Buying Online Furniture - Insider Tips For A Successful Purchase
By Peggy Farabaugh

Considering buying fine furniture online? Five years ago maybe that may have sounded a little too scary, but today it's becoming mainstream and the process for buying furniture on the Internet just keeps getting better and easier. Check out these three important tips to help make your online shopping experience successful:

• Compare Quality, Style and Price - Shopping online opens up a whole new world of choices when it comes to furniture quality, style and price. Did you know that the same exact piece of furniture can easily vary in price up to 100% depending on where it's sold and how many middlemen stand between you and the furniture maker? The Internet provides a place for you to research and compare quality, style and price and learn how each one affects the others. Even if you intend to buy your furniture at a brick and mortar store, be sure to do the online research necessary to ensure you're getting the right quality, style and price for your needs and budget.
• Consider Customization - Do you need your dining table to be a little narrower or shorter than the floor model, in order to fit it into your dining room? Big box stores don't typically offer customization but some online furniture stores do, especially if they build their furniture to order, rather than warehouse it. If you're an urbanite dwelling in Boston, Manhattan or another city you might like to have your furniture customized to fit into the small spaces of an apartment. Why not? Custom crafted furniture makes all the difference in the world when you're trying to achieve that luxurious, perfectly balanced, functional abode you call home. The good news is that custom furniture is not necessarily any more expensive than catalog furniture, especially if you're working off an existing design that just needs to be sized up or down to fit into your space.
• Factor In Lead Time - Buying furniture online often means factoring in additional lead time for crafting and/or shipping. A typical lead time is somewhere around 8-16 weeks for custom crafted furniture. Take heed though as most customers report that handmade custom furniture that will be in their families for generations is worth waiting for.

One more thing - many online furniture stores have fallen by the wayside and those remaining have had to focus on customer service in order to survive. The Internet provides such an accessible forum for reviews of furniture quality that there is no room for mistakes or less than stellar customer service. This is a great thing for both customers and the furniture industry. It raises the bar for online and brick and mortar stores alike.

Find insider tips for buying custom, handmade furniture online at Vermont Woods Studios http://vermontwoodsstudios.com

Visit Peggy Farabaugh's American Made Furniture Blog http://vermontwoodsstudios.typepad.com for consumer advice on buying eco-friendly, natural, hardwood custom furniture made in the USA.

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