How to Buy a Mattress Online

Online shopping is fast becoming a trend today. Almost anything can be bought and sold on the internet. Yes, even mattresses could be bought in just a couple of minutes at the comforts of your home.

If you’re looking to shop for a new bed online, this guide is for you. In this post, you can find everything you need to know (e.g., mattress jargon, shopping insights, mattress types) to make sure you can make a sound shopping decision and get a decent mattress at a reasonable cost.

A quick look at why you should consider buying a mattress online

While shopping for a mattress without seeing it in real life first is scary, this process is slowly becoming a mainstream. Many consumers are starting to discover the wonders of buying a bed online.

• Cheaper – Mattresses have become cheaper online for many reasons, including the absence of middlemen, showroom fees, and sales commissions. At retail stores, a decent mattress usually has a price tag of around $3,000. But you can actually get the same mattress at 15% to 20% less if you buy it online.
• More convenient – Online shopping saves you from commuting and queues. Most importantly, you won’t have that awkward feeling when you lie down to test the bed while fellow shoppers and salespeople sneak a glance at you.
• No pushy salespeople – Yes, you might do a lot of thorough research first before shopping online. But that’s nothing compared to listening to pushy salespeople bombarding you with a litany of the bed’s benefits and features.

These are the reasons Casper, a New York-based bed-in-a-box manufacturer, managed to become a $100 million company in 2 years. Indeed, online shopping is here to stay, not just for commodities (e.g., foods, dresses), but also for mattresses. Indeed, online shopping is here to stay.

The impact of your mattress on your health and sleep quality

You could resolve creaking, offensive smell, and stains with mattress repair and cleaning. But have you been using your bed for at least 10 years? If yes and it is already beyond fixing, it’s practical to just invest in a new one. Any kind of defect isn’t good for your health. Studies show that sleeping on a defective mattress causes sleep deprivation. In the long run, lack of adequate rest increases risks of the following health conditions:

• Insomnia
• Allergy
• Chronic Back Pain
• Moodiness and mood disorders
• Decline in alertness
• Lack of focus
• Poor balance and posture
• Heart disease
• Low libido
• Weak immune system
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Daytime fatigue
• Decline of memory and mental prowess
• Anxiety

Your bed affects your sleep quality profoundly. This is the reason you should take your online mattress shopping seriously. Remember, you’re going to spend one third of your day in bed.

Ways to figure out your priorities before shopping

Avoid impulsive buying. Even before browsing product pages, take time sit down and know your preferences.

Health

Your health needs should be your first priority. Do you have allergies and back pains? With their antimicrobial properties, latex and foam beds are the best beds for those with allergies.

Sleep positions and pressure relief

The most important element to take into consideration when you are searching for a mattress online is your weight and sleep position. These 2 things are going to determine which mattress is right for you.

For back sleepers, a firmer mattress to support proper spine alignment would be perfect. If you are heavier than 200 pounds a medium firm to firm mattress would be right for you.  

If you are a stomach sleeper, an air-filled mattress, a bed with dense innerspring, or one with firm foam is highly recommended. Once again if you are a heavy person, then you need to find a firmer mattress with better support. For side sleeper, find a soft foam or innerspring mattress with a memory foam top layer or pillow top layer because these types of mattresses have pressure relief points for the hips and shoulders.

Are you going to share the bed with another person with a different preference? To accommodate your different needs, opting for a dual-chambered, air-filled bed is the best option. An innerspring bed with pocketed coils is also a great pick.

Do you sleep hot at night? If you do, a cooling mattress like the Aurora by Brooklyn Bedding or Ghostbed Lux. These manufactures use cooling technology into their construction materials like gel memory foam and cooling fibers.

Budget

Set your budget. Depending on the size, material, and type, a decent mattress usually costs $200 to $2500. Don’t hesitate to haggle if you can. You can reduce the cost of your choice of bed by letting go of additional cushioning, springs, and other features.

Factors to look for in product page before checking out

Once you know your preferences (e.g., sleeping position, health needs), it’s time to browse product pages of mattresses. Don’t get too caught up in the high-definition pictures of the beds, showing its elegant designs. Instead, focus on evaluating your options based on the following factors:

• Exact Dimensions – Choose a bed with the right size to ensure comfort while sleeping. These are the common dimensions you can find on the market:
  • Twin – This size is perfect for young adults and those with a petite frame. Twin beds come in two different sub-sizes, namely standard twin bed (39 in × 75 in) and twin XL (39 in × 80 in).
  • Double – A double bed is the best choice for single sleepers. This size can also accommodate a couple who don’t need a lot of space. Like the twin size mattress, the double bed size also comes in two sub-sizes, namely standard double (54 in × 75 in) and double XL or full XL (54 in × 75 in).
  • Queen – The queen size bed is the common choice for many people because it provides ample space for single sleepers, even for couples. This comes in three sub-sizes, namely short queen (60 in x 75 in), standard queen (60 in × 80 in), California queen (58 in × 82 in), and the Olympic queen (66 in x 80 in). The short queen size is often used in RVs.
  • King – The king size bed is the go-to option if you like a lot of space. Good thing this also comes in six sub-sizes, namely standard king (76 in × 80 in), short king (72 in x 80 in), California king (72 in × 84 in), Texas king (80 in × 98 in), Wyoming king (84 in x 84 in), and Alaskan king (108 in x 108 in).
• Materials and Cost – The material of the bed is one of the factors that affect its cost. An innerspring spring bed built with basic materials costs around $500-$1,200+, while an all-foam hybrid or innerspring is around $250-$1,200+. Hybrid beds made of a combination of foam layers and conventional mental coils can be bought at around $1,000-$3,000+. Meanwhile, the cost of latex beds is around $1,000-$2,500+.

It’s also wise to find beds that are made of organic, eco-friendly materials. Aside from upholding your health, these types of beds are often biodegradable and recyclable. This means you won’t have a difficult time disposing of them when they have already served beyond their serviceable lifespan.

• Available Discounts – When reading product pages, be on the lookout for coupon codes and seasonal sales, such as Black Friday deals. Online discounts are also available at the mattress manufacturer’s partner sites. At these partner sites, readers often find $50 to $150 worth of discounts plus free pillows and other freebies.
• Warranty and Sleep Trial – Mattress warranty usually covers many things. You can file a warranty claim if you notice a major sagging that reaches or goes beyond the 1.5 inches threshold. You can also file a claim for faulty workmanship. Warranty length varies on the seller and manufacturer. Some online mattress brands like Beautyrest and Allswell offer up to 5-year warranty, while others like Dreamcloud and Layla offer a lifetime warranty. But for many sellers, the common warranty length is 10 to 20 years. Mattress manufacturers also offer different sleep trial terms. But the common duration is 90 to 120 nights. The industry-leading sleep trial offer is 365 days. Awara is one of those mattress companies that offer a full year of sleep trial.
• Delivery Fee and Other Changes – Delivery fee depends on where you purchase your bed and if you need help with the setup. You could also pay more if you opted to buy other items and accessories, such as pillows and covers.

Ways to avoid getting tricked or scammed when shopping online

The internet might have made shopping more convenient. But online shopping also poses some financial security challenges and threats. News of fake products and scam abound. So keep your card details and money safe. Follow these guidelines when you shop for your preferred mattress:

• Check the site security. Google sets specific rules for online stores in its Merchant Center Guidelines. You can take a look at this briefly to get a good grasp at how a secure e-commerce site looks like. But if you don’t have the time, just look at the page URL, which is at the upper left side of the page. See if it has an HTTPS:// before the domain name. If it has, it’s an indication that it’s secure.
• Check the reliability of the seller. Ask your friends who’ve bought mattresses about the best sites to buy. Visit the site and read reviews. Look up the site on Better Business Bureau. Know how many years has it been in operation.
• Be wary about offers that are too good to be true. Bogus sellers often lure buyers with excessive discounts. This is the reason it’s best to know the price range of the mattress first before you start shopping. With initial knowledge on the price range, you can tell if the offer is too good to be true.
• Take note of the seller’s contact details. Then, use a reverse phone lookup registry. Doing this lets you know if they’re using their own contact details or they’re just copying another company’s details.

Remember, you’re going to input credit or debit card details on the seller sites. So be careful. You can read additional online shopping security insights before you proceed with your purchase.

What is the best online mattress?

There is no one-size-fit all bed. But nowadays, you have a wealth of mattress brands to choose from. And you just have to consider your budget and other preferences to pick the best one for you. The following are the top picks based on cost, customer ratings, and quality:

• Nectar – Nectar is famous for the breathability, coolness, and firmness of its mattress. This brand is perfect for sleepers who like surfaces that offer cradling and deep contouring.
• Tuft and Needle – This brand is known for its medium-firm beds that are also budget-friendly. If you’re looking for motion isolation and pressure relief features, a Tuft and Needle bed is a perfect pick.
• Bear – Bear Mattress offers a risk-free sleep trial for 100 nights. It is also known for its optimal design for recovery, comfort, and cooling, making it the perfect choice for athletes and those with active lifestyles.
• Layla – Layla is famous for its non-toxic raw materials, such as food-based adhesives and water. Its memory foam mattress is infused with copper, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. And it is also known for its innovative flippable design, which gives sleepers two types of firmness.
• Casper – Casper mattress boasts of a four-layered foam consisting of latex, high-density, and memory foam. This multi-layer mattress gives ample pressure relief support and contouring, making it a great to-go bed for all kinds of sleepers.
• Saatva – A Saatva bed is notably affordable and durable with a serviceable lifespan of 12 to 15 years. It has a soft cotton cover that aids ample flow of air into the mattress, which makes the bed perfect for people who sleep hot.
• Purple – With its Purple Grid feature, this mattress offers ample cushioning for the hips and shoulders, which supports spine alignment for different types of sleepers. Also, it is also made of hyper-elastic polymer that keeps sleepers cool.
• Avocado – Avocado mattress is one of the few manufacturers that offer luxury products at affordable cost. The beds are made of non-toxic and eco-friendly materials (e.g., Dunlop latex, organic cotton, wool), and are biodegradable and recyclable. This mattress is highly recommended for stomach sleepers and those with back pain.
• Helix – Helix mattress is made of memory foam that effectively reduces motion transfer, which makes it perfect for couples. As a hybrid mattress type, it offers a good balance of comfort and pressure relief points support for the hips and shoulders. This option is best for stomach and back sleepers.

Final thoughts

When shopping for mattresses online, the best always depends on your preferences.

Yes, shopping for a bed online can be scary. But there are also benefits to it. You might not be able to see, feel, and test the product in real life. But you also have sleep trial options.

Ultimately, making a huge purchase online requires thorough preparation and planning. But this is far easier than manual shopping, considering that you can take your time browsing product pages and reading reviews.  Mattresses don’t come cheap, even those beds with lower quality. This is the reason it would help to read and reread this online shopping guide for mattresses thoroughly. And apply what you’ve learned.

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