Buying New Furniture For The House ....... Do You Negotiate On The Price ?

[Ductape]

My wife and I went browsing at new living room furniture yesterday. We expect to spend a few thousand on leather furniture, and I can't help but recall my pop telling me (back when he was alive), " Never pay the price on the furniture ....... there is no retail with a markup like furniture, around 400% "

Words of wisdom, or old wives tale? Is furniture generally negotiable, like on a car or tractor .......... or is paying list price the norm.

Thouigh I've bought furniture in the past, never as much as we will be spending in one lump some.

 

[grsthegreat]

if your going in with cash....you better believe it...dicker on the price. the economy sucks right now and everyone is setting bargains.

we bought some new furniture last year, and i was amazed how much they were willing to lower the price, especially when we told them that we were going to go look at a few other stores in the area. they knocked nearly 25% off the sticker price and included free delivery and setup.

everyone is willing to deal these days. cash is king. but if your going to finance...then its harder to get a good deal.

 

[Travelover]

Huge mark up on furniture. It also depreciates like a rock. If your wife will agree*, check out Craigslist. You can pick up furniture for pennies on the dollar.


* and I know mine won't :ashamed:

 

[JDgreen227]

You dicker when you buy a car, truck, tractor, at a garage sale, etc. don't you?

So of course you dicker for furniture...like this:

Tell them, "I don't care for the color, and it makes my back hurt when I sit on it, and the fabric looks cheap...although you are asking $500, I will give you $300, tops, and I want a ten percent discount for cash, and free delivery, and...."

 

[clemsonfor]

Look at the store and others and when decided tell them that you want and X amount discount say 20% and will pay cash and buy today. If they dont take it tell them ok i will look elsewhere and see what i can find at other places my guess is they wont let you leave without something off. Dont settle for less than 10%

We are looking at a new matress. The masive sticker price is like $4K+ but they always have some sale cutting 40% off that. Well the best price we got was like 2200 or 2300 with 0% financing. I asked what the cash/credit price was 1900 something. Then i asked what about cash and she was like i can knock off like $50 or so, whatever the credit card fee would be. That was her low offer, i have tried to beat it but cant. The internet is actually more. That also will include the dilivery setup and haul off of my old if i want to get rid of it!

 

[ustmd]

It never hurts to try, what can you lose?

Having worked in a number of big retail stores, the one thing you make consider is that depending on the store, the person you are dealing with, even if it is a store manager, may not have an authority to discount beyond 10 or 20%--unless they are price matching to a published price on the exact same item from a competitor. Part of the reason they don't give their employees authority to discount more is that they don't need to (most stores won't lose significant sales if they don't dicker), but also to prevent theft/fraud (sales people giving huge discounts to their friends).

You will probably be more successful at a local chain or independent store.

 

[Pilot]

Most major purchases can be negotiated.

When we moved to Oregon in '78 we left our washer, dryer and refrigerator with the house in Montana.

Browsing at a chain store, we looked at a refrigerator and were hesitant about the price. The salesman offered a lower price, so "aha!" We offered a still lower price and they took it, about 25% of the sticker price.

A few days later my wife went washer & dryer shopping. Bargained on the prices and with what we saved on the refrigerator and washer we essentially got the dryer for free.

And it wasn't a down economy at the time.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I've worked in the industry for 12 years prior to teaching furn mfg at the community college for 14 years. Typical mark-up is 100% but the higher priced items on the high end can be 200% to 300% mark-up. If you are buying upholstery you need to know what is the springing system such as eight-way hand tied versus sinuous wire versus drop-in unit, ect... Also need to know what kind of cushioning is in the unit. Cheaper units use cheaper foam. Grade of fabric or leather will affect the price also.

I got my mom and dad a really high end sectional with end recliners. It was 5 pieces total. Lifetime warranty on the foam with grade 39 fabric. Mfg. cost was over 3K. Retail was over 9K. My wife works there and I know the company. You've never heard of the company because they do not advertise but have been in business in the Hickory area for many years. You really get what you pay for.

 

[buck12]

Yes you can haggle on furniture even at a wholesale furniture store. As someone else said this included mattresses. I have not had the same luck with electronics.

 

[forgeblast]

Depends on the place, near us Raymore $ Flanagin will not deal, to the point where i had cash in hand and was spending a whole lot for a bedroom set, they would not move. If I signed up for their credit card could save 10% but not for paying in full cash. Walked out the store and went somewere else, and needless to say i will not shop there again. 10% is nothing for a place its like getting your sales tax paid for, its just they work on commission and will not budge on it.