If you're looking for a $249 couch, it's the way to go.
Around here, at least the low-end furniture stores like Art Van stock a ton of low-end Chinese-built furniture. Everything is particleboard and laminate, it scratches and peels and is basically junk, but they want to charge full price for it. At least when you buy a cheap table from Amazon it's priced accordingly.
I can see their industry turning upside very quickly. Furniture store are huge, they have tons of sales people making handsome commissions, they rely on selling furniture marked off by 40% with a different 'sale' each week, and make most of their money on the financing arm and fabric protection packages and wood polish extras.
Not just brick and mortars, recently I was looking at a couch on OverStock.com at ~ $1,100 , they have good prices right? I shopped around, found the same couch from a local company online (LA area) for $399 shipped. Transaction went smoothly quality was good.
> on OverStock.com at ~ $1,100 , they have good prices right? I shopped around, found the same couch from a local company online (LA area) for $399 shipped
Overstock.com, like Amazon.com (and Walmart.com), is mainly a marketplace these days, with the overwhelming majority of products sold by 3rd party vendors. You will see a wide range of products, and pricing, as you noticed here.
Always shop around. Don't assume that just because its on Amazon|Overstock|Walmart|whatever, that it must be a good deal.
And let's not forget, a lot of people are, for many different reasons. Maybe they're not expecting to stay in the house forever, maybe it's a group of housemates who are buying 'disposable' furniture to avoid dealing with ownership issues, maybe they're low-income.
I really think a lot of this has to do with people's lives and careers being less predictable than they were a few decades ago.
We spent way more than that on a "real" couch from a "real" furniture store and it's a total piece of shit. Was comfortable for a couple of months, and then completely fell apart. I just assume it's all cheap crap any more.
We're back to taking antiques from family members and just reupholstering. The only newer furniture we have that doesn't suck came from Pottery Barn about 10 years ago and has tags from North Carolina.
Around here, at least the low-end furniture stores like Art Van stock a ton of low-end Chinese-built furniture. Everything is particleboard and laminate, it scratches and peels and is basically junk, but they want to charge full price for it. At least when you buy a cheap table from Amazon it's priced accordingly.
I can see their industry turning upside very quickly. Furniture store are huge, they have tons of sales people making handsome commissions, they rely on selling furniture marked off by 40% with a different 'sale' each week, and make most of their money on the financing arm and fabric protection packages and wood polish extras.