With an endless supply of information and reviews about furniture available online today, you may think consulting a salesperson before making a purchase is a waste of time. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Taking the time to share your design vision, communicate your space’s needs, and ask specific questions about the furnishings you’re interested in, can make a tremendous difference in achieving the look you have in mind. To get the most out of your furniture shopping experience, be sure to ask the salesperson at your favorite furniture store these important questions.
You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.
When you step foot in the furniture store, you’re sure to see price tags all around. What does the price of that leather sectional really include though? Rather than assuming you know, it’s a good idea to ask the salesperson:
Furniture should be an investment in the comfort and beauty of your home. With this in mind, don’t be afraid to ask questions about what the price of the piece you’re interested in includes to make sure that you get the most out of your money.
Furniture has come a long way in the last twenty years. More furniture brands than ever are offering customizable features on everything from recliners and living room sets to bunk beds and breakfast tables. Imagine that you find the perfect seating arrangement for your family room on the showroom floor only to learn that it can be customized to your unique color and style preferences. You may be surprised by just how many options there are for a simple sofa or dining room set, such as upholstery options, wood finishes, and mechanical features. Even if you are in love with a particular piece of furniture, be sure to ask if customizable features are available. You never know what options would make your purchase even better!
You don’t have to be a furniture expert to figure out if the items you want to purchase are well-made or not. This is especially true for pieces that you’ll use every day, and that comfort and durability are top priorities, such as a sofa or bed. Ask the salesperson what the frame and filling are made from, as well as who manufactured them and where. It’s better to devote a little more time to get a piece that will last for years rather than to hastily purchase an inexpensive piece that you may replace down the road.
Along with how the furniture was made, it’s important to ask the salesperson how long you can expect it to last. No one wants to fork over a healthy chunk of change on a chair they hoped would last a decade, only to see it wearing down after a year or two. Some follow-up questions may include:
Even when you do your research and find furniture that you love in the store, sometimes things will still go wrong. If you aren’t satisfied with your purchase or if the furniture breaks unexpectedly, it’s important to know what to do next. Before you finalize your purchase, ask the salesperson:
Oftentimes, people get so excited to bring new furniture home that they forget to consider important factors, such as how to best care for the pieces they purchase. If you’ve never owned a full-grain leather sofa or solid oak coffee table, you may not know how to clean or maintain it. Be sure to ask if there are special products or techniques you should be aware of to keep your furniture looking like new for years to come.
Consumers have more options than ever to make furnishing their homes convenient and affordable. With this in mind, ask the salesperson at your local furniture store what sets them apart from their competitors. They should go above and beyond to impress you with exceptional customer service, a large selection of merchandise, convenient warranties and return policies, and competitive prices. Don’t be shy about having high expectations for your furniture salesperson. It’s their job to earn your business, not the other way around.
Finding furniture that will look great and withstand wear and tear in the future doesn’t have to be stressful. Consulting the professionals at Sam Levitz Furniture can make your furniture shopping experience simple and enjoyable from beginning to end. Our knowledgeable design team is eager to answer all of your questions and help you get the most bang-for-your-buck when decorating any room in your home. Stop by our showroom or contact us today.
When buying furniture of your furniture supplier in China its nowhere near as simple as you may think. This is why we have compiled this list of 73 questions you ask your furniture supplier before and after buying your furniture.
In general, there are some simple questions to ask your furniture supplier such as the ones below to get a general feel of how things are and if working with them is a good idea or not.
1.Where is your factory?
2.When are you suitable for a factory audit?
3.Before the final payment, we will have a third party agency inspecting before paying if that is okay?
4.Do you participate in any trade shows? (if yes a quick google search will show their name)
5.Have you ever participated in any trade shows before if so when? (same as above)
6.Can you make a sample? (this question has multiple parts to it)
7.Can I pay to your company’s bank account? (You can check the company bank information matches)
8.Can I have your address to pick up the sample? (You are double-checking the address is the same, if not red flags are flying)
9.How many employees does the factory have? (This question is important! You can tell a lot about their scaleability, from this. For example, does their catalog have 100s of different types of products but they only have a few hundred staff? Make sure the numbers add up)
10.Do you have an export license? (All of these facts can be checked up on their Alibaba/global sources account)
11.Do you have any customer references from my country? (here you are checking if they are making stuff up or are the real deal, sadly a lot of companies will make up reviews).
12.I want to export to X country what regulations are you able to provide? (You are checking they know your local market regulations instead of just saying yes yes yes)
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So in addition to the 12 questions above, there are also certain extra things you can do to make sure the furniture from your furniture supplier you are getting is top quality.
If you manage to do these check-ups on all of your furniture suppliers you’ll be onto the right path of knowing who exactly you are working with.
Now we understand certain parts of these questions you may not feel comfortable asking, however, this guide is to give you a complete list of potential questions to ask to minimize your risk.
So on we go with some more questions to ask your potential furniture supplier.
14.How many employees in total? (before it was the factory but knowing the total amount will give a good idea of how many sales, support staff, etc)
15.Please, could you tell me what is your total domestic market sales?
16.What is your total export sales? (This will give you a good idea of their real capabilities, in larger companies sometimes the domestic market can be larger than the export market)
17.What furniture product do you mainly sell to the X market?
18.Which furniture product do you recommend for the X market?
19.Which product do you sell best globally?
20.What is the main furniture manufacturing process for the X product?
21.Are there any parts that are subcontracted out? If so which parts?
22.Are there parts of the product which are half-made here?
23.What is made entirely in the house?
24.Do you accept signing legally binding contracts? (best to get Chinese lawyers involved at this point)
25.Are there any products that you have exclusive agreements within the X geographical area?
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We have already got to the 25 question stage so naturally, we want to give you some extra things to think about before choosing your furniture supplier.
In their factory its best to take note of what their main product is. For example, if you are looking to buy coffee tables but the majority of their staff/machinery is based on making sofas then its expertise is sofas, not coffee tables.
So you’ve noticed a fantastic piece of furniture in their showroom and want it. Who designed it? Make sure they have the rights to it before buying to save yourself a law case back home.
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So we are guessing if you are talking to someone on Alibaba via email so here’s our own Alibaba email template take on the initial message. (if you google Alibaba email template you’ll find plenty of similar samples)
Subject: Would like some more information about (product name)
Dear (name),
My name is (your name), I am representing (company name) we are interesting in receiving more information about (product code and name),
With competitive price and timely delivery, EISHO sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
Please could you send a quotation including:
Thank you
Yours sincerely
(your name, company name)
Feel free to copy and paste this email template.
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Back to question 26.
So far we have had 32 questions which aren’t 100% dedicated to just furniture. Don’t worry the next bunch is.
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Next up we have another 25+ question which is more specific to furniture and will help you choose the best supplier for your needs.
33.What is the MOQ to work with your company?
34.How many different types of furniture can I purchase from you to put into a single container?
35.What is EXW furniture price?
36.Do you also help with shipping?
37.What price is the FOB price?
38.What is this furniture weight per piece?
39.How will you package the furniture? What care instructions do I need to pay attention to for this furniture?
40.What certifications does it have?
41.Do you have any other company brand names (many furniture businesses have multiple brands under different company names)
42.When was your company established? (The older they are the more established but it also means more fixed rules)
43.Do you have an Alibaba or company website? (their company website on average doesn’t give a lot of information but is helpful to learn a little bit more about them)
44.What are your main products? (If there are too many types of furniture its a red flag they are a trading company pretending to be a furniture factory)
45.Can I see some pictures of your company such as your employees, finished products, office, and factory? (take them and do a google reverse image search to check they aren’t stock images/from another factory)
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Hopefully, you can already see there are a lot of questions that need to be answered when buying furniture from China. If you would like some help why not let Simonsense do the hard work for you?
53.How many people work here? (Will give you a scale of their capabilities)
54.Have you ever sold to (your) country? If so to who?
55.What certifications does your company have?
56.To what standard quality are you able to make the furniture too?
57.What payment schemes do you accept?
58.Can I get an invoice for my furniture purchase?
59.Do you issue receipts?
60.If the furniture is not up to standard will you issue a refund?
61.Does the price include taxes?
Okay, so far we have covered over 50 different questions to ask, but what about the shipping part? (This is the final bunch of questions doesn’t worry, we promise)
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So the questions above are more to do with buying furniture from your furniture supplier, as well some more general questions to ask, the final 11 questions are to help you ensure you get the products back home!
First off let’s start with 6 generic questions to ask about shipping furniture
62.How long will it take you to package the furniture?
63.What is the timeframe it will take you to ship the furniture?
64.What materials will you be using to package the furniture?
65.From what port will you be shipping the furniture from?
66.What type of container will you be using?
67.What guarantees can you give on the safety of the furniture?
68.Before shipping can I inspect the furniture to ensure it is the quality I paid for?
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Shipping furniture by itself is a headache and there are some questions which you need to confirm directly with the shipping company you choose.
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Hopefully, after you have read all of those questions you’ll be inspired to do more research and hopefully will have a lower chance of being buying from the wrong furniture supplier. To sum up, remember to do your research, and don’t be afraid to ask some more difficult questions.
What do you think of our comments? Do you think we have missed any questions? If so leave them in the comments below and we will add them to the list.
Simonsense is a furniture supply chain management company that specializes in furniture. Simonsen’s has had over 10 years of experience in the furniture industry and supply chain market to help their customers find the best possible deal in terms of price and quality. Contact Simonsense today for a free one-hour consultation and see how we can help your business today.
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