The $15,000 question…how can you get good quality furniture for less? It can be done, but you might have to sacrifice instant gratification as well as convenience. The first thing that you should know about the markup of furniture is that if it’s made locally the markup will be less. So find out where the furniture is made and go to the source. The furniture capital of the U.S. is High Point, North Carolina. Not all furniture is made there, of course, but most brands will most likely be manufactured in NC somewhere. If you live on the west coast there will be a charge for the furniture as well as a big shipping and handling fee that will be passed onto the retailer, marked up and then passed onto you, PLUS sales tax on top of that. If you do your homework you can eliminate some of the markup. Once you have found a piece of furniture you like at a retailer in your area, get as much information about the piece as you can from the sales person. Ask for a cut sheet or a specification sheet which will have all the information you need. Look for the name of the manufacturer, the name of the furniture collection, if there is a number that is associated with the piece, dimensions and fabric names and numbers that you like. After you have gathered all of this information, lookup the furniture manufacturer and find out where the furniture is manufactured. If it’s in NC, go to http://www.highpointfurniture.com/ and you can browse the various furniture stores’ websites for brands that they carry. Either call or email a sales associate from their site with specific information regarding the furniture that you are interested in and they can give you a quote including shipping based on where you live. I have personally used Furniture Land South and they were great! A few things to keep in mind, however, is that you might be waiting four months or more to receive your furniture. It usually has to be constructed and then put on a full truck when they have a delivery to your area. So you will need to be patient! Secondly, ask who is responsible should your furniture arrive damaged off the truck. Thoroughly, inspect the furniture once it’s delivered to your home for damage. If it does arrive damaged, do not accept it! If you do accept a damage piece you might be held responsible for it.
So, if you are willing to do a little homework and don’t mind the waiting game, you can save hundreds of dollars on good quality furniture. Even though you might be paying quite a bit for delivery, you will be saving a lot on retailer markup as well as sales tax and the overall cost will be less. I have saved a couple hundred dollars on one sofa alone!
Campbell Designs, LLC 