Things One Should Consider Before Buying A Mattress

By Author: HADLEY
Total Articles: 23
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People spend more time on their bed than on any other piece of furniture in their home. It is like a source of relief and comfort. A excellent night’s sleep has a refreshing and re-energizing effect. That’s why mattress selection is quite an vital shopping exercise. When looking to buy a mattress, it pays to shop around to find the best deal that you can. In general, mattresses and other bedding supplies can be extremely costly furniture items, but a good quality mattress will last you many years. While many people like to visit a physical store to try out the mattress before they buy, it is also important to consider the benefits of shopping online.

We all know how much money can be saved when purchasing stuff online and mattresses are no exception. In my 32 years in the bedding industry I have seen it all. From factories recovering old mattresses and selling them as "in new plastic" to mattress stores going out of business one week and reopening down the street a week later under a fresh name yet same salesman. Now it's happening online as well so here's my professional recommendations when shopping on the web ...
... for a new mattress.

In the beginning make sure of the obvious, that the mattress shop has been around for a while online. A lot of times just finding them at the top of the Google organic search listings is a good indication they've been in the mattress business a while because it's a very competitive market and they've obviously spent a tremendous amount of time and money getting there and they are not likely to give up all their hard work just to make a fast dollar. You can look up archive.org and hit the "way back machine" and see the previous version of the company's mattress website you are thinking about buying from. If the location and toll free numbers are the same 5 years ago as they are today, well that's a wonderful sign as well that they are trustworthy and good to do business with. I put little faith in the BBB myself as I have been scammed by stores who the BBB gave an excellent rating for and then would do nothing when I filed a dispute.

The big "professional advice" I would like to share about buying a mattress from the web is that it is always best to find a shop who actually makes mattresses on site. The middleman markup in the bedding industry is huge. Mattresses make more coin per square foot in a furniture store than any other item so buyer beware. Mattress manufacturers who offer their products direct to the public can save you a lot when shopping online. Mattress factories usually have a much reduced overhead than a Big Box store and work on a much smaller markup but yet make it up in volume. This is a win win situation for price conscious mattress buyers.

Next you want to make sure that they give at least a 30 day trial period so if you find yourself still tossing and turning on your new mattress you can exchange it and try something else or get your money back. That brings me to the exchange process. Make a point that whatever mattress you buy can be easily repackaged and returned to the shipper at little cost. Companies that offer roll packed or vacuum packed beds can always save you money on shipping but how the heck are you going to suck down a king size mattress and get it back into that tiny box it came in? Well you can't and the return trip can cost an arm and a leg on a typical freight company. The answer to this is to find a bed that comes in sections and assembles inside a zippered cover. Several latex mattress stores offer this type of bed and all you have to do is find the best one with the top discount. Once again though, make sure you order direct from a real factory and not someone who claims yet cannot validate their "factory direct" pricing structure.

It's also important to ensure the mattress is going to be of high quality and there can often be a huge difference in quality between buying a bargain priced mattress from a store and buying a discounted brand name one online. If you insist on getting the cheap one then you can end up suffering in the long run with sleepless nights. Another benefit of going with the brand name is the guarantee that usually goes with it - if anything goes wrong you can return or replace it. This is not always the case with a 'bargain basement' one. Buying online also gives you the option of comparing reviews and special offers on selected items all from the comfort of your own home. Many online retailers also offer free shipping anywhere in the continental United States and no sales tax to states outside the one they are registered in.

In conclusion, buying a mattress doesn't have to be as expensive as you might think. Shop around both online and offline and you can save hundreds of dollars.

Ken Hightower is the President of Arizona Premium Mattress Company