So I can't guarantee that everything on Spoken .io is the same (I am not affiliated with the site) or that prices won't change. Links to the cheaper versions are in the description...
As a guy that owns a furniture store, in a very far away country i have to say that Nick has a very strong point, modern retailers do not want to invest in a huge warehouse full of furniture, because even if they do, can not cover all the designs out there. So distributors were created and retailers buy from them plus their exclusive imports. And for Nick's Subscribers, a small advice. There are only 3 pieces of furniture thats worth spending on 1. Mattress 2. Your main sofa 3. The dining chairs that you use every day. All the rest are there just to fill the space.
4. Your desk chair, particularly if you work from home or you spend more time at your computer than you do in front of your tv. I also think bookcases are an investment item, especially if you are a collector of books because books are heavy and bookcases take a beating. A well-built bookcase can last decades and save a ton of $$ long term vs buying a new kallax or whatever every 2-3 years as they scuff/break/bow under the weight. I'd also argue in today's society a well-functioning desk is a prime investment too... again, especially if you work from home. A sleek desk with no drawers may look nice but also be wholly impractical if you need office supplies/cables/snacks at the ready.
Nick, I think one of the most outrageous cases of white labeling was the Pottery Barn's "Bamboo Wall Art" incident from a few years back. Pottery Barn released this "Hand Crafted Bamboo Wall Art Plate" that they sold at retail for $299, guess what... That "Plate" actually came from the Philippines and is what we call a "Bilao" (Bee-Lah-Oh) we literally use it to put a large amount of food meant to be shared in town fiestas. It can be any food for sharing: Noodles, fruits, rice cakes, heck even Western foods like chicken wings, roasted pork, etc. They literally sell that on the roadside here for.... $0.70 - $1.50! It was so ridiculous it actually managed to make the papers when the incident came out😂😂😂
Speaking of Pottery Barn. I ordered two, large, $500 lamps a few weeks ago. When they were delivered, they were larger than I expected and looked too over the top in size for my room, and since I wasn't thrilled, I'm not spending that kind of money on them, so I sent them back. For some unknown reason, after I sent them back, I decided to do a reverse image search for them and found the exact ones (not dupes) for about $175 less. Same exact style, dimensions, place of origin, etc. No doubt they were the exact lamps. That's when I learned a valuable lesson. Glad Nick posted this video to give me more insight on this.
OmG, yes. 🤣 I have been a witness to a lot of these "works of art". I've also been a victim .....and a "culprit" I paid $35 dollars for a 5 x 4-inch grey glass tulip so called candle holder. When I got it, I could swear it was a glass lampshade taken off from one of those multi head floor lamps. And actually, it was! Years later, at a thrift store, there they were five grey glass tulip shades stuck on a floor lamp. The lamp cost 25 bucks', it was beautiful, it worked and I bought it Just look at it for what it is. If you see a "piece of art" and it's just a bunch of carpet remnants stuck on a framed canvas sprinkled with gold paint, ,(like one I sold for fifty dollars in 1984) that's what it is.😏
Sometimes dupes, sometimes the same thing. Everyone is sneaky and you can't always tell. Sometimes they are lazy and use the same photos supplied by the distributor...
Content like this is why i'm subscribed. I jokingly refer to "inferior desecrators" - those people who dictate how your home should look, and spend far too much money giving you the same look everyone else has. There are plenty of YT channels like this, with videos like "Amazon items you ***Must*** buy" or "West Elm's Best Pieces for You". Nick is the exact opposite. He does have style opinions, clearly stated as personal opinions. And he's willing to offer design principles for those who like styles he does not. [How to do Farmhouse.] He does not push product ... and with this video, he does the exact opposite. I bet a lot of furniture retailers are not happy right now. I have my own style. As a web designer, I know the principles of design; Nick translates those to home interiors. And now, he's helping me find pieces that work with my style without paying extra.
Sometimes I do like to do the fun "what's new at x retailer" videos too because I genuinely enjoy them. Oh and don't you worry, I have thought about how this is going play with retailers - not great I bet. Oh well! Ultimately, I am supported by you guys and not them, so I have to be loyal to my audience. I've never been great at playing the game in the corporate world because I can't shut my big mouth, so that's why I'm on RU-vid! No one can stop me here. Mwahaha
I'm an interior designer. I've seen many different styles in my years of helping people make their home thiers. I don't care what you love I will help you make it look cohesive. I don't follow trends just to make you hate your house- I follow trends to see what will go out of style and what does not work in the long run .
@@ah5721 I want to make clear that I don't consider ALL interior designers style dictators. I know there are talented people in the profession who work hard to turn their client's vague ideas into reality. But I have met enough of the "well, you simply must follow the latest trends!" designers that give the profession a bad name. And when you have a style idea as quirky as mine, I figure I'd leave a lot of designers completely baffled. I describe it as "Frank Lloyd Wright meets a steampunk zeppelin captain in a dark alley behind the Bauhaus."
As an added tip, I’ve used reverse image search in the past to find other websites selling the same furniture! Wouldn’t work in the scenario where the retailer rephotographs the product, but maybe an extra tool to use. Thanks for the website recommendation!
Love this one, Nick! You are so right, we deal with this as interior designers and in my case Film design all the time. The biggest thing we deal with that I think you didn't mention (maybe I missed it) is that some sites have a lower cost but charge a high shipping rate. Others offer free or low cost shipping, and this can make the total cost very similar... not always, but still important to note. Love that you mentioned and reminded us all to buy as well based on not just cost but also return-ability/reputation for service, etc. Super important to be able to support the retailers who also meet personal ethical standards and those things can play into that. Love your channel!
So much, if not almost all furniture is made in Vietnam or Indonesia, etc. Those countries shoot conversion varnishes and other finishes that are illegal to use now in the US.
I discovered this practice by scouring the internet for everything I order online, but I didn’t know the name. Thank you for this post! The first time I realized this was going on was when I ordered a console table from Perigold for nearly 1k and then found the exact same piece on another sight for half price, even the reviews were the same! I called Perigold to cancel my order but they ended up giving it to me for half price because the other retailer (I think it was All Modern) was part of the same company but Perigold is marketed for a higher end customer. So it pays to shop around. As Nick said, look for specs, country of origin, and I would add reviews before making a purchase. Thanks Nick, this kind of content makes you stand out above the rest.
Surmised that when I saved thousands buying my leather sofa's from a furniture store instead of the same leather sofa's from Pottery Barn. Same look, same scale, still holding up like new 6 years later. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.
Yep. I’ve found a lot of their pieces at Wayfair. Always worth doing an image search if you find something you like at PB to see if you can find a better price.
I just bought my son chairs from Amazon for 69 bucks a chair and found them on another site for 69 for set of two for a client for staging. They came in and were in the same exact box, same manufacture. They are the same exact chairs. So when I shopped for the breakfast table I did a lot of research and found the table for 250 instead of 600+ on other sites. It came in and it was the exact table! It pays to shop around if you have the time. I just did this for bathroom fixtures Delta. The same exact faucett was priced from 69-359 each and shower/tub set was 119-529. It is so crazy to me and the worst part is when you do buy and then you get ads (from cookies) telling you that you could have bought it for less.
PB can up-charge because of how they market their merch--the store has soft lighting, etc. Years ago I went to a PB outlet (in Ohio)--when you see that same stuff stacked up on a cement floor under harsh fluorescent lights, you realize it's really not that great.
It’s also helpful when you have been eyeing a piece at one retailer for awhile and they choose not to carry it anymore. I was looking at a specific iron side table at Crate and Barrel for awhile and wouldn’t you know it when I was finally ready to purchase it they no longer carried it. I happened to do some digging and found the exact same table at Burke Decor and wouldn’t you know it.. it was around $150 cheaper (and more with a coupon code)
Oh interesting Crate and Barrel! It's tough for me because I suggest products all the time but I can't guarantee every link or image I use is from the cheapest place. I hope this gives people the info to shop around.
Luckily I live near a Crate and barrel outlet. The furniture is 50% off and each week it's marked down an additional 10% until it's 80% off. I was able to buy a $2000.00 couch for $400.00.
Hello, how was your experience shopping with Burke Decor? I just placed an order for a TV stand but then I saw so many negative reviews online about the company calling it scam. Now I'm worried.
The only caution I would add is to include shipping costs in comparisons. They can even out some differences. I’ve seen sellers have “specials” with free shipping, only to realize they’ve added the shipping costs to the special price! It is the same overall cost as the day before the sale! Creative accounting!
Slightly related anekdote. I used to work in a shop with home appliances and parts etc. and so often we’d get customers that came in for something but we wouldn’t have it in stock so I’d have to order it (might take a few days). When I told them the price they said they saw it cheaper online and leave. Most noteworthy was a part that costed 1,49 in my shop and 0,99 online. I told them to take into account shipping costs, but they left anyway. Next day they came back to order through me because the extra 5 bucks shipping just wasn’t worth it…
When I took interior design classes in college, one of our assignments was to go to different stores and find exact same products and compare prices. Wow was I shocked at that time. But it makes sense. In a free market, anyone can charge whatever they want as long as they have buyers that will pay the price. We buyers just have to know that and do our due diligence. 💕
So true. My sister in law always talking about how great something she has is and she bought at William Sonoma and how much it cost. I say, I have the same product bought at, kohls, Amazon or wayfare for much less.. for people who buy at high end stores,it’s all about the prestige.
I remember the first time I learned about this by accident shopping for a couch. We went into a place that sold mid grade furniture to browse and found one we liked and then for fun went into a high end store, WAY out of our budget but just for fun, walked back to the couches and found the EXACT same couch for almost double the price. I was floored.
So true. I was at a retailer last week and took a photo of the tag with the information on it for the side table that was just under $800.00. After checking this out, I found the identical one online for just under $500.00. I was disappointed that the store I was at were charging that much of an increase. Now you have given me the understanding. Also, this high end retailer a couple of years ago had a Christmas ornament for $10.00 each. The identical, and I mean identical ones I had then came across a couple of days later at the Dollar store were for $1.25 each. I bought it to compare. It's buyer beware! Thanks for your great videos! 💯
A reason for the higher price may be the lower volume they purchase from the factory or higher logistic rates they get from their freight forwarders. (IF they carry inventory themselves)
Invaluable! Reminded me of an old expression (30 years ago) from Italian designers when faced with a complete fail of furniture design: Paint It black and Send it to America.
I worked 25 years in makeup - most people don't realize that most of your makeup on the market, is really only made by a handful of manufacturers world wide. Those manufacturers will often times have side labels where they repackage a brands makeup and sell it for much cheaper.
There's also the insane amount of drop shipping that exists online. So many website sell "cutting edge" furniture and home decor that's straight up drop shipped from aliexpress.
This is 100% true Nick. I used to work for a large home accessory importer and would work with the buyers for these companies all the time . Also, don’t trust that the nice wood item you’re getting from some far away land isn’t coming with an infestation of termites.
@@hopefulmonsters4407 i've heard about this too. my professor gota rug in another country bought it back and found his wool rug got eaten by moths!! the bug lays eggs on them in the warehouse and they get warmed up and hatch when they arrive to you 😑
I can't believe the prices of the Indonesian banana bark woven chair. I been to Indonesia a half a dozen times, and furniture is incredibly cheap. Many Australians get it shipped back home, including myself. I also worked for a cane furniture importer who brought container loads of rattan from the Philippines as well as other countries. Prices can vary immensely on the quantity purchased. Naturally retailers that can fill containers will get better prices. You're absolutely right in advising people to shop around. Thanks Nick for your fabulous peak behind the curtain.
This happens in many industries too. Household consumables (like packaged food, toiletries, same stuff from same factory in different packaging), fashion, appliances, etc
I recently purchased the Pottery Barn Dolores console and desk from Burke Decor for a fraction of the price. White glove delivery, perfect condition, arrived quickly and they have a nice rewards program. So not only did I save money on the furniture, I was able to turn around and get a couple hundred bucks off a new area rug for my master bedroom. I highly recommend them!
World Market carries step down versions of many styles carried by Crate and Barrel not only furnishings but dinnerware too. Good to remember to carefully consider that some retailers offer “similar” pieces but they may be smaller in scale or more cheaply constructed.
Furnitures are usually not shipped from the retailer’s inventory you buy from but from OEM’s warehouse. Lighting, toilet, counter, cabinets, flooring retailers also do the same, contracting manufacturers to sell their products under retailer’s name.
This makes perfect sense. We downsized so I am done with furniture shopping for a while. But the concept is similar to other items, power tools as an example. Same manufacturer, different labels, different color, different prices yet the exact same equipment. It definitely pays to do some research and shop around.
I noticed this too with a counter stool I bought. Found at three places: Urban Barn - Emmory Counter Stool $449CAD Pottery Barn - Perkins Counter Stool $858CAD McGee & Co - Moore Stool $700USD So strange! I’m so glad I bought them at Urban Barn before the price hike at $399CAD lol My wife and I started noticing this with a lot of products, thanks for explaining a lot of this Nick!
Yes!!!! My husband wonders what I do on line all day when I'm getting ready to make a purchase. My armchairs, lamps and bakers rack were wildly different prices for the same thing. I did my due diligence and combed the descriptions because sometimes I was amazed that with the price difference it could be the same product but it was. When I saw the title of the video I KNEW this was what you were going to talk about. So glad you brought it into the light. Although to someone like me for whom shopping is an art form, I caught on a while ago. Good to be affirmed!
I’ve seen this phenomenon on Wayfair. Actually we just got a new bed frame and went with one they had listed under two different brands, but they looked exactly the same. We went with the more expensive one because I figured the other was a knockoff/ scam 😢
I’ve not used Spoken, but I think the Pinterest shopping feature does something similar. I’ve picked up some home decor pieces for about 30-50% less than I would have if I’d gone with the option at a more well known store - same initials as “peanut butter”.😉 If in doubt about whether an item is or is not a white-label piece, most retailers will note an in-house design as “exclusive” to them. It may still be made by the same factory that does the white-label goods, but some detail will be unique to that retailer - color, fabric, leg style, etc.
I found Pinterest always giving me the expensive options so I do image search most of the time. I live in Germany so maybe it's a bit different since it seems like the US has lots of chain stores and brands.
I avoid shopping on Pinterest. The ads are already irritating and make browsing a chore and the few times I did browse the shopping tab, I ended up with a feed full of more useless ads. I’m steadily moving away from that site and only use it to access pins I’ve already saved.
So glad you’re talking about this! I do take pride in following the trail to the best price for the same product. Eg the Eiffel Rocker Chair that I got at a great price from Modholic. Well done (again), Nick!
I have so much respect for you in this video. Having been a former RH designer for 7 years, I can confirm that there is a lot of work by in house design teams who research and build the brand. I had the pleasure of meeting Timothy Oulton and listen to him talk about the Cloud Sofa concept that a lot of other vendors have duped. I've been working as a commercial and educational interior designer for the past 7 years so I've seen a lot of sides of the industry as a result. I think it's an interesting topic you've highlighted and it really gives the average consumer a way to navigate their purchases - especially furniture and decor where the market is just dodgy in my opinion. It pays off to do the research when you're making the investment pieces (I liked one of the comments by Stathis talking about top 3 items to invest - 100%!). We've grown so much as a global market that it's sometimes overwhelming to weed through all the brands but again, your content helps shine a light for a lot of people.
I've been shopping furniture like this for years but you have to be careful and check the shipping charges, a lot of times the ones who are cheaper charge for shipping and it ends up costing the same or even more
Other industries do this too. In the beauty industry, its called "private labeling". Crown manufacturers is one of the biggest factories for it. There was a huge scandal some years back when people realized Morphe products and Crown products were all identical but Morphe cost more. At least with OTC medications, buying the store brand means you're buying one formulary older than buying name brand. This doesn't particularly matter for items that the formulary doesn't change like single ingredient medications... but for things with multiple active ingredients, it can make a difference. It also happens in the clothing industry with mass market labels. You can find the same clothing from different online retailers for radically different prices sometimes. I think Amazon is a really great place to see this in action. I recently found the same collapsible toy tote (for a baby shower gift) in the same print and dimensions and fabric and country of origin from about a dozen store fronts. Because its Amazon, they're all within the same price range or they couldn't compete with each other... but I imagine the same item could be at Target for a similar price but some bougie baby boutique for double or triple the price.
Your comment about medications reminded me of what my doctor once told me about generics. She said they are legally allowed to have a 10% difference (from the name brand med) in active ingredients. This means you could get 10% less in one pill and 10% more in the next pill, or batch of pills.
@@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane That's not just true of generics vs brands though. That's batch to batch. So that can be just as true with one lot of brand name versus a different lot of the brand name. They are all allowed to have some variation above or below the target amount. You will never get a perfect recipe every time. Brand name pills are not magically free from variation in ingredient quantities.
I used to work for two different furniture stores and both sold "Four Hands" pieces and I know that we sold the same pieces at both stores at different price points. Now some of that may have been that the wholesale price went up. On a different note, I have a friend who used to work for a very large necktie manufacturer and they would do similar things. Making ties that could be bought by different retailers who would put their own labels on them. So it was completely possible that the Saks 5th Ave tie that you paid $100 could also be sold at Kohls for $20. The funniest part was they cost about $2 to $5 a piece to make.
This was good to hear from you. I had figured this out a while ago with the intense price shopping that I do. The price differences can be quite substantial.
Thank you for this! I remember shopping for specific furniture items and found the exact same thing but at different price points! I just assumed the lower priced items were knock-offs LOL. What's that they say about a fool and their money? 🤣 Thanks for educating me! 🥰 Love you & your channel.
Oh my god, I always wondered why when browsing for something specific on Amazon, I'd find the EXACT SAME ITEM sold by like 10 different companies. I thought I was crazy 🤣🤣 Thank you for this tip. :)
You are not crazy. That is extremely common at retailers that have independent sellers in their platform like Ebay, Walmart, Wayfair, Aliexpress and many more, competing with the same items for your attention.
Great video! i hope people understand that of course this goes beyond just the decor market as far as reselling goes. Think about the cable tv or internet "authorized retailer" in rural towns etc., the internet has just allowed us to access more than one of these retailers at a time
Yes! I find out about this now that I’m furnishing my first own apartment. We got our dining chairs and bar chairs from Amazon for half the price of what we were finding in local, physical retailers (here in the UK). Even on Amazon itself, the same chairs were coming in different prices. It was such an eye-opening experience.
A HUGE thank you for this video! I have been trying to find a way to explain this to my elderly mom who shops excessively for home decor and furniture. She always spends more than she should. Also, she likes RU-vid videos and anything interior design. Now I can send her this video link. You have just made my life easier and gained a new follower because I'm sure she will love you. Thanks again!
in Denver we used to have a warehouse furniture outlet that sold name brand modern furniture, great pieces when MCM was making it's 21st Century Return, Miller, Knoll, etc. I don't know what happened, maybe it was the factory making the 'name brand' items that went under or maybe they got busted for copyright. anyway, it was good while it lasted, my partner and I furnished a living room and main bedroom for under $1000. It's all excellent quality 22 years later we still have the pieces.
This video got me subscribing and now I’m addicted! I thought it was to design videos, but I quickly became upset when I started branching out to other creators. Perhaps they are good at what they do, but Nick’s approach informs me without trying to make me change anything in my house (except the boob lamps. They bothered me before but I ignored it. Now they drive me nuts and I’ll replace them!) I really appreciate the approach and find the videos kind, fun, and relaxing as well as informative!
I'm not surprised about this because back in the 1990s, I took a marketing course by a woman who had worked for L'Oréal. (Not an interior design example, but business is business and corporations all work the same way). L'Oreal owned Lancome, a pricier brand. The cosmetics all came out of the exact same vat . . . some were marketed as a drug store brand, L'Oréal, and others as the fancy brand Lancôme. Exact same product.
I am not surprised that there is such a difference in furniture prices that are the same thing. I know that this is true for large appliances, small countertop appliances and even computer equipment. Return policies, after purchase upkeep and delivery prices do factor in a lot for purchasing at one site or another. But it does pay to do one's research when investing in an item of home goods as you can find a good price for something that you may be keeping and using for years.
This is my favorite video from you yet! 🙌🏼 I JUST bought a staging business and this information is going to save me SO. MUCH. MONEY. Thank you a million times!!!
I've found several West Elm pieces through different sellers at significantly lower prices under different article names. West Elm 100% does white label.
Yes, it’s always good to keep in mind when shopping for furniture that very little of what you find online is “exclusive” to any particular retailer. It’s always worth checking to see if there is a better price elsewhere, especially it the item seems overpriced for what it is. I’ve saved a lot of money doing this.
It pays to go thrifting. 100% of my mid century furniture came from thrift stores around my area here in Oregon. For example yesterday I found a Lane 8 drawer dresser in great condition for $29.99 at Goodwill. Do I need another dresser...no but I will use it as a credenza in my living room for storage ( utensils, towels, plates etc.). I found the SAME dresser on Ebay and Facebook market going for $1,200. I just hope and pray my second hand items are not haunted. Another great video Nick, well done.
Love thrifting. Even if your items are haunted, you get more value for your ghost than if you had purchased something similar at a fancy estate sale. 👻
I find this to be true with a lot of coffee tables and lamps. I was eyeing the Stephe Glass table lamp from PB but I didn't want to spend $180 for a lamp when I need 2. I found the exact same lamp at Target for $120 (it's the Marina Tall table lamp). All Modern is also notorious for this. I find a lot of their coffee/side tables on Lowes or Home Depot which is much more accessible for returns.
Those high end retailers that have designers etc have no sale clause with manufacturers of extra stock in their country. I used to work for the store that is known by two initials. Extra unsold stock items would sell to TJMaxx for Export. So, I would see the same chairs/lamps, decor etc here in Canada at Homesense: Same manufacturer, same materials, same everything. My kitchen light was cheaper there than my staff discount at the store! Post COVID- not seeing the same.
Thank you for providing a website to help with this. I knew about white labeling as it occurs in other industries but it can be daunting to try to go through the internet comparing products to see if they're the same.
Wow! I mean I sort of knew about this, but not at all to the extent you just shared. I thought Lulu and Georgia was designing and manufacturing all of their own stuff. They’re just really freaking good at marketing. But to their credit, they can style and photograph pieces in a way that makes me want to buy them, whereas I wouldn’t necessarily pay a passing glance from somewhere else that just has it photographed on a boring white background. So, there is value in that which is what you were saying.
Glad you made that point. There is value to what they're doing - the photography and the brand etc. Assuming that matters to the consumer of course - to some it does and to some it doesn't.
With some retailers, they are so good at choosing the best pieces and showcasing them well, that you don’t have to do the curating. You are paying them to curate, if that makes sense.
A quick way to find these white label items from various websites and various pricepoints is to download or screencap the first or second photo of the product, then do an image search. The most affordable websites will NOT spend money taking new pictures of the product.
I knew about a lot of privately labeling going on in the beauty industry, especially with hair tools, but I didn’t realize this was so heavily done with furniture and decor. I know that a lot of times Amazon will see an item selling and make their own version of it, but I didn’t think much beyond thau.
This is one of the best videos on home decor I have seen, thank you for saving me hundreds of dollars lol. I usually use google picture and shop, but this helps me more in deciding. Im an instant follower.
This stuff always frustrates me to no end, mostly because one of peoples favourite things to say about capitalism is that it fosters creativity and the free market creates competition which creates better products, when really most companies get their products from the same factory, add a whole bunch of middle-men, mark up the price, and make it so that the actual workers who made th product get paid next to nothing for their hard labour. Great video, its good that people continue to expose this stuff
SOOOO glad you did this video! I'm currently in the process of building my home and will need to purchase almost an entire house full of furniture. Definitely going to need the savings! Thank you, Nick!
Love the nuts and bolts topics. White labeling is common across many retail and b2b industries -- food, software, backpacks, other home goods, etc. Sometimes it comes with added value as a service, as you said, and sometimes it's just a way for "middleman" to jack up prices.
I started to notice this years ago when I was buying a lot of furniture for my house and I had no idea that this was the name for it. I noticed that the ones that I have purchased that are this type have not lasted and so we've transitioned to buying from furniture companies who we know are not doing this. There is one location in particular in the state I live in Virginia and it is called Greenfront Furniture. We got a Paul Robert sofa and a Sam Moore chair and both are Furniture companies who produce in the US. We also have Bernhardt furniture now and we got our kitchen table and chairs from an Amish furniture store which was fun because we got to custom make it. Also antiques are very prevalent in the house and so we have found really great ways to stop buying white labeled furniture
When I find something I like, I put the name and description out on the internet and sometimes am able to find the exact same item for less money from another retailer. So now I understand why. Thanks for posting this, Nick.
Just had this “White Label” thing happen to me! I had bought a runner from Wayfair a while ago for $73. Then I found THE EXACT same rug on the TJMaxx website for $29.99.
Yes, I often see home goods at TK Maxx that I am sure are the same as what I’ve seen at wayfair, Maisons du Monde and more. And Tk Maxx is usually way cheaper, like half or even a quarter of the price. If there is an item I’m seeing pop up everywhere on websites, there’s a good chance I’ll see it in tk Maxx too.
I work in marketing and there are several explantations about diferent prices for the same product: 1- Asociated costs in the retailer. If the retailer runs an expensive ad campain, their stores are located in the best part of town, etc it can increse prices. 2- Margins. how much the retailer gain in each piece? 20-40-60%? 3- What's the real price of the product? this is a tricky one. I live in Argentina, 67% inflation this year (yeah, is hard, don't complain about your economy american/canadian friend 😀 ) so for us is hard to know how much things really cost. Inflation is, in part, an emotional effect. Retailers try to guess a price today that can have their company buying more inventory in the future. That sofá you see in a store as a new arrival today, was purchased 8 months ago in China. There is other effect in prices not related to inflation. Is, in fact almost the opposite: prices are below the market. Imagine a retailer is closing his store forever and it needs to get rid of their products so it lists them 20-40-60% off. When you go to Amazon you see only the price, not the story behind it. Other situations may be the need for quick cash, so the company runs an agressive sale; or the need for the space for New arrivals. 4- Price point is a way to chose your target. Yes, that piece is the same in store A and store B, but store B carries an exclusive vibe and store A is more casual. I have a client who owns several bars in my city, one of them is located in the most expensive area and the clients ask for highier prices in order to keep the area just affordable for the locals. There are a lot of other differences that you, as a customer, can't see. Digital marketplaces are very hard for retailers, they see their profits shrinks every day because the lowest price is percived as the "fair price" for everybody and usually it isn't the case.
Yup totally - this sometimes gets thrown around as a "scam" and I don't think it is. There is a lot that can go into the price point as I said in the video.
Wayfair... definitely doesn't "take back" everything. They may refund or reship but I ended up with three huge 50lb boxes with a partial bed frame inside it because they kept just shipping out replacements and told me to donate the "partial" frame , which ended up costing me to pay someone to transport and dump
Hi Nick, I never see anyone talk about Urban Barn. I buy a lot from there, many locations in Toronto. What are your thoughts on this retailer? For awhile they were so heavy into the grey and rustic that I stopped going there and became interested in Structube . Urban Barn has finally picked up their game again. Great video as usual Nick, I always look forward to them. By the way Brooklinen is not shipping to Canada in the next while
I don't love their stuff but I also find it challenging to recommend Canadian retailers that only ship here because my audience is 90%+ outside Canada. I do talk about them on IG sometimes. I actually love Simons, Article, Rove Concepts, Sundays and even Indigo for decor as my Canadian faves.
Interesting. And it doesn't surprise me at all. But I just don't buy furniture online, period. If I can't put my hands on it, it's a no. This is also explains why retailers are able to slash prices on their merchandise. I wonder what the wholesale prices are...
It’s been over 40 years ago but I remember my parents worked with a decorator when they had our new house built. He wound up taking them into the city to the showrooms for the living & dining room pieces. After picking out the fabric they were sent out to be made. It took forever but that stuff lasted. One of those homes that basically only used those rooms on holidays
Super interesting, I love the Eames chair from John Lewis but it is over £400 which is ridiculously high for one chair, when I needed six of them. So I got a cheap knock off at
Hi Nick, I love your channel, and I often ask myself, "what would Nick do?" Now maybe I can return your many favors... I also search Amazon for furniture I've located elsewhere. Many times, I have avoided paying shipping and return charges because I am a Prime member. There is however a time limit on the return window. Peace and love, Peebo
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO! With little effort, I found identical box planters at Wayfair that were, on average, 30% of Pottery barn prices-specifically, the difference was $124 (small), $215 (medium); $337 (large). I checked every detail, material, capacity, dimensions, and the photos were the same. I’m purchasing 4 of these, so am saving from $860 (medium) - $1,348 (large). (Big fan of your show.)
Grocery store chains do this as well. There are obvious things like Zehrs vs No Frills (same parent company), but also within the same store brand. So you will see a Zehrs in one city charging more than another city for the same items, or even within a city, depending on the area. *Shop smart! Don't fall for their shenanigans!*
Down here in Australia, I found this to be 100% correct. Over the past 18 months I have been curating, purchasing and storing almost a whole house of furniture for our new build (it’s almost ready!). I have done most of it online - I found Google images to be a great tool for this! Once I found the piece I wanted, I searched for it on Google Images & Google Lens (sometimes they don’t change the name or images at all) which brought up all the retailers that sold the same piece at very different prices. I did this for sideboards, console tables, mirrors, dining chairs, dining table, entertainment unit, homewares & decor items. I will say the NEXT step was to check the SHIPPING costs. Some would be cheaper by $$$ but then their shipping charges were $$ more than a competitor. So, I did lots of homework before I hit purchase. Online stores that had ‘white labeled furn’ I ordered from T&W, Lux Street, Shine Mirrors, Brosa, Attica House, Notbrand, LivingStyles & Calibre Furniture so they either were cheaper in general or had the cheaper shipping charges so were cheaper overall for that specific item. The pieces I bought from West Elm & Freedom (sofa, armchairs, wall unit, consoles, area rug, bookshelf) were exclusive to them as Nick said. Thank you for another excellent video!
Loved this show! It's so useful when you're buying the big, important articles of furniture (think appliances?). One important thing to remember is to include the cost of extras - what do they charge, if anything, for shipping and set-up? What's their return policy? What do they do if the furniture cracks or tears or something like that (a warranty, really) and for how long? All of that costs and it's all local costs. And remember that there may be a reason why you want to buy from a retailers, like Restoration Hardware, who design and manufacture their own furniture. Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Nick. So often I have found products that look identical to something else and assumed the less costly product was some how inferior. You have changed how I will shop!
I noticed this ages ago, after going for a lampshade and started seeing it on 7 or 8 different websites at varying prices. Also to note is the Ikea/Habitat relationship. Many Habitat items are rebranded IKEA items.
I'd love for you to talk about the molding on your walls: my eye is always drawn to the molding on your walls and I always wonder, "how would that work in my space?"--mid-century, nondescript, condo conversion. Like, how much is enough? how much is too much? Esp when you have an open floor plan typical of this era of building.
