Friends, this is my first round up. I have no idea why I’ve never done this on the blog before?! I keep extensive lists and even extensive notes in Evernote about sourcing and products I like or want to buy. So, I’m sharing it all with you moving forward. I have a huge project ahead of me, which is decorating and designing Stony Ford. One of my biggest challenges is buying furniture, and I have challenges in two ways:

1. We live in the middle of no where. You’re talking to a lady who was used to waltzing down to ABC Carpet and Home, browsing then buying what I wanted. I might buy one piece of furniture a year. Yeah, you heard that right. We lived in a loft before this and I didn’t have much room for furniture. So I was fussy and bought very little. Now my issue is the complete opposite. I live in the country, where there is no great local shopping like I’m used to having in NYC, save for a few antique stores. Everything looks super generic and I’m really sensitive about that cause I don’t want my house looking like a catalogue!

2. I need a lot of furniture and I’m somewhat sensitive about budget. Here’s where I get sensitive about budget: I want transparency about shipping costs when I shop online. I’ve shopped at some furniture stores who charge anywhere from $250 to $400 for shipping. If I buy 4 items at $250 shipping that really adds up, to me another piece of furniture I could have bought! It’s crazy! I’m not saying I’ll never buy from an online retailer who charges shipping, but it is something I consider for sure. Especially when considering two similar pieces, free shipping could be a deal breaker. I mentioned transparency about shipping above. I mention this because I was on a major furniture retailers website doing research for this post, and I had NO clue how much shipping was, or my total bill for that matter, but I was asked to enter my credit card info. That stinks, being asked to pay before you are told how much you are spending. Really? I’m not going to call anyone out, but this really gets my goat.

I posted on my personal FB page that I was doing some research on this topic and it sparked a conversation with a friend in the furniture industry about how much free shipping really matters. We discussed about how some companies include the shipping fee in the price of the item. I told them what I consider, if the furniture retailer has no store fronts, I think it’s great they pass that cost savings to the consumer in free shipping. In a traditional business model, companies who have been around for a while with brick and mortar have had to adjust to having an online store, and the costs associated with running that aspect of the business. But if you’ve never had brick and mortar, and online only, it’s slimmer business model. I don’t think there is a right or wrong, every business model can be pro/con’ed to death. I just want to know how much I’m spending, and on what.

After all my research here’s the retailers who stood out to me. Most of these are larger retailers, who have a wide selection of furniture styles. I love independent makers, and smaller retailers, where I normally shop local. You’ll see me mention them for product specific round ups.

Free or cheap shipping

Joss and Main: You can purchase Joss Gold for $9.95 which gives you 30 days free standard shipping. Buy all your furniture in 30 days!

Overstock: You can join the O Club for $9.95 and get free shipping on everything. Around the holidays this can add up, especially since Overstock carries much more than furniture. The O Club comes with other incentives as well like VIP access and a percentage earned in rewards.

Bellacor: They have free shipping on orders over $75. I’ve never bought furniture from them but have purchased ceiling medallions and other odds and ends for renovations. I had an issue with one item and I have to give them an A++ for customer service. They were very helpful and responsive.

Wayfair: This is an amazing resource for online shopping because everything ships for free over $49. They have some restrictions, so read the fine print carefully. Most items I looked at purchasing shipped for free, even a couch. Also, keep in mind that All Modern, Dwell Studio, Joss and Main and Birch Lane are part of Wayfair.

Plum Goose: Plum Goose is a new retailer and I love their selection of designer brands like Noir (my latest obsession). They have free shipping on items that are not custom.

eCarpet Gallery: I’ve bought a few rugs from them and first, they have REALLY good sales, and free shipping. Worth a look. If you are in the market for rugs, sign up for the emails if you are looking for sales, etc.

Rugs USA: Free shipping in the USA.

Rug Pad USA: Free Shipping. It’s really important to get good rug pads people! No sexy, but important.

Very reasonable shipping fees

Anthropologie: They add $100 for example if you want to buy a sofa, and $75 for a chair in addition to regular shipping. So I put a sofa in my cart and the shipping was $115. Not too bad but it adds up if you buy multiple pieces.

One Kings Lane: They have a chart on their site that clearly says what the shipping fees are, plus any notes next to items for white glove delivery. So while browsing, I can add up shipping fees in my head and keep my budget in check.

Lamps Plus: They have free shipping on some items, so look around and see if the promotion fits your shopping list. The promo is normally posted on the home page. I checked shipping on a chair that wasn’t part of a promo and it was really reasonable at $50, lower than most retailers I checked.

Anyone else I should add to the list? Let me know in the comments and I’ll amend the post. I think this is a great resource!