How to Avoid Online Furniture Scams

4 ways not to get taken for a ride when it comes to buying furnishings online . . .

Online shopping has become the norm for folks looking for the best deal or those who prefer its privacy compared to conventional in-store shopping. Gone are the times when you would drive around town looking for the best deal on a bedroom suite. Thanks to technology, you don’t need a vehicle to drive from shop to shop, only a computer or a smartphone with wireless connection to shop till you drop!

Unfortunately, with millions of shoppers choosing to do business online, online furniture scams have become very rampant, especially when it comes to so-called discount sales that lure shopping in with promises of quality items at jaw-dropping prices. Scams occur when online dealers disappear off the face of the earth once you’ve paid, and before your furniture has been delivered.

Don’t be a story of online tragedy. Protect yourself and your hard-earned money by purchasing furniture from a reliable source. Avoid falling victim to online furniture scams by protecting yourself in the following ways:

1. Do your research -  I know online shopping is supposed to be fast and convenient, but not so fast that you (the shopper) don’t do the proper research. Seek out online furniture stores with decent online ratings and favorable reviews from other shoppers. Of course not all online reviews are legit, but you can sniff out a phony store if all the reviews are glowing (there should be a few unhappy customers). And steer clear of online stores with poor ratings and unfavorable user reviews. Learn from the mistakes of others.

2. Only shop with dealers who give contact information -  That means an email address, as well as a phone number, and a physical address. They should also have a customer service number you can call if you’re unsatisfied with the quality of the bedroom furniture that was shipped to you. Call the number provided before you buy, just to see if it’s a real customer service line and that it’s open during regular business hours.

3. Seek recommendations from trusted sources - Do you have a friend or family member who’s purchased furniture online? Well if you hear good things about the store they purchased from, seek out their advice and recommendations. Getting a recommendation from the so-called “horse’s mouth” can save you from getting ripped off and help you make a good buying decision. After all, if your friend had a good experience shopping online, you can feel pretty good your own money will be safeguarded from an unscrupulous online furniture scam if you buy from the same online vendor.

4. Get an idea of what the item's average price is - When buying furniture, a car, or a piece of jewelry online, it’s always wise to do some price comparisons first. If you’re unsure, browse through newspaper fliers and other online stores, and also ask friends for a reasonable price range for that specific item if they’ve purchased something similar. You know what the famous saying is…“if it sounds too good to be true—it probably is”.

About The Author
Gina M Casillo is a staff writer for Serenity Living Stores, your choice place to buy a Noguchi table. She enjoys decorating the bedrooms for her active twin boys and writing about home décor—especially when it comes to the spaces she’s most intimate with.

Before Purchasing Standard Bunk Beds, Consider the Options

As you may already know, we are a family of five stuck in a two-bedroom townhouse until the housing market turns around.  When the twins were born, we made up our minds that it would be best to have the three children sleep in the extra large master bedroom and my husband and I would take the small bedroom.  We already knew then that we would need to buy bunk beds when the twins were ready to move out of their toddler beds.  So when the time came, we went out and bought bunk beds.  We did not give it much thought.  We found ones that were the right wood tone, was sturdy, easy for our older son to climb up and down, and sold at a fair price.

Now looking back, perhaps we should have thought things through more carefully?  We would have saved much more space if we had purchased a twin over full bunk bed.  We also should have looked at futon bunks.  If the twins slept together in the full size bed or futon, we would have all the extra space now used by our daughter's twin size bed.  The twins are only 4-1/2 years old and could probably sleep horizontally on a full size mattress rather than vertically, giving them plenty of space to stretch out.  The futon style bunk bed would have added extra seating for watching television or reading during the daytime, which would have saved us even more space.

By the way, I started thinking about needing more space because the children have been at each other's throats the past week or so.  I think the heat is starting to get to them and they just need to not be together all the time.  It would be nice if one or two could go hang out in the bedroom comfortably while the other could have some quiet alone time in the living room or vice versa.

Maximizing Storage Space in Small Bedrooms

Since we had to relinquish the very roomy master bedroom to our children, our tiny bedroom has been extremely crowded.  Basically we can fit our bed, a 5-drawer chest, a lingerie chest, and my desk.  There is no room for a dresser or night stands.

Our mattress set, which was once top-of-the-line, has turned ten and is in desperate need of replacing.  Before we replace it, we really need to make the decision about whether we would like to keep our contemporary powder-coated metal bed or consider looking at platform beds.

When we were looking for twin beds for our children, I had thought to myself how great it would be if they made captain's beds for adults.  I would love to have two rows of drawers under our bed and a bookcase headboard would eliminate our need for nightstands.  It turns out, there does exist such a product named simply "storage beds."  Since most storage beds are wooden, it will be tough to switch from our sleek modern looking bed to something that is more traditional and cumbersome.  Ultimately, that is a small price to pay to get rid of those plastic under-the-bed storage boxes that are always so difficult to slide in and out from under the bed.

Giveaway & Review: Step One Twin Platform Bed ($150 Hayneedle GC) [CLOSED]

"Room to Play" Product #4

(Update 6/22: The sponsor has requested that the contest be open to U.S. residents only. I apologize for any inconvenience.)

This whole "Room to Play" Giveaway Event really started with this twin platform bed from Hayneedle. I was looking at our 3yr old daughter one night while she was sleeping and realized that she would be outgrowing her toddler bed in the near future. When we first opted for a toddler bed, it seemed like a good idea. Now looking back, I think we should have gone with a low profile twin bed like this ready-to-assemble Step One Platform Bed, which would have at minimum lasted us from age 18mos to her tween years.

This type of platform bed is also known as a bed box because it does not have a headboard (which turned out to be a great space-saver) and simply consists of a base. This bed did not have too many parts. Aside from the heavy lifting, it was pretty easy to put together. We have owned many pieces of particle board furniture over the years and they have always held up very well, except for the ones that have gone through more than one major move. This bed is extremely solid.

I much preferred this simple bed box over a bed with slats because it is lower to the ground and it does not require a bunkie board to take the place of a foundation, which use to be known as a box spring. We bought a firm mattress for our daughter in hopes that it would feel most similar to her crib mattress, so it is only about 8" thick. This would make the bed height about 16" high, which is a pretty safe height. We have had the bed for almost two months and she has not fallen out once. If you are worried, you can always add a bed rail.

The only difficulty we had was with the adhesive for the corner guards. The manufacturer wanted them to be clear so they would be more attractive. The problem was that the adhesive that came with it was like very thin rubber cement between two pieces of backing. It was impossible to peel the backing off both sides of the adhesive, which did not remain intact. We ended up just using some type of super glue.

As you can see, my daughter loves her new "big girl" bed. The only suggestion I have is to include white molding to trim the platform. I have seen other similar platform beds that come with trim. I would not mind paying a little extra for it. In the stock photo, the bed is covered with layers of blankets and comforters, but as you can see, one flat sheet and one blanket are not thick enough to cover that unsightly particle board. I might have to buy a bedspread or coverlet or maybe a full size blanket just to cover the edges of the bed.

For a limited time, you can find this bed for just $129.99 plus Free Ground Shipping on the following sites:

SimplyKidsBeds.com

KidsFurnitureMart.com

SimplyPlatformBeds.com

To keep up with the latest and greatest offerings from Hayneedle, visit the Hayneedle Blog, Hayneedle on Facebook, and Hayneedle on Twitter.

Thank you to Hayneedle.com for providing us with a sample bed free of charge to base this review upon and for providing a gift certificate for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a $150 gift certificate to shop at any Hayneedle website.

Limitations:

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Browse the selection of home furnishings and more on Hayneedle.com . Then leave a comment telling me what you would spend your $150 GC on if you won this contest (excluding the bed reviewed in this article). You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3a) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND Hayneedle.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

3b) If you helped me promote this event by blogging about it prior to June 6th, 2010 according to the directions in my Room To Play Event post, then please give yourself an additional 5 entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

4) For one extra entry each, if you are a friend of mine Facebook and/or have "Liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For one extra entry, follow Hayneedle on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

<br /> <a href="http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd206/Busymonkeez/Graphics4Me/NEWBlogButton125x125.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

11a)

Add my "Room To Play" Giveaway Event button to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

<br /> <a href="http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd206/Busymonkeez/RoomToPlayEvent.png" /></a><br />

11b) If you helped me promote this event by displaying my event tag prior to June 6th, 2010 according to the directions in my Room To Play Event post, then please give yourself an additional 2 entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!