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Finding the Right Furniture Manufacturer for Your Online Furniture Business

Starting anÌýonline furniture business isÌýaÌýgreat ideaÌý— ifÌýyou check all theÌýright boxes. Furniture isÌýanÌýevergreen product. People will always need it, whether they’re moving toÌýaÌýnew home orÌýupgrading old furniture items. OnÌýtop ofÌýthat, it’s easier toÌýsell furniture online than you might think.

But, ifÌýyou’re giving thought toÌýselling furniture online, you probably have questions about manufacturing. After all, selling furniture requires making furniture. Furniture manufacturing requires aÌýlot ofÌýparts, materials, andÌýtechnical skills. But, fortunately, you don’t need toÌýmake furniture toÌýsell furniture.

You can start anÌýonline furniture company while relying onÌýfurniture manufacturers toÌýsupply your inventory forÌýyou. But how doÌýyou find furniture manufacturers inÌýtheÌýfirst place? What doÌýyou need toÌýknow about choosing furniture suppliers? And who are theÌýbest furniture manufacturers? Keep reading toÌýfind theÌýanswers toÌýall ofÌýthese questions, andÌýmore.

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Important Factors For Choosing Furniture Suppliers

Location

When working with aÌýfurniture manufacturer, you buy inventory from them andÌýthey ship itÌýtoÌýyou orÌýyour customers. Therefore, location isÌýcrucial when searching forÌýfurniture manufacturers. The closer your supplier isÌýtoÌýyou orÌýyour consumers, theÌýeasier itÌýwill beÌýtoÌýship furniture toÌýits destination.

This isÌýanÌýespecially big concern forÌýaÌýproduct like furniture because some items can beÌýbulky andÌýheavy. International furniture suppliers might appear toÌýhave cheaper upfront costs. But ifÌýyou’re not careful, you could end upÌýspending exponentially more onÌýshipping. And that isÌýtoÌýsay nothing ofÌýtheÌýincreased costs ofÌýinternational shipping. U.S.-based businesses typically want toÌýwork with American furniture manufacturers forÌýthese reasons.

Shipping andÌýhandling

When itÌýcomes toÌýfurniture, shipping costs andÌýspeed are not theÌýonly concerns. Most furniture items require delicate handling during shipping inÌýorder toÌýpreserve product quality. AÌýbroken item isÌýworthless. And even aÌýdent orÌýaÌýscratch onÌýhardwood materials can severely reduce aÌýproduct’s value. When making your selection, beÌýsure toÌýlook into how furniture suppliers prioritize shipping toÌýprotect their products. Dealing with poor-quality shipping can beÌýaÌýmajor headache when running anÌýonline furniture business.

Assembly

Assembly isÌýonly aÌýconcern inÌýselect cases with certain items. But this isÌýsomething that online furniture businesses should consider. Some furniture suppliers require assembly after shipping. This can make itÌýeasier toÌýtransport furniture items, but theÌýidea ofÌýself-assembly isÌýunattractive toÌýsome customers. There are pros andÌýcons ofÌýrequiring assembly after purchase, soÌýthere isÌýnoÌýclear answer toÌýthis question. However, it’s anÌýimportant factor toÌýhave inÌýmind when selecting furniture suppliers.

Sustainability

Furniture manufacturers may use different materials when crafting their furniture. Sustainability isÌýoften aÌýmajor concern forÌýcompanies andÌýconsumers alike. IfÌýthis isÌýaÌýconcern forÌýyou andÌýyour business, look forÌýmanufacturers that prioritize sustainable materials forÌýtheir products. Many furniture suppliers will highlight their sustainable products, but this isÌýnot always theÌýcase. Regardless, itÌýisÌýalways worthwhile toÌýcarefully research theÌýmaterials andÌýmanufacturing processes used byÌýyour furniture suppliers.

Product quality

Sustainability isn’t theÌýonly reason toÌýcarefully research theÌýmaterials used. You also want toÌýbeÌýsure that furniture manufacturers are using quality materials that align with your company’s goals. IfÌýyou want toÌýsell high-quality, durable furniture, you should look forÌýsuppliers that use theÌýbest hardwoods, forÌýexample. One ofÌýtheÌýmost harmful things your business can encounter isÌýpoor orÌýinconsistent manufacturing quality. Negative customer reviews from low-quality furniture can scare off future customers andÌýtank your sales.

Storage options

One ofÌýtheÌýtrickiest things about selling furniture online, inÌýtheory, isÌýstorage. Most furniture items tend toÌýbeÌýquite large. Unless you have anÌýindustrial warehouse atÌýyour disposal, storing your entire inventory ofÌýfurniture isÌýnot feasible. There are ways around this, ofÌýcourse. Some wholesale furniture suppliers provide storage options forÌýtheÌýproducts you buy from them.

Dropshipping isÌýalso anÌýoption, inÌýwhich your business isÌýresponsible forÌýfacilitating customer transactions while your furniture supplier handles theÌýrest. IfÌýyou sell furniture onÌýAmazon, you can also take advantage ofÌý. AsÌýyou can see, online furniture stores have plenty ofÌýoptions when itÌýcomes toÌýhandling their storage needs.

How toÌýFind Furniture Manufacturers andÌýSuppliers

Knowing what toÌýlook forÌýinÌýaÌýfurniture supplier isÌýonly half theÌýbattle. You also need toÌýknow how toÌýfind theÌýbest furniture suppliers, andÌýhow toÌýbuy furniture directly from theÌýmanufacturer. Many ofÌýtheÌýbest furniture manufacturers will make itÌýeasy forÌýfurniture stores toÌýbuy from them. But purchasing inventory forÌýyour business isÌýnot often asÌýstraightforward asÌýone-click shopping onÌýAmazon.

The best furniture suppliers forÌýyour business will also vary based onÌýtheÌýtype ofÌýfurniture you sell. Some companies might specialize asÌýoffice furniture manufacturers, while others specialize inÌýbedroom orÌýkitchen furniture. ToÌýhelp you navigate how toÌýbuy andÌýwho toÌýbuy from, here are some tips onÌýchoosing theÌýbest furniture manufacturers forÌýyour business.

Searching forÌýfurniture suppliers byÌýniche

Selling aÌýwide range ofÌýfurniture items isÌýcertainly anÌýoption forÌýyour online store. But some businesses prefer toÌýfocus onÌýniche items. Selling niche products gives you aÌýlarger share ofÌýtheÌýmarket forÌýthose particular items. ItÌýcan also help focus your company’s goals, asÌýyou will have fewer products toÌýworry about.

Whatever your goals, itÌýpays toÌýsearch forÌýfurniture suppliers byÌýsubcategories. AÌýfew examples include office furniture manufacturers, outdoor furniture manufacturers, andÌýhospitality furniture manufacturers.

Some ofÌýtheÌýtop furniture manufacturers will specialize inÌýmultiple types ofÌýfurniture. But others will put aÌýheavy emphasis onÌýaÌýcertain type ofÌýitem. , forÌýinstance, isÌýaÌýU.S.-based furniture manufacturer that specializes inÌýsolid wood bedroom furniture. Others, like , offer aÌýwider range ofÌýproduct types, from outdoor furniture toÌýliving room andÌýoffice furniture. Rather than focusing onÌýaÌýniche product type, this top manufacturer’s focus isÌýonÌýhand-crafted, sustainable furniture forÌýall purposes.

Whatever your company goals are, theÌýbest tip forÌýfinding theÌýright furniture suppliers isÌýtoÌýstart with aÌýweb search. The list ofÌýtop furniture manufacturers inÌýtheÌýUSA isÌýconstantly changing. AsÌýsuch, itÌýisÌýoften more useful toÌýknow what toÌýlook for, rather than who toÌýlook for.

How toÌýbuy furniture direct from manufacturer

AsÌýforÌýactually purchasing theÌýinventory forÌýyour business, this will vary from one supplier toÌýtheÌýnext. Some websites, like , make itÌýeasy byÌýcatering directly toÌýwholesale shoppers. Other furniture suppliers might not have aÌýdirect interface forÌýbuying wholesale. InÌýthese cases, you may need toÌýcontact theÌýmanufacturer’s sales team toÌýdiscuss buying products wholesale forÌýyour business. Most manufacturers display public contact information onÌýtheir websites. Don’t beÌýafraid toÌýsend anÌýemail orÌýmake aÌýphone call toÌýget started.

Want toÌýlearn more about theÌýintricacies ofÌýstarting anÌýonline furniture store? Read ºÚÁÏÃÅ’s Complete Guide onÌýSelling Furniture Online toÌýhelp you get started onÌýyour new e-commerce business.

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About The Author
Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.

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