Furniture shopping secrets in Nigeria

Before buying furniture, give proper thought to what you intend to buy and where you plan to buy it from. Regardless of how tempting it might be to click ‘buy’ on that piece of furniture that you just found, you must understand that when want to shop for furniture in Nigeria, it is not something you should do impulsively.

Rather, there are specific factors you should consider before you place an order for that piece of furniture. Take note of the following 7 tips when buying your next piece of furniture:

1. What exactly do you want to buy?

When you want to shop, the first thing you should focus on is the task of deciding specifically what you want to buy. Are you shopping for furniture for your living room for now? Do you plan to buy furniture for the kitchen and bedroom as well? What is more important or which need is more pressing?

It is best to draw up a list of things you plan to buy. If possible, have a checklist. The list would have the names of the furniture you intend to buy as well as the month or week when you intend to buy them. This gives you a very clear picture of what you need.

2. You should have a budget

Have you ever felt like going to a furniture store and placing an order for all the beautiful furniture you can find? If your answer is yes, then you are not alone.

However, the reality of the situation is that you can’t do this unless you are obscenely rich and know for a fact that shopping this way would not hurt you financially.

It is safer to have a budget when you decide to buy your furniture. If your budget for your living room furniture in the first quarter of this year is N150,000, then don’t fall into the temptation of spending N250,000 just because you have access to the money. Remember that your budget was done in relation to other aspects of your financial plan; like your transportation, savings, feeding and miscellaneous.

3. Make sure you measure the space available at home

Picture a scenario where you have received delivery of a canopy bed and a grand piano only to discover that the height to the ceiling and floor measurement of the space available is smaller than you had anticipated and the furniture you just bought cannot fit.

Therefore, always strive to get the measurement of the space in your home for which you are buying the furniture and not the other way around. This way, you save yourself a lot of time, money and stress.

Before buying any furniture, always read the product specification/details to know the precise measurement of what you are buying. If this is not available, you can contact the store to get this detail.

4. Be on the lookout for discounts

There are certain times of the year when furniture merchants and stores offer a lot of interesting discounts. This is something you should consider taking advantage of. One such example is the popular Black Friday sales, which usually comes up in the last quarter of the year.

During discounted sales, you can enjoy as much as 50% discount on the items on offer. Apart from helping you save money, preparing for such opportunities also helps you plan for your home much better.

For instance, you could decide to save 20% of your salary every month from the beginning of the year in preparation for the Black Friday sales.

5. Find the right store

It is important to find a store that fits your budget and taste of furniture. It is possible to find a store that fits your budget but does not have furniture that suits your taste in terms of quality and aesthetics. You could find a sofa at a store but not one that appeals to you.

On the contrary, you could also find a store that has the quality of furniture you need but does not match your budget. Any of the disparities above would create a problem for you.

It is, therefore, crucial to find a store that strikes a balance in terms of budget and your expectations in terms of taste.

6. Payment method

If you are buying furniture online, we strongly advise that you opt for paying on delivery using cash or a POS machine as a payment method. This way, you get to see what you are buying and inspect it very carefully before you make payment. Sometimes, furniture could get broken or damaged while being shipped. It would hurt you if you have already made payment for this furniture.

7. Double check for hidden costs

When you find a piece of furniture that you want to buy, always remember that there are shipping charges and other hidden charges that you might not notice.

Therefore, be on the lookout for taxes, shipping charges, duties as well as the name of the merchant.

Final thoughts

Shopping for furniture is an experience to be enjoyed. It will save you a lot of time and money but you must understand that shopping online for your furniture opens up a wider range of choices for you as opposed to if you were shopping at a physical store. There is a limit to the number of physical furniture stores you can visit in person but online, you have access to many more stores and you are likely to get a better deal.

What was the last piece of furniture you bought and how would you describe your experience?