You can still buy a sofa for $399 — here’s why you may not want to
- A decadeslong effort to mass produce furniture at a lower cost has led to a decline in quality, overall, experts say.
- What was lost along the way was "repairability," says CoCo Ree Lemery, a professor of furniture and industrial design at Purdue University. "When something reaches the end of its lifespan, it just dies."
- Here's how to find pieces that will stand the test of time, while keeping affordability in check.
Don't expect the sofa you buy today to go the distance.
"In the last 15 years, there's been a shift to disposable furniture," according to David Koehler, chairman of Johnny Janosik, a furniture retailer with stores in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
For most consumers, that's okay. Attitudes have changed, said Koehler, who is a member of the Home Furnishings Association.
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Young adults, especially, are less likely to be homeowners and more likely to move often. They're also more likely to feel financially strapped and less willing to splurge on furniture, Koehler said.
However, "the old expression, 'you get what you pay for,' is very true in the furniture industry," he said.
Changes to materials reduced 'repairability'
A decadeslong effort to mass produce furniture at a lower cost has led to a decline in quality, overall, experts say.
The rapid expansion of the middle class after World War II made owning a home easier and drove demand for less expensive home furniture, according to CoCo Ree Lemery, a visiting professor of furniture and industrial design at Purdue University.
"We were introduced to plywood. Then we really saw a material degradation," Lemery said of the rise in popularity of the composite material made from gluing together thin pieces of wood veneer.
Medium density fiberboard, which is another form of engineered wood commonly known as MDF, followed, and then particle board, or recycled wood chips fused together, along with synthetic foams and glues to keep production more affordable.
In each case, substitute materials were used to make furniture that was less expensive but also less durable than the solid wood pieces that previous generations bought.
Increasingly, furniture is also now shipped and sold in flat-packs, which makes transporting it cheaper. In some cases, customers assemble the furniture themselves, keeping labor costs down.
But at every stage, there are trade-offs. "The more that it breaks down into small pieces, the quality is going to be less, period, end of story," Lemery said.
What was lost along the way was "repairability," she said. Now, "when [furniture] reaches the end of its lifespan, it just dies."
Mark Schumacher, CEO of the Home Furnishings Association, referred CNBC to Koehler for comment.
How to find quality furniture
Still, consumers are more likely to prefer pieces that are affordable, even though they may not stand the test of time.
"With the rise of direct-to-consumer, now customers are only buying based on aesthetics and trends," Lemery said. "In that atmosphere, of course you are going to go for the cheapest price tag."
The furniture industry was not immune to supply chain issues brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused prices to spike due to high demand and low supply.
Yet, furniture has not experienced the same price increases that other consumer goods have over the years, including cars and housing. "In the 1980s, you could buy a sofa for $399. You could probably still buy a sofa for $399," Koehler said.
But choosing a more expensive piece isn't necessarily a guarantee of better quality, Koehler said.
"To find quality, you need to do your research," he said. "In our industry, it's important to see it, feel it, touch it, so you know what you are getting."
Often, the telltale signs are in the construction, Koehler said. For example, open a dresser and look for dovetail drawers — a traditional joinery technique of interlocking wood — rather than pieces that are glued or stapled together. You can also check the furniture description to see whether it is made from solid wood or particle board under a veneer.
Best ways to finance a furniture purchase
When shopping around for new furniture, make sure you're getting a piece for a good value and, ideally, save for it in advance, said certified financial planner Carolyn McClanahan, founder of Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida.
If you need to spread out the purchase of a big-ticket piece of furniture, consider a no-interest financing deal from the retailer or manufacturer that you know you can pay off within the agreed timeframe.
"They might give you a year interest free. Make sure that you have the ability to pay it off in that year because if you don't, the interests are huge, huge, huge," said McClanahan, who is also a CNBC Financial Advisor Council member.
1. Buy Now, Pay Later: Similar to buying a new household appliance, a Buy Now, Pay Later program can help you spread out the cost of a pricey piece of furniture into monthly payments. Make sure to plan accordingly because if you have more than one BNPL running at the same time, you risk "overdrawing your account," Sara Rathner, a credit cards expert at NerdWallet, recently told CNBC.
2. In-store sales, financing options: Furniture retailers may offer major discounts on certain products for seasonal sales, Rathner said. In-store financing options might also be available, such as layaway programs or retail credit cards with a deferred interest. Make sure you are able to pay off the product by the end of the agreed timeframe. Otherwise, high interest rate fees will stack on top of your dues.
3. Two types of loans: Personal loans can be an option. To qualify, you must have "decent credit," said McClanahan. Unlike personal loans, a secured loan requires collateral to receive the money. It's similar to buying a car: "If you don't pay for the car, then [the bank] repossesses your car," she said. In a personal loan, "they can't reclaim your soul." However, the interest in a secured loan is a bit lower because they have the collateral.