Wayfair is one of the biggest online furniture shops that’s becoming more and more popular each day. Unlike IKEA and similar stores, Wayfair only works online, with affordable shipping and even lower prices. That makes a lot of people ask, is their furniture any good quality-wise? Why is Wayfair furniture so cheap?
Wayfair only exists online. Also, they don’t store any products but rather collaborate with thousands of furniture companies to deliver the goods you buy. That way, they save on storage and store costs, such as staff and store infrastructure, allowing them to offer cheap prices.
As for the quality of the furniture, I can assure you you’ll get a fair deal. There are higher and lower-quality products available, as there are many companies on the platform, but the price range reflects that, from the cheapest to the most expensive items.
Is the Furniture on Wayfair Good Quality?
Over ten thousand furniture brands sell their goods on Wayfair. That means the quality varies from brand to brand. However, Wayfair holds a high standard, and even the cheapest pieces will be of good quality.
What makes the furniture-buying experience on Wayfair unique is the incredible amount of options you have. Different styles, prices, and varieties of furniture are available, from living room sofas to toilet cabinets.
The problem with buying furniture online is you can’t determine the comfort of a couch or the quality of a cupboard until it’s already at your door. You should carefully read the reviews to see what kind of experience other buyers had with a particular piece.
As I’ve already said, Wayfair has thousands of partners, and it would be impossible to have the same quality in each piece. However, I’ve never had a bad experience, and I bought a lot on Wayfair.
Everything I bought was of great quality, and you always get what you pay for. You can’t expect a $50 and a $500 piece to be of the same quality – that’s why one is more expensive than the other.
The shipment will arrive directly at your doorstep, and you’ll need to sign when receiving the package. You can inspect if everything is in order: is the package damaged, are all the pieces there, and if you received the item you’ve ordered. In most cases, everything will be fine.
I had a problem only on one occasion when I saw obvious damage to the package before I even opened it. I reported it and asked for a refund, which I got without a problem. I got my money back and didn’t have to pay for the shipment return. I ordered the same piece again, and everything was in order the second time around.
If you’re skeptical about Wayfair because it seems too cheap, I can assure you that it doesn’t mean the furniture is of lesser quality. In fact, I believe you can find affordable pieces of much better quality than similar pieces in the same price range bought in IKEA and similar furniture stores.
Is Wayfair Really Cheaper?
One of the biggest advantages that Wayfair has over the competition is the price. I’m not saying that you can’t find cheaper items at IKEA or some other competitive store, but Wayfair offers a much broader price range.
As I’ve mentioned, they don’t have showrooms or stores, so they save money that way, allowing them to give customers lower prices. The quality of their furniture is still very good, and it allows you to find exactly what you need for a great price.
When you compare Wayfair prices to other “cheap furniture” stores, you’ll see that the prices, in general, aren’t that much lower, but the price range is a lot bigger.
However, what makes Wayfair a cheaper option than any other in the end is the huge amount of discounts they regularly offer. I’m not talking about 15-20% discounts. You can find stuff on Wayfair that’s discounted up to 70%. If you consider that fact when comparing prices, you’ll see that Wayfair is the most affordable option by far.
IKEA or Wayfair: Which Is Better?
For a long time, IKEA had no real competition for selling modern but affordable quality furniture. However, Wayfair became the toughest competition they ever had, with comparable prices, quality, selection, and service. Let’s compare each of those segments to determine which one is actually better for you: IKEA or Wayfair.
Price
The prices for the same piece of furniture (for instance, a closet) are right around the same. However, the biggest difference is that the price range is a lot bigger on Wayfair. The reason behind that is that Wayfair collaborates with so many different manufacturers, each using different materials and methods. Hence, the prices will vary depending on what you want.
What gives the nod to Wayfair over IKEA is the incredible discounts they tend to offer. When you look only at full prices, they are quite similar for pieces of the same quality level. But, Wayfair gives out much larger discounts, making their offer even more affordable.
Quality & Selection
When it comes to the quality of their products, I’ll say we have a draw. It all depends on what you’re choosing and what you’re buying. I prefer Wayfair for products such as sofas, chairs, and fine fabrics products, while I lean more towards IKEA when it comes to hard furniture, such as closets or cupboards.
The quality depends on how much you’re willing to spend but will never get less than what you paid for. But, when it comes to selection, both of these giants have a huge variety of products, but Wayfair has a nod here, too. I don’t think there’s a furniture store with more choices in the world.
Service
There’s no significant advantage in any category for neither Wayfair nor IKEA, but their service makes all the difference for me.
First, IKEA has showrooms and stores in multiple locations, while Wayfair has none. That means you can check things out before buying, unlike Wayfair, where you can see the product only when it already arrives. Also, they give a limited warranty for some items and have a 365-day return policy.
However, Wayfair offers much more service options. First, they give you free delivery for anything over $49. Second, they provide the option to assemble the bought furniture, which is unavailable at IKEA.
Both shops have their advantages, but in my opinion, Wayfair is a much better option if you’re looking for cheap, quality, modern furniture and want to have choices to furnish your home the way you want.
