by Shana Carlton

Created on: November 17, 2009   Last Updated: December 12, 2009

Having been around the furniture selling business years ago, I learned some very important things about buying furniture. One of the most valuable things that I learned is that there is approximately a 300% markup on new furniture. So do a little checking around before you buy that next sofa or loveseat.

I purchased a very nice, solid oak dining room table with six matching chairs, nicely detailed. I paid $600 for the set. Two years earlier my brother had tried to purchase the exact same dining room set, from the exact same furniture store. The retail price that he was asked to pay was $1,800. I obviously got mine for just about wholesale.

The dining room set is only one of many examples of the sometimes outrageous prices that furniture stores make you think is on sale. I purchased many items at this same store and it would be hard to say how many thousands of dollars I saved when compared to the prices on the showroom floor.

Examples like this are a great reason, especially in this tough economy, to learn a few helpful strategies that could save you hundreds of dollars on your next furniture purchase.

Before you ever set foot in any furniture store or warehouse, do your homework. It's helpful if you already have an idea which pieces you wish to purchase so you can do a little research first. Put your computer to work for you. Compare prices of name brand furniture. Private label brands may be harder to locate. You will want to try your search a few different ways to find all of the different prices that may be placed on the same piece of furniture.

Search by general description, model name, and model number. Even if you're not in the market for new furniture, go online and pick out a piece of furniture and start checking prices. Don't be surprised if you find some things to be several hundred dollars higher or lower, depending on the retailer.

Mattresses are harder to do your comparison shopping on so you may need to get the retailer to give you the specs so you can compare like mattresses. You will also want to figure in any shipping and handling charges that may apply so you can see exactly how much you're saving.

Check furniture clearance and closeout shops. Discontinued or blemished furniture can sometimes be found at around half the original asking price. Other things to keep in mind when shopping for furniture include: Never pay the price on the tag. You can sometimes haggle your price way down when dealing with a dealership. Treat furniture salemens tactics just like those dealings with car dealers and you may be surprised to find more discounts than you imagined.

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