Great Tips For Online Furniture Shopping

By Author: Robert Richardson
Total Articles: 3
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Shopping for furniture can be an overwhelming and time-consuming chore especially for first-time business owners. The mind-boggling array of products, coupled with pushy sales clerks in-store, can sometimes create a stressful experience for shoppers and as such, they sometimes end up buying items just to get it over with rather than choosing what will best complement their business needs.

Luckily, there are now plenty of contract furniture suppliers in Australia that offer hassle-free shopping online. Online shopping takes away the tremendous effort and hassles of needing to personally visit a brick-and-mortar furniture store. It allows individuals to take their time in contemplating on the look they want for their business right in the comfort of their own homes.

However, there are also a number of businesses who are wary about online shopping for many understandable reasons – among them security and costs. If you are considering buying furniture from an online store, these shopping tips will help you arrive at a sound decision.

Check out the store’s About Us information.

Wise furniture ...
... vendors know that there’s nothing more important than creating an About page that introduces who they are to customers: the products they sell, where they are based, what they guarantee, what their objectives are, and their contact details. You would have more or less an overview what a company offers and their trustworthiness through such page.

Some online companies do not have a physical storefront, so if you are unable to find an address, be sure that they have a contact form on the site where you can address inquiries and ask for price quotations.

Read online reviews.

Sometimes a company posts client testimonials on their website, which lets you see how their products and service fare, but because no business would post a negative testimonial on their site, you should also look into other honest review sources like Google Product Search. Here, customers can rate stores based on a ranking scheme of 1 to 5 stars, plus their personal experiences with the merchant. A store that only has one or two stars is not worth wasting your time on.

You can also checkout Amazon for a comprehensive list of e-tailers and their ratings. Reviews can be sorted by average scores or high-rating items, which make browsing easier.

Make sure that the store has a fair return policy.

This is typically one of the most overlooked phases of online shopping, and one that causes frustration to customers. There are companies who do not offer returns or refunds once the items are delivered and often you would find this on a tab that says “Return Policy” or “Terms and Conditions”.

Online retailers should guarantee returns under special circumstances, like for instance, when a shipped item arrived at the customer already damaged or broken. If a store charges additional fees other than shipping costs, has complex protocols on returns, or does not allows returns under any circumstance, skip them.

Stores must provide the customers sufficient time to return products – three days at least – or to inform them of the damage. Be aware though that stores often, if not always, DO NOT permit returns for clients who simply had a change of mind. In addition you should check on the client’s terms on exchanges and cancellations: there are companies that will deduct 50 percent of your deposit for cancellations or who do not permit exchanges in cases of custom-made items, so be sure you’ve read up or inquired about that.

Validate shipping costs.

Shipping fees can often be found in the About or the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sections. Make sure you understand the costs well and what courier service they use. Often shipping fees depend on the shipping provider, and some stores offer different rates for rush shipment and normal 3- to 7-day deliveries. There are also a few who offer free shipping.

Select a store that sells a diverse selection of items.

Unless you’re looking specifically for specialty items (e.g. cafe tables with oak laminate, or eco-friendly materials), it’s better to choose a store that offers a vast selection of hospitality furniture, from table-and chair sets to drawers and bed frames. This helps you in finding all the pieces you need in one place and eliminates the hassle of dealing with two or more different merchants at the same time.

Too, if you’re buying several pieces of an item, buying from a single retailer ensures that the item colours and patterns match as closely as possible, because most likely, they came from the same material or timber.

There are stores that offer huge discounts when you buy sets or multiple. You also want to take advantage of clearance sale bargains for greater savings.

Only purchase from safe website with security software in place.

Fraud and information hijacking are a serious and rampant issue online, so you want to make sure you’re buying from a reputable retailer with a secure website. Secure websites often have Privacy Policy and Security Policy pages on their site aside from a small SSL, Verisign or a keylock widget (often on the checkout page); and a URL that starts with https (the s, meaning secure) instead of the usual http - all of which indicate site security.

Find out more here : NexTrendFurniture.