What Does It Mean to Buy a Mattress Online
Buying a new mattress is not fun. You need to go to a mattress store, sit on the mattresses longer than you’d like, bargain with the seller about the overpriced mattresses, and then wait for the courier to arrive in a few weeks. I ordered my latest mattress online. It sounds crazy, but it worked out well … mostly.
Why order a mattress online?
Most of us are ready to order anything online, but the mattresses seem a little odd. First, they are huge and difficult to ship, let alone expensive. But more importantly, it’s one of those rare things you really want to try before you buy. Each mattress is slightly different and your sleep is important. Choosing the right mattress can make a big difference in how well you sleep.
However, mattresses have one and the same thing that is difficult to describe. Sit on a $ 5,000 mattress and a $ 1,000 mattress and many of us won’t notice the difference. Even shopping comparisons can be a challenge as manufacturers sell exclusive lines to different retailers, which means you have to visit several different stores to choose a mattress. Then, when you finally choose what you want, you are expected to start bargaining about the price . Last year, The New York Times spent nearly 3,000 words describing the Kafkaesque experience of buying a mattress.
In short, buying a mattress is a huge pain in the ass.
A couple of months ago I needed a new mattress. I sleep very soundly because I can sleep on a rock, so the idea of testing dozens of different mattresses for some supposedly quantifiable level of comfort seemed absurd. So, I decided to buy one online.
It turns out there are several options in this arena. They all offer a generous return policy. Most of them are significantly cheaper than retail options, and they all have two additional benefits that I liked right away: no bidding and no BS sellers. Buying online saves you the hassle of going to a bunch of retailers, dealing with a persistent salesperson, bargaining for prices, and trying to distinguish dozens of mattresses that appear to be the same. It’s fast, ships in a few days in a small box that’s easy to move around, has a 100-day trial to see if you really like it, and you can return it if that doesn’t work. Your options are limited here, but it’s actually part of my appeal. I don’t want to choose between dozens of options, I only need a few.
Choosing a company (and a mattress)
I was surprised to find that quite a few companies sell mattresses over the Internet. Here I will focus on a few startups that exist exclusively on the Internet as direct consumer access options. Direct-to-consumer delivery means there are no pesky sellers here and ready to handle shipping and returning items with ease. This also means that they are slightly cheaper than comparable mattresses from big companies like Sealy Serta.
Most of these companies only produce one type of mattress. They all come in different sizes, but you don’t have to choose between many pillow options or different hardness ratings. Most of them specialize in memory foam, but Saatva offers different types of innerspring mattresses, so there is something for everyone here. So, before we dive into that, it’s worth noting that memory foam mattresses (or whatever similar option every company sells) is not for everyone, as they tend to be a little stiffer and some people feel that they get a little hotter. … I have looked at several different direct consumer-facing manufacturers:
- Tuft & Needle : Tuft & Needle have their own dedicated two-layer foam that is not memory foam or latex. Their mattresses are usually priced more rigidly and range from $ 350 for a Twin to $ 750 for a California King with free shipping. The mattress comes with a 100-day trial and a 10-year warranty. If you don’t like your mattress, Tuft & Needle wants you to donate it to charity. Once you do that (they will help you and pay for pickup), simply send in your donation receipt and they will refund you the full amount.
- Casper : Casper mattresses are a combination of latex and memory foam and are usually medium firm. Shipping is free and if you are in New York they can get it to you quickly via courier service. Prices range from $ 500 for the Twin to $ 950 for the California King. Like Tuft & Needle, Casper offers a 100-day trial and a 10-year warranty. If you don’t like the bed after the 100-day trial, Casper will send a courier to pick it up to donate to your local charity or recycle it.
- Lisa : Lisa’s mattress is also made of memory foam. The hardness rating is usually in the middle range. Prices range from $ 525 for the Twin to $ 990 for the California King. Again, you get a 100-day trial and a 10-year warranty. If you do decide to return it, they will arrange a pick-up, donate it to a charity and refund you the full amount.
- Saatva : Saatva is the only company on this list that makes more traditional innerspring mattresses. In fact, except that they are meant to be delivered directly to the consumer, they are very similar to any other mattress. You can choose a plush soft mattress or something more firm. Prices range from $ 599 for the Twin to $ 1299 for the California King. The Saatva home trial is 75 days and the warranty is 15 years. If you don’t like the bed, they will pick it up and refund you the full price.
Each company has a different level of durability and comfort. I chose Tuft & Needle because I prefer a firm mattress, while Casper is supposedly softer, and Lisa seems to fall somewhere in the middle. You can get a ton of information about the different aspects of each of the above mattresses, including customer satisfaction levels, from how good they are for sex to how comfortable they are for fat people to Sleep Like. the Dead .
Unpacking process
Okay, here’s where things get weird. At least in the case of Tuft, Needle and Casper, the unboxing process is rather strange. As you can see in the video above, you are essentially pulling the mattress out of a box that is too small for the mattress, unfold it, and then cut a piece in a vacuum sealed plastic wrap to make the mattress expand. Then you will sit and watch as it expands for a couple of hours. Since this is foam that has been in an airtight bag for a while, it smells a little odd at first, like Soldier Joe sitting in boiling water. But the smell goes away after a couple of hours.
In fact, the whole process is quite fun to watch (at least compared to the boredom of bringing home a normal mattress). It’s also pretty easy to move the mattress from your door to your bedroom because the box is so small. This means you don’t have to think about crazy staircases or tiny doorways. After the mattress has expanded and the smell has disappeared, you can sleep.
Trial period
Here’s the fun part: For about 100 days (in most cases) you just sleep on the mattress and decide how you feel about it. Most traditional mattress stores have a 30-day return policy, but according to Sleep Like the Dead , most full return policies involve fees ranging from $ 50 to $ 500. Many also only offer store credit rather than refunds. Returns and refunds for all four direct-to-consumer companies are free and give you 100% back, which is a pretty killer deal all things considered.
I never had a new mattress when I became an adult. I almost never used clothes from the guest rooms, but I never used a real, brand new mattress with a strange smell. So this whole trial period was strange for me.
It turns out that the new mattress is very similar to my old one, except that there is no strange indentation in the middle that pulls you in and tries to strangle you. Tuft & Needle, as the reviews suggest, was more solid, which I liked. When you sit on it, even on the edge there are no strange failures. As with most foam mattresses, there is almost no transmission of motion, so you hardly notice if someone is restlessly rolling in their sleep next to you. I slept well the first night and almost every night since (unless the LAPD decided to hover over my house with a helicopter for a few hours, looking for a suspect in a high-speed chase that no mattress appeared to be able to help) ).
During my 100-year trial period, I tried to pay a lot of attention to how I felt about the mattress, but as time went on, it bothered me less and less. This is a good thing. The mattress disappeared into my life and from my brain, and when my calendar alarm went off, reminding me that the 100-day challenge was over, I shrugged and went back to what I was doing. This mattress – the one that I spent almost zero brains on choosing, the one that I spent very little time shopping – is fine. Which is what I want. I don’t want to think about it.
Warranty, return policy and other aspects to consider
As I said above, each of these companies offer a pretty solid warranty and excellent return policy. At first glance, this sounds great, but that doesn’t mean the whole process works for everyone.
When it comes to your return policy, it’s worth considering the amount of time you will have to devote to the entire process. Once you install it in your home, you get a trial period to try out the mattress, and if you don’t like it, they will come for it. I didn’t need to return mine, but judging by the number of reviews on Amazon (where each of these mattress companies sell directly if you don’t want to order from their websites), even people who hated mattresses didn’t have problems. returning them. However, it’s important to note that Amazon’s return policy is only 30 days as opposed to 100 days from the manufacturer. But what then? You’ll have to buy another mattress, get some sleep on the floor, and walk through the process, sitting around at home and waiting for the UPS guy again. I work from home, so none of this mattered to me, but before diving it is worth thinking about it. There is a reasonable chance that you will not like the mattress you choose, so make sure you are okay with any obstacles you need to jump. through to get it back.
There is another big guarantee clause. A warranty is only as good as the company that released it, and since many of these manufacturers are new, they can be short-lived. If the company goes broke, so does your guarantee. This is a very important thing to consider, so if you’re uncomfortable with losing this warranty, it’s probably not worth it.
Finally, one of the attractive aspects of buying a mattress locally is that your old mattress will be collected for free. Obviously, this is not possible when the UPS guy drops a giant rolled-up mattress box in your house, so you need to figure out a way to get rid of the old mattress. In some cities, you just need to notify your waste disposal company in advance and they will pick it up along with your trash, but you may have to pay an additional fee.
However, it was a great experience for me. I really didn’t want to put a lot of mental effort into choosing a mattress and it was a great way to do just that. I’m lucky that I liked the mattress, but I’m also pretty sure the decision wasn’t as important as I thought it would be. It’s only been about four months, so it’s hard to predict the longevity of the mattress, but so far it has been well spent.