risk when it comes to making the most out of the furniture market.

  • Learn from Previous Warehouse Sales

You wouldn’t have to be watching or listening to a television or radio station for long before a furniture advertisement makes an appearance. If you know that your current furniture is on its last legs and a renovation will soon be needed, then it is important to keep your eye on the sales that are being promoted in the media as all of them tend to follow a similar pattern.

Most customers have a ‘buy now’ mentality, but if you can remain patient then you will able to buy the products you desire for a lot than cheaper than its original price. This is due to the fact that in this industry new products are usually released in the mid-spring and mid-autumn, so a few months before the arrival of the new items, companies will be looking to offload last seasons stock that is taking up much of the space in their warehouse. These sales will be advertised throughout the media, so once you take into account the times in the year when these sales occur, then by the next year you are going to get first serve on the products your home is in need of.

  • Wider Selection Online

There is a reason why online shopping is putting many high-street organisations out of business and this is due to the greater number of alternative solutions online. Purchasing from local furniture stores should only happen once you have examined the options that online furniture outlets have. Products from online outlets usually do not have the same expense as those available in retail stores tend to be affected by building rental and staff payments which inflates the prices of their products. An online outlet is likely to rent a warehouse, which is far less expensive than renting both a building for the store to be situated and an on-site warehouse. Online outlets are also sure to have less staff payments to worry about which allows their products to be sold at a cheaper price. By shipping directly from the warehouses (which many online companies do) this will also eliminate similar inflations on price. Buying in bulk online will mean that you save a considerable amount in comparison to in-store purchases.

  • Research the Supplier

This piece of advice is more relevant to the online outlets, where you are unable to see all products upfront. The most reliable and trustworthy online furniture stores will be those that have websites that have an option for viewers to examine customer reviews on both the company and the products they sell. From these reviews you can make the decision on whether you see them as reliable suppliers for your products and if they do not have an appraisals section then you have to think why that is. Perhaps the company is not as legitimate as it claims? It’s so important to do your research on the company that are selling the products you have your eye on, as there will be a number of them that have a money-making mentality and will look to sell you a product that is overpriced considering that they are aware that there is no way in which you can examine its quality before the purchase is made.

For the cheaper solutions many buyers look to the likes of Ebay, Craigslist and Gumtree, but you should be warned that these are not the safest places to make a large investment on a product as you have not even seen it in the flesh, nor do you know the supplier. Promises made could be far from the truth.

  • Buy the Design and not the Brand

Purchasing furniture from expensive department stores such as House of Fraser, John Lewis and Harrod’s may make you feel that you have been very safe with your purchase as the products expense should reflect its quality, but this is not always the case. Not many furniture brands around the UK are genuinely unique, as retailers tend to sell remakes of their competitors’ products. Once you have found a product that would be very fitting of your homes theme and current design, then you need to see whether the product is sold by another retailer or whether there is a good quality replica that you could purchase for a cheaper price. Do not be deceived by bigger companies claiming that the quality of their products is greater than those not as well known.

  • Examine the Condition of the Product

For those of you who need to see the product in the flesh before you buy it, then when you’re making your purchase for a retailer make sure you examine the condition of the product under consideration. Due to the expense of a piece of quality furniture, then you are well within your rights to raise concerns about either its quality or a fault in its design. If you can live with the tiniest fault, then the likelihood is that the supplier will knock a considerable amount off the original price for your trouble, which could turn out to be an absolute bargain. Furniture faults can be easily hidden as there are other products that can be used to decorate couches, chairs and table for example.

Read through our useful guide for more information

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