How to avoid scams while buying discount furniture online. Image credit: AdobeStock
Are you one of the people that has always been wary of making large purchases online? Although online shopping has become very commonplace in the last few years, large purchases like home furniture are not gaining much ground in eCommerce. Even with the increase in online shopping rocketed forward by the pandemic, there are a lot of people who don’t like making furniture purchases online.
Even though there has been a dramatic increase in online shopping scams, the ratio of scams to legitimate online stores offering discount furniture remains mostly unchanged. There has only been an increase in scams because that sector has grown so quickly.
In truth, it is completely safe to browse online furniture catalogs, make your purchase, and arrange for hassle-free delivery. There will always be scammers both on and offline, and you should be ready to recognize them and avoid them.
There are thousands of people who have decided to try to make a living by offering discount furniture that they picked up on the cheap and reaping a decent profit margin. While most of these independent sellers are quite ethical, there are those who are completely unscrupulous.
Online scams run by fraudulent independent online furniture sellers usually take the form of getting advance payment for the furniture – which never arrives. Meanwhile, the contact information you have for the online furniture store will no longer be valid.
If you are already worried about buying your furniture online, there is no reason to increase your anxiety by taking risks with independent sellers. Instead, look for a well-established and highly trusted online furniture store.
Online furniture stores frequently offer sale prices, but often these deep discounts are valid for only particular pieces or furniture collections. You will not find a legitimate furniture website that offers over 50% off on every single piece of furniture on their site. It is normal for eCommerce sites to offer discounts on most of their inventory, but if everything on the site looks too good to be true, it probably is.
If you will be giving the furniture payment for your order in advance, as most eCommerce retailers require, it is important to make sure that the website is secure. A legitimate furniture dealer will have a merchant account or other third-party payment processor that takes payments securely and gives the dealer no access to your financial information.
But the online furniture store also needs to be trustworthy and secure, because you will be giving them at least your personal contact information. In addition, fraudulent furniture websites do everything they can to make themselves look legitimate, including faking payment processing links or platforms.
Luckily, you have some easy ways to determine if the site from which you are ordering your furniture is on the up and up. Any website that collects any type of personal information should be on a secure site, which is indicated by the prefix “https://” rather than “http.” In addition, the website should have an up-to-date SSL security certificate. Websites with a current SSL certification are safe, and if their certification has expired most web browsers will alert you before pulling up the site.