As of August 2023, there are over 175 online mattress companies in the US. And while it seems counterintuitive to buy a mattress you’ve never seen in person, much less tested, people are doing it. In fact, a survey by the International Sleep Products Association reported that 45% of mattresses sold in 2022 were purchased online, up from the previous year.

The concept is genius. Buy a mattress without going to multiple stores, fighting traffic, dealing with pushy salespeople, haggling over pricing, or inviting strangers into your bedroom for installation. In fact, you can go through the entire process in your pajamas. So with consumers buying in at an all-time high, why shouldn’t you?

There are so many companies, with little to no difference in products, and the vast majority don’t make their own. They create the website and the marketing, and buy the product from someone else. 40% of these mattresses are made by the same manufacturer. There are only about 4 manufacturers that make all of them. A lot of these products get returned or consumers buy once and then never come back. Why? It’s really hard to get it right when you buy online. If you’re weighing buying your next mattress online, here are a few reasons why you may want to reconsider:

1. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IT FEELS

It seems obvious, but choosing a mattress is all about finding the right feel. Comfort and support are a matter of opinion. If one mattress fit all, we’d all only make one mattress. However, that’s not the case and finding a mattress that fits you is easiest when you can actually lay on them. Descriptions of mattresses just don’t do enough. I’m very familiar with raw materials, types and densities of foams, types of fiber and quilt patterns, yet it would be nearly impossible for me to understand based on descriptions what a mattress would feel like. Will it be comfortable or not? Buying and unpacking and installing is your only way to try it. In Holder Mattress showrooms you will find models of our entire line to test, compare side to side and you may even take a nap if you wish.

2. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT’S IN IT OR WHERE IT’S FROM

Mattress materials are highly regulated for flame retardancy. However, companies only have to make them flame retardant enough, they don’t have to disclose how they do it. Toxic chemicals, known carcinogens and other inferior methods are often used to accomplish this. You could be sleeping on dangerous materials and not know it. Also, a significant amount of these mattresses and foams are imported. The imported materials are often full of dangerous pesticides to kill any insects or rodents from successfully immigrating into the US. The point is, you don’t know exactly what materials are in these mattresses or even where they come from. At Holder Mattress we will tell you about every raw material we use, why we use it and where in THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA it is made. Everything is non-toxic, nothing is imported. Click here to find out more and see a list of materials and their state of origin.

3. YOU COMPROMISE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Pointing and clicking is something we are all pretty good at these days, but figuring out what to buy, finding answers to your questions and receiving educated guidance is not part of the scenario. Sometimes an online company will provide a chat box for support in making your purchase, but often the person (if it is a person) on the other end of the chat is outsourced, lives in another country, has never seen or felt any of the mattresses being sold and is only there to provide canned answers that may or may not address your questions. At Holder Mattress, we expect you to keep your mattress for many years, so we want to help you make the best selections. Our staff is factory-trained, sleep on our products, have first hand knowledge of how they are made and of what materials, understand construction and support options, and are tuned in to help answer questions you may not even know you have. We can guide you through choosing the mattress that is best for your budget, sleeping position and comfort. We talk with you about depth, bed frame and box spring options, bedding and linens, care and maintenance, delivery and setup, and anything else that might come up. Plus, we’ve been around for over 70 years, so if you ever need service in the future, we (actual humans) will be here to help.

4. YOU WONT GET A BETTER DEAL, EVEN IF YOU GET A CHEAPER PRICE

I’ve found that most people believe that they can get a mattress at a better price when they buy online. While it may be true that you can get a mattress cheaper online in some cases, you typically get what you pay for. As I mentioned before, these products aren’t factory direct. The mattresses are produced by a different company than the online company you are buying from. While they aren’t paying to be a brick and mortar store (and trust me, their e-commerce expenses and marketing budgets can often cost more than a physical location), they are still a middle man, marking up the product before selling it to you. At Holder Mattress, we are the factory. There is no middle man. We build it, we sell it. You get a much higher value product because no one is taking a cut in the middle.

5. YOU HAVE TO HANDLE SETUP AND DISPOSAL

Probably the most difficult part about the bed-in-a-box is the “delivery” portion of the experience. Someone drops off a cumbersome and heavy box on your doorstep. It’s up to you to drag it to your bedroom, maybe up a flight of stairs or two, unbox, position on your bed, unroll, remove from the vacuum packaging, flatten out and wait. At Holder Mattress, we do all the heavy lifting and more. You simply open the door and point us toward the bedroom. Our factory-trained staff will ensure your bed frame has the proper support, and address it or make suggestions. They will do all of the setup, including placing your bed skirt if needed. They remove all of the waste, including your old mattress set and dispose of that for you. Those online companies definitely won’t assist in disposal and often getting rid of a mattress is difficult and expensive.

I understand the appeal, but I encourage you to resist temptation. After all, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Stop in to a Holder Mattress showroom and experience the difference for yourself. Plus, you can still shop with us in your pajamas- we love that!

Lauren Taylor, The MattressGrl, is the President and Owner of Holder Mattress Co., Inc., and an actual human. She loves discussing all things mattress with really anyone willing to listen. She can be found in our Carmel Location most days (possibly wearing pajamas) and can always be reached at ltaylor@holdermattress.com

About the author : Lauren Taylor

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