How to Buy a Mattress Online? The Pros and Cons

Mattresses are an investment, not a throwaway product. For years, you sleep on it every day and night, rarely if at all thinking about the mattress you sleep on. Then one day you get up and realize that you can no longer stand the way your mattress feels so you start your online search for “how do I buy a mattress online?”

Buying mattresses online is becoming more and more common these days. Many people prefer the ease and convenience of purchasing over the internet. Buying a mattress online can save you hundreds.

Buying a mattress online seems like an easy thing to do. Just pick one, click order and enjoy it once it gets delivered. But this does not happen all that often. It’s a lot more complicated than that, mostly because there are so many individual characteristics attached to mattresses that you can hardly just view them as chunks of foam. So how can you buy a mattress online? Read on and find out!

Buying a mattress seems like it would be easy, especially if you’re just looking online. But there are many things you should know before buying a mattress online. By following this guide you can be confident in your decision-making process when shopping for your next mattress.

What types of beds are available online?

Online mattress shopping means you have your pick of mattress types, and in some cases, you might have even more options. Online mattress stores tend to carry latex mattresses and other custom mattresses, like airbeds. However, stores typically offer the widest selection of standard innerspring beds. Many brands that sell innerspring mattresses online differentiate themselves by incorporating foams. The ones sold online tend to be more comfortable as they incorporate foams.

The different mattress types are explained as follows:

Innerspring mattresses are the most popular mattress type. They have an innerspring coil support core with a foam comfort layer on top. The steel coils inside the mattress are what allow it to contour to your body so well (although not as well as memory foam), giving you superior edge support and bounce (both great for sex). Although they don’t quite feel like you’re sleeping on air like an air-mattress, they are still pretty comfortable, and a big improvement over coil mattresses of old, which tended to be very firm. Like most traditional innerspring mattresses, they tend to be priced lower than other types of mattresses that offer similar features.

Memory foam mattresses are all-foam beds. They give a sense of “hug” while you are lying in the bed, whereas innerspring beds do not last as long. It is made of a polyurethane material that causes it to have a very slow response time. The science behind this is pretty cool, giving a feeling of “hug” while you lie in the bed. However, they’re known for trapping heat.

Hybrid mattresses are the best of both worlds for mattresses. They are constructed with some kind of spring support and then a combination of layers of foam or latex on top. Think of them as memory foam without the heat issues that happen from it. Hybrid mattresses have a lot of give and can contour to your body unlike an innerspring mattress, but don’t trap heat like a memory foam mattress does. This means that your body won’t overheat during sleep while still providing the body support you need for optimal comfort.

Latex mattresses are organic latex foam made from rubber trees. While other materials also offer bounce and a rounded contour to the body, latex offers the best “lift,” even if it’s not a particularly firm feel. This makes it a popular choice for side or stomach sleepers. It tends to be one of the most expensive options, and emits an off gassing smell for up to a month as it airs out.

Airbeds are some of the most durable beds that you can purchase. The airbed is a type of bed that features an air chamber for support topped with foam comfort layers. They cushion with air and are topped with foam for comfort. Airbeds allow users to customize their comfort level by pumping up the bed until they reach their desired firmness setting. Airbeds are one of the most durable options available, but they also tend to be quite expensive.

What are online mattress companies?

Online mattress companies are in the business of manufacturing and selling their products online. These companies tend to operate online only for most of their processes, including manufacturing and delivering the final products to customers. They allow customers to buy directly from their online store instead of having a physical showroom or retail space. Online mattress companies offer a convenient browsing experience for customers – they can choose from various options and make a purchase within a short period of time compared to the traditional brick-and-mortar stores where going through buyer’s journeys can take hours of shopping in a typical physical mattress store.

Listed below are online mattress manufacturers and authorized resellers for various types of online mattresses:

Dreamcloud
Bear
Amerisleep
Casper
Purple
Helix
Cocoon by Sealy
Nectar
Saatva
Target
Novosbed
WinkBeds
Leesa
Layla
Tuft & Needle
Voila
Loom & Leaf
Nest Bedding
The Waterbed Factory
Ghostbed
Droma bed
Endy
Hyphen
Waterbeds Today
Ikea
Eve
Yogabed
Wayfair
Walmart
Amazon
Crave
Lull
Luxi

How to Choose a Mattress Online

Choosing a mattress online without testing it first is like buying a guitar over the internet. This is a guide for anyone who wants to avoid making that mistake and buy their new mattress online with confidence. It’s actually not that difficult, but it helps if you keep a few key points in mind.

To start with, you should decide what is most important to you. Where do your sleep priorities lie? Ask yourself these questions:

It is important not to confuse firmness with support. A mattress can be soft and still have good support (and vice versa).

Make sure to come up with a range of prices that fits your budget.

Once you’ve answered the above questions, you’ll be ready to start looking into specific mattresses.

How much do online mattresses cost?

Online mattresses are often priced significantly below what their in-store counterparts cost. Because there are no other costs involved in selling an online mattress, the seller can afford to use higher quality materials and charge less for the bed.

You can spend anywhere from $500 to over $5,000 on an online mattress. Most online mattresses are priced $2,000 or less, but a high-end latex or airbed can be much pricier. Online mattresses can afford to use better materials and often cost about 25 to 50 percent less than an in-store mattress.

Advantages of Buying a Mattress Online

Buying a mattress online has a lot of advantages over buying one in a traditional brick and mortar store.

Online mattresses can be 25 to 50 percent cheaper than buying an equivalent mattress in a brick-and-mortar store because they don’t have to cover overhead or pay sales commission. Many online mattress retailers encourage people to buy by not charging sales tax and offering free delivery and returns.

It’s likely that you’ll enjoy the convenience of online shopping for beds just as much as you enjoy it for other products. A mattress can be bought online so that you can easily compare different models without a salesperson putting pressure on you. Moreover, e-commerce enables you to shop whenever and wherever you want, while a brick-and-mortar store may not open at 3am, and it isn’t located near your house.

With mattress stores, delivery windows often overlap with your day, which can be frustrating. Although some online mattress companies offer full-service in-home delivery, most deliver the mattress in a box or tube, so you can bring it into your home at your earliest convenience.

Mattress salesmen are just as bad as car salesman. They are pushy and you never quite know if you are getting a good deal or not. You can find all of the specs and information about mattresses online so you can decide whether one is a good fit for you. As you can quickly read other customer reviews online, you don’t have to take the salesperson’s word for it. Finally, you can just buy the mattress you need instead of getting persuaded to buy extras that don’t give you a better night’s sleep but pad their commission.

The majority of mattress stores in brick-and-mortar stores offer a 30-day trial period. This makes sense since you can get a feel for the mattress in the store, so it really depends if you want to sleep on it overnight at home. Mattress companies understand that consumers want to try before they buy, so they offer generous 100-day trial periods.

Many online mattress companies offer free returns along with their generous trial periods, but there are some that don’t (check before you buy).

It is much easier to get free delivery online than in stores. Only a few exceptions exist for continental Americans, but you can usually count on not paying for delivery.

Disadvantages of Buying a Mattress Online

There are many benefits to purchasing a mattress online but just as many disadvantages. Here are the common disadvantages of buying a mattress online.

When you order online, you really have no idea what the bed will be like until it arrives at your door. This is why most online mattress companies offer incredibly long trial periods (usually over 100 days) to address this concern specifically. A few mattress companies also have showrooms where nearby customers can test out a mattress physically – and still enjoy the benefit of a lengthy trial period.

Despite being pushy, salespeople are great for getting your questions answered immediately by someone who’s knowledgeable. On the other hand, buying a mattress online requires you to do a lot of the research yourself (like reading this article). Many companies offer customer service via phone, Live Chat, and social media, so you can ask questions 24/7.

One benefit to buying from a brick-and-mortar store is that the delivery team will often remove your old mattress after unpacking and setting it up for you. Online mattress companies typically drop your new bed off in a box at your door, so you’re on your own to figure out what to do with your old one.

Online mattress review sites are often owned or co-owned by mattress retailers, so the reviews you read online are not necessarily unbiased. Aside from that, even though you can get a nice discount through an affiliate blogger, they’re also incentivized to write a positive review to encourage you to click through and buy the mattress through their site.

Unauthorized resellers are another problem with online mattresses. A mattress purchased from Craigslist or another classified ad site is generally only covered for warranty by the original purchaser – and some warranties may not be honored by others. Many mattress resellers make it difficult to return your mattress, if at all possible, and you’ll have to pay a hefty fee in transportation. Whenever you have a question concerning whether a seller is authorized or whether the warranty or return policy still applies, contact the mattress brand’s customer service team.

A way online mattress companies keep their prices down is by selling only the mattress. Before buying, make sure you have all the necessary items such as a proper bed frame and sheets that fit. An advantage of shopping in store is that you can negotiate on the price by getting free pillows or some other item included for free.

Many memory foam mattresses, hybrid mattresses, or latex mattresses come compressed and vacuum-sealed in a box. Therefore, the mattress may take a few days to fully expand to its full shape and be comfortable to sleep on. Keep in mind that keeping your mattress sealed for a long period of time can permanently ruin the foam’s shaping abilities. Therefore, consider purchasing mattresses that are made to order and shipped quickly after compression.

FAQs About Online Mattresses

With all the online mattress brands, there are many benefits to buying a mattress online. When you buy your bed online, you will find that most of the mattress brands sold online often have better materials and durability than mattress brands available in stores.

It can be difficult to pick a mattress online without getting hands-on experience, but there are ways to research the quality of a bed without seeing it in person. To determine how good a mattress is, look at the density and thickness of the foam, which will determine how deep you’ll sink. Generally speaking, newer online mattresses use several layers of foam, with heavier ones at the bottom for support and lighter, cooler kinds on top for comfort.

You should probably buy a mattress in May. Why is that? It’s pretty simple. The industry, as a whole, rolls out new products in June, and they are hot into September. Therefore, when May comes, companies will start cleaning out their older models.