Ratings > Buying a Mattress Online Based on 22,600+ Owner Experiences Buying a mattress online or at a store both have pros and cons as indicated below. Many consumers believe there is a much higher risk of being dissatisfied when buying a mattress online – that is, when buying it untried without an opportunity to lie on it first. Our research shows, however, that owner satisfaction is fairly similar whether people try a mattress before buying or not. In other words, statistically speaking, for people overall there is only a modest increase in risk of being dissatisfied from buying a mattress online. These findings were determined by comparing the owner satisfaction rates of mattresses that can only be bought online without first trying them in a store with the owner satisfaction rates of similar mattresses that are widely available in stores. Why does trying a mattress in a store before buying make limited positive difference in owner satisfaction over buying online untried?
Our research suggests several reasons. A person may receive a mattress that feels markedly different (worse) to them than the same one they tried in a store. This is due to the fact that mattresses – even ones of the same model and specifications – can have their own individual characteristics and "feel" to some degree due to inconsistencies in materials and manufacturing. (This tends to be especially true for memory foam beds and latex beds.) A mattress in a store may or may not be broken in depending on how many people have lain on it. A mattress that is not broken in can feel significantly firmer than one that is broken in. If a person chooses a non-broken in mattress based on the belief that this is how it will feel long term, they may soon be disappointed when the mattress they receive breaks in and becomes significantly softer. Shoppers may get the wrong impression of a mattress if they don't lie on it long enough for their body to settle. Also, trying a mattress in a store often has distractions – such as other customers – which can prevent a proper evaluation.
Temperature can affect foam, especially memory foam. Cooler temperature tends to make it firmer, while warmer temperature tends to make it softer. If the store has a temperature significantly different than your bedroom, then the mattress may have a different comfort level in the store than it will at home. Mattresses sold only online often have at least slightly better specs and materials – and therefore better durability and long-term comfort – than mattresses widely available in stores. People who buy online often do significant mattress research which can guide them to make a proper buying decision. Their research may include trying in a store a mattress similar to the one they are considering buying online. From their research, online buyers tend to know that the mattress they are buying will likely suit them even without trying it first. As the table below shows, there are often important differences between the shipping / delivery methods and characteristics of online mattress retailers and mattress store retailers.
Our research suggests that mattress prices at an online retailer are on average about 15% less than the asking prices at a mattress store for the same or similar mattress. It should be noted, however, that store retailers will often negotiate on price, effectively making their price equal to that of online retailers. If you buy from a mattress store, you will likely have to pay sales tax. If you buy online and the mattress comes from out of state, you can avoid the tax. Both online and store retailers may offer free delivery, but free delivery is somewhat more common with online retailers. Possible Price Example: Online Retailer Vs Brick & Mortar Retailer The example below is for fictitious Mattress X. It shows that significant savings are possible by buying online, especially if the store retailer charges tax and delivery, while the online retailer does not. Many newer online mattress companies – such as Casper, Leesa and Tuft & Needle – offer a return process similar to that of a store retailer.
In other words, a courier (if available in your area) takes the bed from your home and no shipping preparation is necessary. However, for some large online retailers such as Amazon, the return shipping method is usually UPS or FedEx. This means that your mattress will need to be prepared for shipping by you which may include wrapping and or boxing the mattress. This preparation can be difficult due to many mattresses expanding upon opening resulting in their original packaging being too small for return use. And depending on the retailer's policy, the mattress might be picked up at your home or you may need to take the mattress yourself to a shipping store. Finally, if the mattress is dirtied or damaged during return shipping, the retailer may not provide a full refund. More information: Returning a Mattress: What You Should Know.More and more mattresses are being sold online and you might be tempted to buy one that way. The advantage of buying a mattress online is you can escape the high-pressure sales tactics used by some mattress retailers.
On the down side, you probably can't try the mattress before you buy it and you give up the haul-away service you typically get when you buy a mattress from a brick-and-mortar store and they take away the old one when they deliver the new. Many bed-in-a-box sellers use UPS and FedEx to deliver the efficiently compressed, typically foam mattresses. That's better for their bottom line than contracting with a myriad of delivery companies to bring one mattress and dispose of the other—preferably at a mattress recycling center. We checked the policies of the mattress online sellers whose beds are either in our mattress Ratings now or are included in the batch we’re currently testing and here's what we found: Only one online-only seller we contacted will take away your old mattress at no charge, Wright Bedding. Rather than using UPS or FedEx, the company does have contracts with local teams in every city. Those companies deliver and set up the mattress, remove the packaging, and take away the old mattress if you prefer, just like when you buy one at a brick-and-mortar store.
A small number of customers have no old bed to haul away or don’t need the in-home service, a company rep told us, but it’s an option throughout the U.S. and Canada. When you buy a mattress online, both Loom & Leaf and Saatva, which are jointly owned, will remove your old mattress for $39. (We’ve tested the innerspring Saatva Luxury Firm Euro Pillowtop, $900.) And Luxi Sleep will arrange for the removal of your old mattress but it’ll cost $60 to $100. Or Give it Away The following sellers won't take away your old mattress, but they will help you arrange for pickup by a charity—preferably—or a recycling center. (They vary in how much they'll leave for you to do.) Models of the brand that we’ve tested appear in parentheses; others are still undergoing tests in our labs. • Casper (The Casper, $850) • Cocoon by Sealy • Leesa (Leesa Medium Firm, $890) • Tuft & Needle (Tuft & Needle T&N, $600) In the case of Dream Bed, Mattress Firm’s bed-in-a-box, you may have more options.
You can get your bed delivered in the traditional way, with the old one removed, if you order the bed at a store in one of seven markets in Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, California, and Illinois. But if you order the mattress online or choose FedEx shipping (in-store or online), you’ll need to dispose of the old mattress yourself.Having your old mattress carted away when you’re replacing it isn’t always a good thing. Part of the attraction of most bed-in-a-box companies is that you typically have a few months to contact the company if you don't like the mattress. But if you’re picky about a bed—especially since you probably can’t try it out beforehand—you might prefer to put the old mattress in a spare bedroom during the new bed’s trial period.You’ll need a Plan B if you decide an online seller’s mattress isn’t for you after you’ve slept on it for a month or more. If you kept your old mattress around, you can sleep on that while you’re awaiting replacement of the replacement.