How to Negotiate When Shopping For Furniture in 2009 and Beyond

Most of us know that the prices we see furniture listed at in retail show rooms is substantially higher than what the retailer paid for it. We use negotiation and haggling techniques to try to get a better deal, but the techniques that worked fifteen years ago aren’t the same tips that will get you a deal today. The economics of the industry are changing and in order to get the deal that you want, you’re going to have to learn some new negotiating tips.

First, cash is no longer king. Twenty years ago, furniture stores would offer a pretty significant discount if you paid cash right-then and there, but now furniture stores have much less of an interest in cash because they make so much money financing their products. Even if the interest rates seem to be very low on the financing that they’re offering, the numbers can be deceiving. Furniture stores will build some of the cost of the loan into the price of the furniture itself, so even though you’re only paying a few percentage points of interest each year, chances are there’s additional interest that you’re unknowingly paying built into the price of the product.

So if offering cash up-front doesn’t work anymore, what does? Many have had success with waiting to buy furniture at the same time as one of their friends, family members, or neighbors did and using the fact that they’re going to purchase multiple furniture sets to get themselves a deal.

You should also be aware that in many cities, the vast majority of furniture stores are owned by just a few different companies, so ask around and see which ones are independent of each other and then just look at one store from each set of companies. It’s very hard to compare online since most furniture stores don’t list their prices, so you’ll have to do some leg-work to come up with real comparisons.

If you’re looking for affordable furniture and aren’t terribly interested in haggling, you can check out discount stores such as IKEA or by shopping at furniture stores which sell surplus furniture from hotel chains. There’s also nothing wrong with taking couches from friends and family that are getting new furniture. I recently scored a couch and a love-seat from some friends in my church for free, can’t beat that!

If you are going to shop at a large furniture retailer, you should shop the sales that they have, but not all of them. Typically Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July are the times of the year that furniture stores want to clear up their inventory to make way for new product, so that’s often when the best deals are available. Many furniture stores will have new ‘big blowout sales’ every week, and chances are you’re not going to get as good of a deal as the seasonal liquidation sales.

When you’re shopping for your next piece of furniture, don’t simply accept the sticker price, although paying cash doesn’t work as well as it used to, there are plenty of different ways to not have to pay full retail price for furniture.