| Considering buying fine furniture online? Five years ago | | | | you might like to have your furniture customized to fit |
| maybe that may have sounded a little too scary, but | | | | into the small spaces of an apartment. Why not? |
| today it's becoming mainstream and the process for | | | | Custom crafted furniture makes all the difference in |
| buying furniture on the Internet just keeps getting better | | | | the world when you're trying to achieve that luxurious, |
| and easier. Check out these three important tips to | | | | perfectly balanced, functional abode you call home. |
| help make your online shopping experience successful: | | | | The good news is that custom furniture is not |
| - Compare Quality, Style and Price - Shopping online | | | | necessarily any more expensive than catalog furniture, |
| opens up a whole new world of choices when it | | | | especially if you're working off an existing design that |
| comes to furniture quality, style and price. Did you | | | | just needs to be sized up or down to fit into your |
| know that the same exact piece of furniture can | | | | space. |
| easily vary in price up to 100% depending on where it's | | | | - Factor In Lead Time - Buying furniture online often |
| sold and how many middlemen stand between you | | | | means factoring in additional lead time for crafting and |
| and the furniture maker? The Internet provides a place | | | | or shipping. A typical lead time is somewhere around |
| for you to research and compare quality, style and | | | | 8-16 weeks for custom crafted furniture. Take heed |
| price and learn how each one affects the others. | | | | though as most customers report that handmade |
| Even if you intend to buy your furniture at a brick and | | | | custom furniture that will be in their families for |
| mortar store, be sure to do the online research | | | | generations is worth waiting for. |
| necessary to ensure you're getting the right quality, | | | | One more thing - many online furniture stores have |
| style and price for your needs and budget. | | | | fallen by the wayside and those remaining have had to |
| - Consider Customization - Do you need your dining | | | | focus on customer service in order to survive. The |
| table to be a little narrower or shorter than the floor | | | | Internet provides such an accessible forum for |
| model, in order to fit it into your dining room? Big box | | | | reviews of furniture quality that there is no room for |
| stores don't typically offer customization but some | | | | mistakes or less than stellar customer service. This is a |
| online furniture stores do, especially if they build their | | | | great thing for both customers and the furniture |
| furniture to order, rather than warehouse it. If you're an | | | | industry. It raises the bar for online and brick and |
| urbanite dwelling in Boston, Manhattan or another city | | | | mortar stores alike. |