Not Wayfair, Not IKEA: Consumer Reports' Best Places To Buy Furniture Online
Buying furniture online shouldn't feel like a gamble. Whether you're looking for a new dining room table, bed frame, or patio set, there's no shortage of places to find furniture online — but not every company offers the same buyer experience. So, how do you find a retailer with good customer service, high-quality products, and customer-friendly return policies? Well, one option is to turn to Consumer Reports' (CR) 2020 Furniture Store Ratings survey, which found that the best places to buy furniture online are Room & Board, Costco, and Restoration Hardware.
The non-profit member organization's ranking of online furniture stores is based on several criteria, including quality, communication, and price. (CR also created a separate ranking of the best walk-in furniture stores.) These scores were based on almost 9,300 ratings from Consumer Reports members who reviewed their experience buying furniture online. The list ranked 17 stores, including big-name online furniture retailers like Amazon, Wayfair, and IKEA, and, perhaps surprisingly, none of those brands earned a place in the top three.
What makes Room & Board, Costco, and Restoration Hardware better for buying online?
To determine the best places to buy furniture without leaving the comfort of your home, Consumer Reports surveyed its members who had bought furniture online in the previous two years. It focused on 10 categories: product, customer service, on-time delivery, quality of delivery, policies, communication, website usability, price paid, selection, and returns. Room & Board is Consumer Reports' highest-rated place to buy furniture online, followed by Costco and Restoration Hardware. Ashley Furniture HomeStore received the lowest rating.
Through its research, Consumer Reports discovered that quality, style, and price are the most important aspects of the online shopping experience. Shoppers prioritize these three categories above all others, including safety, eco-friendly materials, and whether the furniture is manufactured in the U.S. or abroad. Of the three stores, Room & Board and Restoration Hardware are both unique furniture retailers that don't sacrifice on quality, earning perfect scores from CR in the category. Costco's quality score wasn't quite as strong, but it was still on the higher side.
On other review websites (outside of Consumer Reports), customer experiences vary. On Trustpilot, one five-star review of Room & Board says, "I've ordered a lot from Room & Board over the years and generally [it] is a great experience. Professional delivery people and high-quality products." However, several one-star reviews cited issues with the company's furniture quality and long delivery timelines. When compared to Room & Board, Costco and Restoration Hardware have lower overall scores on Trustpilot. Keep in mind, though, that all three of these companies operate physical stores (in addition to their online stores), so not all customer complaints are related to online experiences.