Furniture Buying Myths

Part 2

This is the second of a series of articles written by a furniture industry insider that will provide guidance on how to obtain the best value possible on the purchase of home furnishings and will provide an insight into commonly held misconceptions on this important big-ticket purchase.

There are a number of myths and incorrect assumptions made by consumers concerning the purchasing of furniture. Frequently these situations result in consumers paying much more than they should for their purchase of home furnishings. At the very least, some of these incorrect and widely held beliefs result in a great deal of wasted time and a substantial amount of aggravation.

The purpose of this article is to provide some insight on how to avoid some common furniture purchasing “pitfalls”.

Myth 2

“In Order To Get This Best Furniture Deal Possible, You Must Go Direct to North Carolina ”

At one point in time, North Carolina was the location where most of the residential furniture was manufactured for the U.S. consumer. This situation has now changed as furniture is manufactured in many different locales throughout America. More importantly, a higher percentage of furniture is now imported from countries throughout the world. North Carolina no longer produces the majority of furniture utilized in the U.S.

As is the case in many industries, the manufacturing of residential furniture has been moved to low labor cost countries such as China and Viet Nam. Although we dislike this trend, it's a situation that our government has encouraged and allowed. It's our opinion that the government should have controlled the loss of manufacturing businesses and jobs by utilizing duties or tariffs that would have retained these jobs in the U.S. In any event this did not happen.

Retailers in North Carolina purchase their products at the same prices as other retailers located throughout our country. These retailers have the same cost structure as any other furniture company and therefore there is no cost advantage in buying home furnishings from retailers in North Carolina. The alleged savings purchasing from a retailer in North Carolina do not exist. In most cases, consumers are better off purchasing from a local merchant or an Internet furniture retailer vs. a North Carolina retailer who has no real cost advantage. In many cases, the Internet furniture retailer has significant cost advantages and lower selling prices due to a lower cost structure. Traditional furniture stores have added costs such as high real estate rental fees, sales commissions and transportation costs. Internet retailers do not have these additional costs.

Shopping for furniture can best be accomplished on a local basis or via the Internet. The fiction that furniture shopping is best done by a journey to North Carolina is one of the prevalent myths of our industry that is incorrect. A careful local shopping program combined with shopping via the Internet is the best way to ensure that you have received a value that will be appreciated in the long-term.