Do you need a new couch for your living room? It’s good to have a comfortable couch that you can use to unwind.
You want comfortable seats for yourself as well as any guests that come to your home. However, it might feel as if the best couches are rather expensive.
Why is it that couches cost so much money? Is there a good reason why couches cost a lot of cash?
Continue reading to learn some of the reasons why couches can be pricey. After reading everything, you should have a better idea of what you’ll want to do to get the couch that you need.
The Cost of the Materials
One reason why couches cost a lot of money involves the cost of the materials. Different types of materials are used to make couches and some are more expensive than others.
Couches are made using materials such as leather, high-quality wood, different types of fabrics, and more. A really nice leather couch might cost thousands of dollars when sold at retail price.
Fabric couches can also cost thousands of dollars. The less expensive couches on the market are typically made using less expensive materials.
Sometimes the pricier couches are going to be better investments. They’re made out of sturdy materials that are designed to stand the test of time.
You don’t necessarily want to buy the least expensive couch that you can find. That being said, it isn’t always true that a pricier couch is going to last longer than a less expensive couch.
The most important thing is to ensure that you’re buying a sturdy and comfortable couch that suits your needs. It’s also important to maintain the couch properly and to do your best not to damage it.
The Need/Desire to Make a Profit
Another thing to consider is that there is a profit motive involved in selling couches. Both the company that makes the couches and the store that sells the couches need to make money.
The store buys the couches from the company directly to sell to their customers. They then sell the couches at a price that will allow them to make a reasonable profit.
Most people don’t buy couches all the time. You might only wind up buying a couch once every decade or so, depending on how well your couches hold up.
The stores have to sell couches at a high price to be able to stay in business. Otherwise, it’d be hard for furniture stores to pay the bills.
It might be frustrating to have to pay high prices for good couches, but it does make sense why they cost a lot of money. Everyone who’s involved in making and selling the couch needs to make money off of the sale.
Warranties
Warranties will often add a bit of cost to the purchase of a couch. It can be good to buy a warranty for your couch, though.
The purchase of a couch will usually come with some type of manufacturer’s warranty. You should receive information about just how long this warranty will last.
You can then choose to purchase a much longer warranty from the furniture store. People commonly buy five- or ten-year warranties for couches.
If something happens to the couch, the furniture company will get the couch repaired for you. Sometimes there are options that will allow you to replace the couch with an equivalent option as well.
The exact terms of the warranty will differ depending on the store that you’re buying from and other factors. It’s good to know that warranties are useful, though.
This is still one more thing that can make you spend more money on furniture. Even if it’s important, it might be hard for those who don’t have a big budget.
How to Save Money on Couches
What if you can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars for a new couch? Everyone deserves to have a nice couch to sit on.
There are some ways that you can save money on couches that will help you out. Below, you’ll get information that should allow you to get a couch without breaking the bank.
Look for Sales
One of the best ideas is to look for sales on couches in your area. Local furniture stores will sometimes run big sales where they’ll sell couches at steep discounts.
There could be sales that are tied to national holidays. Sometimes these sales will occur as a way to move inventory when new couches are getting ready to be placed on the show floor.
Depending on how good the sale is, you could wind up saving up to 50% on a new couch. Getting hundreds or thousands of dollars knocked off of the price of a couch will make it a lot easier to buy one.
These sales don’t happen all the time, but they happen often enough. Consider keeping an eye on the advertisements for your local furniture stores so you’ll know when the sales are happening.
Buy a Second-Hand Couch
Second-hand stores often sell furniture at low prices. Of course, the couches being sold in thrift stores aren’t brand new.
These couches are used, but they’re often going to be in pretty good shape. It’s easy to examine the condition of these couches before purchasing them, too.
You can check the couch to see if it’s sturdy enough. It’ll also be simple to check the fabric and see if there are any stains or flaws that you should know about.
It should be possible to get a decent couch from a second-hand store without spending much money. Sometimes you can even find couches that are less than a hundred dollars at such stores.
Certain thrift stores will still charge hundreds of dollars, but it’ll be far less costly than buying a new couch. It’s worthwhile to check local thrift stores to see what types of couches they have.
You can also check local sellers who are selling their couches online. Online marketplaces make it easy to sell furniture online for a bit of cash.
Someone might be selling a couch for $50 or $100 simply because they’re moving out of town. You can buy a decent couch without spending an exorbitant sum if you get a used one.
Buy a Couch on a Payment Plan
You might not be aware of this, but you can buy couches on payment plans. There are many options that will allow you to buy a couch right now even if you can’t pay for the entire thing right now.
Of course, you could use a credit card to purchase a couch. If you don’t have a high enough credit limit to purchase an expensive couch, that might not be helpful to you.
Thankfully, many furniture stores offer financing options. They allow you to finance a couch and pay it off over time.
You can make monthly payments on the couch until you pay it off completely. Generally, these payment plans are reasonable and will be practical for most people who are employed.
There are businesses that specifically allow you to purchase furniture this way as the normal option. The one problem is that you wind up paying more than you otherwise would due to interest rates.
See If Anyone Will Give You an Old Couch
What if you’re completely without cash? Perhaps you only have enough money to make ends meet and buy groceries.
This is a normal situation for many people even when they’re working a full-time job. If you’re having a hard time saving up money to get a couch, it might be worth looking into whether family or friends can help.
It isn’t too unusual for family members and friends to give away old couches. You might know people who have an old couch that they will want to get rid of.
If you can find a way to transport the couch to your home, it’ll be a way to get one without spending cash. This couch will likely be older and a little worn, but it’ll be free.
Final Thoughts
Learning more about why couches are so expensive will help you to understand the situation better. Now you know that couches are so pricey because of the materials they’re made out of.
They also cost a lot of cash when purchased brand-new due to the need for everyone to make a profit. The store needs to turn a profit and the company that makes the couches have to make money as well.
Warranties might add a bit of cost to the final tally, too. You don’t have to buy optional warranties for couches, but it’s often a good idea to do so.
If you can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on a new couch, it’ll be wise to look into other options. You could try to buy a couch using a payment plan.
For many, this will make it far easier to buy a new couch. However, you’ll likely wind up paying more than you otherwise would if you purchased the couch outright.
You could buy a used couch at a thrift store. Private sellers often sell old couches online, too.
If you’re lucky, you might even have a family member who will give you an old couch. This is great for young adults who need to save as much money as they can.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys, and I’m so excited to start this adventure with them! In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.