Is it a good idea to buy a mattress online?

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The decision to buy a mattress online can seem daunting at first, but it really shouldn’t.  While I personally have no vested interest in whether you buy online or in a store, I do think it’s important to help you understand what the pros and cons are for getting a mattress on the web.  See everything you need to consider below!

First, see my video on buying a mattress online

You Can Generally Get Much Better Prices

Companies that sell mattresses over the web cut out the middleman in the supply chain and just sell direct to consumers.  The mattress industry is pretty infamous for its markups.  Some mattresses that sell for $2,000, for example, can be made for just $200.  That is quite a huge markup, and is something that companies have been getting away with for a long time now.  Companies that sell online are able to price their products at 50-60% less than normal retailers because they cut down on these markups and they do not incur any of the costs associated with running a physical store (think about rent, utilities, commission to salespeople, etc.).  You can generally get a great deal by buying online.  Companies such as Saatva, Casper, and Tuft & Needle built their entire business model around this fact.  Warby Parker made this business model famous (learn more here), and now companies are applying the concept to mattresses.

buy mattress online

More Eco-Friendly

Because companies that sell online aren’t running physical stores, they are not running up huge electricity, and they are therefore decreasing their impact on the environment.  For this reason alone, buying online means a more eco-friendly purchase.

Testing Out Mattresses Can Be Misleading

There is more than enough research now available that indicates that testing out a mattress for a couple of minutes at a store is a poor indicator of you will like the mattress over time.  The ability to test out a mattress is a big reason why people go to stores.  However, people can often be disappointed when the mattress they seemed to love at the store doesn’t work out very well over time.  Don’t let the ability to test out a mattress for a couple of minutes be the reason why you decide to go to a store to buy your mattress.

Free Trial and Return Policies are Quite Good Online

To allay your fears of getting a bed online, most companies provide free trials for up to 45 days and generally have really good return policies.  You can have over a month to test out your new mattress, and some companies will take it back for free with no questions asked.  To me, that’s a much better way to test out a mattress than merely jumping on one for a few minutes at a store.

You Can Avoid Sales Gimmicks

The mattress industry is pretty notorious for sales gimmicks.  It’s often hard to compare different mattresses because certain retailers will apply different names to the same mattress, for example.  Mattress salespeople get paid in large part on commission, so they don’t always have your best interests in mind and may push a certain mattress that you won’t like.  You can avoid all of this by going online.

There is more than enough information available to you on the web for you to figure out what kind of mattress you will like (like this site for example, cough cough).  Empower yourself by reading as much as you can about latex vs memory vs innerspring, coil count, etc. and be confident that you are selecting an awesome mattress.

Downsides?

The main downsides that people mention are that they don’t want to take the time to figure out what the best mattress will be for them.  They would rather get the help of a salesperson.  Some people are convinced that they need to try a mattress out in person before they feel good about buying one.  If you time it right, you can take advantage of the many mattress sales that retailers have.  I would personally argue against these points, but it’s important to list them out here.

I think with the wealth of information available to you online and the many benefits you get from going online, buying a mattress online is definitely a great option.

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