Delivery costs: One of the selling points of purchasing furniture from an online retailer is that many offer free standard shipping on all orders or free shipping on orders above a certain price. Indeed, according to the Consumer Reports survey, 41 percent of online furniture buyers said free shipping or delivery was one of the main reasons they chose a particular online retailer.
Overstock.com, for example, offers free ground shipping on all U.S. orders except those shipped to Alaska and Hawaii. Meanwhile, Wayfair offers customers free standard shipping on orders of $35 or more, and it charges a flat shipping rate of $5 on orders less than $35.
But fees for larger furniture items that must be delivered by truck are often higher. Pottery Barn, for example, charges a flat rate for furniture items based on the order total and number of miles, starting at $149 for an order up to $999 and a distance of under 99 miles.
Like walk-in stores, many online furniture retailers also offer white-glove delivery for an extra fee. Fees can vary by retailer, but as a benchmark: White-glove delivery for furniture purchased on the Macy’s website costs between $70 and $261, depending on the home’s location and the size of the furniture.
Return policies and fees: Generally, online furniture retailers’ return policies are in line with the return policies offered at walk-in stores. However, most online retailers make customers pay for return shipping (unless the item arrived damaged or was different from its description, or it was the wrong item altogether—in those cases, the retailer will usually try to make the return process as easy on the customer as possible). When you do have to return large furniture to an online-only retailer, the process can be difficult—especially if the customer is responsible for repacking the furniture and dropping it off at a shipment facility, such as a UPS location.
Another potential downside: Some online retailers, such as Coleman Furniture, require customers to return items in their unused condition and original packaging or equivalent in order to qualify for a refund or store credit, which can be a real challenge if you’ve already assembled furniture or thrown away the packaging materials.
If an item arrives damaged or with missing parts, online customers don’t usually have to pay for return shipping—although they may be required to repack the item and take it to a shipping facility.
Repacking large furniture, though, can be difficult. (Note: Some online retailers won’t accept returns if a product has been assembled or modified.) Your best approach? Ask the vendor what its packing requirements are for returns and for advice on how to break down and repack the item, says Marina Hanisch, an interior designer based in New York City.
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December 11, 2020 at 06:11PM
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How to Make Furniture Delivery and Returns as Hassle-Free as Possible - ConsumerReports.org
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