Should You Buy That Costco Couch You’ve Been Looking At?

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Buying furniture through Costco could be a good bet, but you’ll want to do your research first. 

The great thing about Costco is that you can shop for just about anything, whether it’s groceries, household cleaners, toys, apparel, or electronics. You can even buy your furniture at Costco should you so choose. And doing so might result in a lower credit card tab than you’d get elsewhere.

Not only that, but Costco often offers discounts on its furniture on top of its already low prices. So buying your new couch at Costco could be a huge money-saver. But while you might spend less on a couch at Costco, you might also take on some risk in the process.

Costco furniture could be a mixed bag

At a time when so many people are consistently raiding their savings accounts to cope with inflation, it may be tempting to save a few hundred dollars on furniture by turning to Costco. But doing so could mean buying a brand you’re not familiar with. And that alone can be risky.

Costco has a number of couches for sale online at competitive prices. There’s a Harstine leather sofa being sold for $1,099.99 right now, and that includes delivery, setup, and removal of your old sofa.

That’s a good price. But have you heard of the brand in question? If not, you may be taking a risk, even though the item seems to have good reviews on Costco’s site.

Meanwhile, if you head over to Raymour & Flanigan, a well-known furniture store, and enter “leather sofa” in the search box, you’ll see a host of products at different price ranges, some of which are comparable to the aforementioned Costco sofa.

In fact, Raymour & Flanigan’s Luca Sofa is on sale right now for $1,169.95. And while there’s a separate delivery fee of $159.99, all told, you’re still not paying so much more for a sofa from a well-known furniture store compared to the aforementioned Costco option.

Now, Costco is known for a lot of things, like offering the largest jars of mayo you might find and the most competitively priced lunchtime combo in town. But it’s not really known as a source for quality furniture.

This doesn’t mean the furniture Costco has on offer isn’t high in quality. But other than online reviews, it’s a little hard to know.

Of course, just because a store like Raymour & Flanigan is known for furniture doesn’t mean every item it sells is wonderful. But chances are, it does a pretty good job of offering quality furniture since that’s the core of its business. If it made lousy furniture, it probably wouldn’t stay in business.

When it comes to furniture, your best bet is to try before you buy

Another drawback of buying furniture at Costco? You may not have many options at your local warehouse club store. But if you’re buying something like a couch, it’s best to test out different models at different price points before making a decision. At an actual furniture store, you can do that. At Costco, not so much.

Remember, buying furniture isn’t the same thing as buying paper towels in bulk. With furniture, you’re making an investment in something that will hopefully last for many years. So before you rush to buy your new couch at Costco because you find the price point appealing, you may want to at least look elsewhere to get a better comparison.

Saving money is a good thing. But you may come across a couch for $1,200 that’s worlds more comfortable than a Costco couch that’s $100 cheaper. And in that situation, paying the higher price could be worthwhile.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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