This week our interior designer Anglea, answers reader Angie’s question of…..
My question is, how do you chose something from an online store without being able to hold it, see it in real life, see its flaws up close and personal. Do you have any go-to ‘shops’ that you know provide quality without needing to refinance your house?
Online shopping provides us with a huge selection of items to purchase both locally & internationally, unfortunately the downside to this is we don’t actually get to view or touch the item before pressing that purchase button. Online purchases often look & feel very different to what we have imagined & often look different once they are placed in our homes. Most online stores are more than happy to provide extra images of an item & will provide a fabric or wood sample of the product.
Check if the product online is available at any retail outlets in your area. An example of this is Villa Maison, they have a retail outlet in Melbourne & an online store with a number of retail outlets in Brisbane stocking Villa Maison products but often the online store will be cheaper or have regular sales. Which gives you the advantage of viewing an item prior to purchasing online.
Home magazines are a great source of information on online stores & will often recommend their finds with images & details of the product.
Some of my go to online stores are – Wayfair Zanui The French Boathouse Interiors Online and Beach Homewares
This is my list when purchasing online
– When I have found an online store I would like to purchase from, I google it, if someone has had a bad experience with the store they will more than likely write about it. – Check with the supplier how the item will be packaged, is the packaging adequate to survive the journey & reduce the risk of the item being damaged in transit.
– Check what the returns policy is if the item is damaged in transit & who has to pay the cost of return freight.
– On delivery of the item & prior to signing the delivery slip, inspect the packaging for any signs of damage, inspect the item, if damage has occurred in transit, take images of the damage, note it on the packing slip & if possible return the item with the driver & most importantly contact the supplier immediately.
Remember don’t be afraid to ask the supplier questions & if they aren’t happy to pass on information about their product its probably best not to deal with them.
Angela x
I can hear the credit cards being pulled out of there restraints!! Thank you Angela, for this excellent advice. If you would like to know more about Angela and her services, please visit Interior Solutions Brisbane.
Do you have a question for our Interior Designer, Builder, Plumber or Electrician, please leave a comment with your question or email [email protected]
Nicole xxx
