IKEA online purchase (furniture store, store, best, deals)

[suan]

Hi, Anyone with experience buying online from Ikea?
Will be staying at chapel Hill. Is the shipping worth the savings on the low-priced furniture?

Need to buy some kids furniture from them, any other places i can look?

[saturnfan]

Definitely not recommended because of shipping cost and cost to return if defective.

[toot68]

I have to agree. Best bet is to drive up there with a minivan and bring it back (virtually everything packs flat). Shipping may double the cost of many items.

Alternatively, there's some fantastic deals on furniture on Craigslist if you are willing to do alot of looking around.

[Lisalrenee]

agree w/ everyone else -- shipping is too ridiculous.

[miamiblue]

If you are purchasing several items at once, the shipping may cover all of them. You might want to call (you can order via catalog over the phone, as well) and ask what the shipping will run, and then it is up to you to decide whether it is worth it to you.

I purchased a sofa from Ikea about five years ago when I was still in FL. I also ordered a few other things and the shipping remained the same as for just the sofa alone. For me, it still came out a better deal than purchasing a similar sofa from a local store. I still have the sofa and it's in great shape - I'm definitely happy with that minor investment!

[saturnfan]

Lots of commerical truck deliveries require you to unload your stuff from a trailer.

Damage in commercial freight is common.

[sneezecake]

x2 for make the drive to the nearest one...PLUS unless you've actually seen and touched the stuff you are looking at, you wont know if it feels like cheap crap...which a lot of IKEA stuff does....being from CA, we had IKEA everywhere and I was always very selective about what I did and did not buy there. I'd never EVER buy a sofa there, for example.

[sbanawan]

Ikea shipping is insane. The only way to make buying from Ikea worthwhile is to drive up there in a van. My wife and I have done that twice and both times it was well worth it.

BTW, they're opening an Ikea in Charlotte next summer if you can wait that long.

[PDXmom]

Ok, I heard Ikea was suppose to open in Charlotte Spring/ Summer 08. But I don't see any mention of it on their website. Has anyone heard the open date?

OP, sometimes I've thought about going up to Ikea w/ orders from folks down here, renting a small uhaul truck, and charging a small gas/moving fee. I bet if someone did that they could easily make back the rental and gas cost.

While I am a craigslist shopper and also a used furniture store shopper, Ikea is great for inexpensive linens and toy storage for kids and such.

Edit:Ooops I see someone said Charlotte Ikea is suppose to open next summer. Thanks!

[sbanawan]

Originally Posted by PDXmom

Ok, I heard Ikea was suppose to open in Charlotte Spring/ Summer 08. But I don't see any mention of it on their website. Has anyone heard the open date?

OP, sometimes I've thought about going up to Ikea w/ orders from folks down here, renting a small uhaul truck, and charging a small gas/moving fee. I bet if someone did that they could easily make back the rental and gas cost.

While I am a craigslist shopper and also a used furniture store shopper, Ikea is great for inexpensive linens and toy storage for kids and such.

Edit:Ooops I see someone said Charlotte Ikea is suppose to open next summer. Thanks!

My parents live right down the road from the location and they can't wait for it to open - so that my wife and I visit more often! We're looking forward to it. Sure, it's 2 hours away, but you don't need to deal with DC-area traffic to get there.