Shopping sofas online can be cheaper and more convenient. With just a few clicks, you can have the sofa you want delivered straight to your home.
Unfortunately, it’s far from such a bliss. There are as many problems in online sofa shopping as in any other online shopping. For example, this thread on Quora discussing the trouble of not being able to try before buy when shopping furnitures online goes viral.
So how to avoid these problems when shopping sofas online? As an online furniture business, Atunus Home have digged all potential user troubles in advance, and sorted out the following 6 tips. By sharing our investigation results with you, we hope to help you avoid common problems when buying a sofa online.
Table of Contents
Check the Seller's Reputation
Rule No.1, don’t search “is xx legit” online. Even the most trusted brands like Samsung and Google got negative comments.
A research by the European Commission says that “expressing outrage online gets more likes than other interactions.” The results is that a large part of what you read about brands online is biased or selected.
Instead, judge an online business with some simple investigations. First, check if they have brick-and-mortar stores. Having a physical address open to the public means at least you are buying from real persons, not spam bots.
You can also tell if it’s really a U.S.-based store. Not trying to say foreign stores are bad, but buying from a native store means easier after-sale service and faster deliveries.
Check the Merchant's Information
How to check the above-said information on a merchant’s website? You can look for “Contact Us” at the bottom and find its address.
*For example, our address is 1942 Broadway Street in Boulder of Colorado. You can also see our list of 12 Atunus Home stores and warehouses across the country.
Read the Comments
Read customer reviews on the website. Pay attention to whether the reviews are genuine. Some sellers create fake reviews to boost credibility. These kind of reviews usually speak in an exaggerated and unnatural tone.
Your efforts investigating a store ensures that you won’t fall into a scam. But even legit online stores got problems to notice too. One of them is buying the wrong size of sofa. Let’s move forward and see how to avoid this problem..
Mind the Size of the Sofa
Have you ever thought about the size of your new sofa? Not just the dimension of the sofa itself, but also the measurements of the surrounding space of the sofa. You won’t want your sofa to look too big or too small for your room.
To avoid this problem, you could:
Know the Dimensions of a Sofa
Most websites display the dimensions of the sofas they sell. Pay attention to the following measurements:
- The overall width, depth and height of the sofa. These dimensions decide whether the sofa fits your room.
- The width, depth and height of the seating area. These dimensions will affect your sitting comfort.
- The width and height of each armrest. These dimensions will influence not only the look of the sofa but also your sitting experience.
*At Autunus Home, you can find a sofa dimension diagram on every product page. These diagrams provide not only the overall dimensions of the sofa but also the measurements of the seating area and armrests. Read these details carefully to ensure the sofa fits your room and offers the best seating comfort.
*To ensure you get what you see, we use a steel tape measure(±0.6mm per meter) to check every sofa we make.
This is the dimension diagram of the Sogno Sectional Sofa. You can see we display not only the overall dimensions of the sofa, but also the dimensions of seats, armrests and ottomans
Measure the Surrounding Space
Before you start picking a sofa, ask yourself these questions:
- Where do you plan to place your new sofa?
- How much space in the room can you reserve for the sofa?
For a more detailed guide to measuring for your new sofa, you can read this article: How to Choose the Right Size Sofa for Your Room?
Ensure the Sofa Can Enter Your Room
Another easily overlooked problem is that the sofa may be too big to fit through the path to your room.
To avoid this problem, you should:
List all Possible Delivery Issues You May Encounter
- Can the delivery truck fit down your road?
- Will the sofa fit through all doorways?
- Will your hallway size allow one or even multiple people to fit through with the sofa?
- Will the sofa fit up the stairway?
Measure the Sofa
When it comes to making sure the sofa can enter your room, the following measurements of the sofa is essential:
- Width
- Height
- Depth
- Diagonal depth (This is essential. If the diagonal depth of your new sofa is even longer than the diagonal height of a staircase or an elevator interior on the path to your room, the sofa is unlikely to fit through)
Measure the Path to Your Room
To ensure your new sofa can make it into your room, measure the path to your room. Here are the common measurements you need:
- Width and height of any doorway
- The entry clearance of all doorways (the space between the doorway and the nearest wall or immovable object)
- Width and height of any hallway
- Width, depth, height and diagonal height of the staircase or stairwell
- Any handrails or light fixtures
Measure the Elavator
Your new sofa may need to be transported up by an elevator. In that case, you’ll need:
- The elevator’s interior width, depth, height and diagonal height
- Width, height and diagonal height of the doorway into the elevator
Know the Materials of the Sofa
When you see the gorgeous picture, you may feel like meeting your dream sofa. However, just because the seller shows you a nice picture doesn’t mean the quality of the sofa is good. You might end up with a sofa that doesn’t match the description—or worse, one that isn’t even functional.
To avoid this problem, you should:
Read the Material Descriptions
Find out what materials are used for the sofa. Pay attention to informations like:
- Is the frame made of solid wood or composite board?
- Is the upholstery genuine leather or faux leather?
- Is the filling high-density foam or recycled foam?
Differences in materials can significantly impact the sofa’s aesthetics and durability.
*At Atunus Home, we run multiple tests on different materials to perfect our sofa. Take the Sky Cloud Sofa as an example: Our goal was to create a sofa that combines enveloping comfort with excellent resilience. To achieve this, we invited 93 experts and seasoned users to test the seating comfort of the Sky Cloud Sofa. Based on their feedback, we arrived at the ideal filling formula: 50% foam, 30% down, and 20% cotton.
Our Sky Cloud Sofas have been tested by 93 experts and seasoned users to achieve the best seating comfort.
Compare the Price
You get what you pay for. If a seller claims that a 3-seater sectional sofa priced at a few hundred dollars has a solid wood frame, you should ring the alarm bells in your mind.
*At Atunus Home, you can find high-quality and cost-effective sectional sofas. Check our Anemone Bubble Sofa upholstered in 3D-knitted polyester fabric and filled with high-density foam. With its back-friendly design and sleek look, the Anemone Bubble Sofa is crafted for urban life.
Check the F/W 2024 trending Anemone Bubble Sofa!
Avoid Unexpected Shipping and Installation Cost
Shipping a sofa can incur unexpected costs. The shipping fee can make up for at least 35% of a sofa’s price.
To avoid this problem, you should:
Check the Shipping Fee
Before you buy, check whether the shipping fee is included in the price. Also, you need to double-check if there’s an extra shipping fee after you enter your address. You might need to pay extra, like a remote area surcharge if the delivery address is in certain locations.
Know Taxes and Customs
You need to pay attention to the location of the company. If they ship the goods to you from overseas, you are likely to bear the taxes and customs fees incurred during the shipping process.
*The Atunus Home Nationwide Network consists of 12 warehouses spreading across various states in the U.S., ensuring that every customer can receive his or her desired sofa ASAP.
Comfirm the Installation Service
Some sofa requires professional installation. You need to confirm in advance whether related services are provided. Otherwise, you are advised to choose sofas that are easy to install and uninstall. For example, the Sogno Sectional Sofa is highly modular. It consists of multiple square modules, allowing infinite arrangements. Furthermore, its armrests and backrests can be attached or detached as needed.
Check our easy-to-install Sogno Sectional Sofa
Be Careful of Color Discrepancy
The same item can appear in different colors under varying lighting conditions. Additionally, the same image may also look different on different screens. This often leads to color discrepancies when you buy a sofa online. Unlike buying a shirt or a pair of shoes, buying the wrong color sofa will be very troublesome.
To avoid this problem, you should:
Use Different Screens
Look at the picture of the item you want on three different screens with the same brightness settings if possible. Maybe none of these photos can fully reflect the true color of the sofa. But together, they provide a general range of how the sofa might look in real life. That way, you can get a rough idea of what to expect.
Beware of Lighting Conditions
Sellers may use pictures taken in various settings. This gives you a good chance to estimate how the sofa’s color might appear under different lighting.
Our Velluto Corduroy Couch under Warm & Cool Lighting
Know the Policies
Before deciding to purchase a sofa, there’s one crucial thing you need to confirm: the return policy. Even if you’ve thoroughly researched the sofa itself, there’s always a chance you might not be satisfied with it once it arrives and want to return it. Since a sofa is a large item, returning it can incur huge shipping costs. If you’re responsible for covering those costs, it could be a major financial burden for you.
To avoid this problem, you should:
Learn the Return Conditions
Some merchants don’t provide direct after-sale service at all. You need to contact the platform (like Amazon and Ebay) first. Have them review your issue and eventually get a partial compensation.
Instead, you should look for companies that promise at least conditional refund, and those who really deliver it. Also, it’s important to make sure you can get in contact with a real person that works in that company. Most of the time, overseas call centers just aren’t enough.
*Atunus Home is one on the better level. We are known for our prompt and reliable customer service (thank you, Bella). We got positive evaluation on our services even in complaint tickets. We are always ready to make you happy and then happier after.
Read the Warranty Terms
You should always check the warranty terms before making a purchase. The warranty period varies by seller. Also, Pay attention to the warranty conditions.
We also strongly recommend that you use a phone or camera to record the unboxing process. This way, if there’s any damage, you will have sufficient evidence to prove it was not caused by you.
Conclusion
To avoid common problems in shopping sofas online, start by choosing a reliable seller. Then, check the sofa’s dimensions to make sure it fits your space. Pay attention to the materials, as they affect quality and comfort. If possible, view the sofa images on different devices to reduce color discrepancy. Finally, make sure you understand the return policy and warranty, as well as the shipping and customs fees before buying. These steps will help you find a sofa you’re happy with.