How To Buy a Mattress Online: A Comprehensive Guide to At-Home Mattress Shopping

August 06, 2022

Introduction

Mattress shopping can be tough. Not only are there a lot of different stores, but there are also a lot of different mattresses.

So you do some research... find out about the different types of mattresses - maybe foam, or pocket coil? And the worst part is, you don't want to go store after store trying display mattress after display mattress. Who knows how many people tried them... even just that day!

It's frustrating, you're running low on options and your current mattress is lumpy, sinking and has a bad attitude. Now what? You look to your last option, online mattress stores.

If you thought mattress shopping in person was confusing, wait till you see how online mattress shopping is! Aside from the seemingly hundreds of options for each style of mattress, tons of information is thrown at you and it can be hard to sift through and read it all. As hard as it is to find the right mattress, it's even harder knowing which company you can trust. Will they delivery on time? Will they bring the mattress to your bedroom? Will they give you what you ordered? And the list goes on.

Don't get me wrong, as much as there are negatives about shopping online, there are even more positives. At EzySleep we've created this comprehensive guide to online mattress shopping. We'll cover everything: from finding the perfect mattress, to avoiding getting taken of advantage of.

Advantages Of Online Shopping

Though it may seem intimidating, online mattress shopping can be a wonderful experience. Not only could find really good quality mattresses, you can often find them at really affordable prices.

A lot of online mattress businesses don't have physical stores, so they save on showroom overhead costs and can price their mattresses lower as a result. The convenience is a huge factor; swaying buyers to go online and with just a couple clicks of a button, could order a mattress direct to bedroom without ever leaving the house.

When shopping online you can take your time, research all mattresses thoroughly, and not have to feel pressured by pushy salespeople trying to earn a better commission. Online stores are also a convenient way for a mattress warehouse to bypass retail costs and just sell the mattress at wholesale prices directly to consumers.

Disadvantages Of Online Shopping

Now let's talk about the downsides. It's always good to arm yourself with knowledge knowing the dangers of online shopping and we'd be doing you a disservice if we didn't cover the negatives.

For starters, you should always be wary of scamming websites. These websites will often have really good mattresses at questionably cheap prices. If you're unlucky enough to purchase a mattress from such a website, you could either end up with a totally different mattress than what you ordered and they're avoiding your calls, or worse, the website mysteriously disappears and you can't get your money back. Even with legitimate companies, you have to do extra research to find the perfect mattress. All that extra online work vs. simply sitting on a display mattress and knowing how it feels.

Lastly as pesky as some salespeople can be when trying to push a sale, a lot of them are quite knowledgeable and can be helpful. Of course you might run into someone who is misinformed. Though all this can sound a little discouraging, fear not! That's why we made this guide so you're fully armed with the knowledge you need when buying your new perfect mattress.

How To Tell If The Online Mattress Store

Before you start getting serious in your search for your mattress and pick the company you want to purchase from, it would be prudent to confirm the authenticity of the website and business. To assist with this, we've broken down the things you should look out for in this quick checklist, to make sure you're buying from a reputable source.

When you call, can you speak to a human?

Sometimes even with research it's still nice to be able to speak to someone and have them give you their professional opinion to help you choose a mattress.

Does the company have a mission statement?

It's good to see that the company you're trusting has an actual purpose; they have some sort of connection to their product and are emotionally invested in their business. We don't know about you, but honesty and transparency can give some sense of security before clicking that checkout button.

Do they have a believable "about us" and backstory?

Aside from mission statement, it's also good to get a little information about the people behind the company, such as their history, their experiences. Some companies even include a little personal blurb about the owners, or even a photo directory of all employees.

Do they have social media?

Having a little social proof is good to reassure confidence in purchases. If a company has social media such as Facebook, Instagram, etc, it shows they are trying to reach their potential customers on a more personal level and also have an outlet to connect with them beyond the Point of Sale.

Are they active on their social media?

Having a social media is great, but what really reassures confidence is when it's active. We don't mean the amount of followers or likes, but with even and frequent content posting. A simple Instagram story of someone on a delivery run or even a photo of the warehouse go a long way.

Do they have active blogs and release informative content often?

Companies that post blogs on their websites relating to their business or products really show their expertise and knowledge in their field. It also shows they have an active passion for their work and are willing to freely share knowledge.

Do their products have unique detailed descriptions?

A good indicator of whether a business is legit or not is in their product pages. If they have generic repetitive writing, very low description or low quality pictures, it's likely that it is sketchy.

Do they have any reviews?

Even if just a few, reviews are a great indicator of a well running business. And you know what, most people don't even leave reviews! So the small percentage that go out of their way to leave them can also reassure you. It's good to note that the reviews themselves should be properly read to make sure they don't sound like a bot.

Do they have an FAQ section?

A good FAQ page is really convenient in providing necessary customer information for common questions like delivery time, delivery detail, warranty, etc.

How To Decide On A Mattress Online

After you find a website or business you like and want to give a try, it's time for the next challenge: choosing the right mattress for you.

Choosing a mattress is tough online, one of the biggest downfalls being that you don't get to physically try out the mattress before purchasing. But don't get discouraged, we made this guide to not only help you choose the perfect mattress, but also what to do in the event you pick the wrong one.

Here are a few tools to help you choose the perfect mattress for your needs:

Quality Product Descriptions - Detailed product descriptions are a requirement when buying something remotely. Having all the specifications, functions, benefits and negatives of a mattress laid out for you are a must in order to make a well informed choice.

Clear Pictures or Diagrams - Having proper high quality pictures or diagrams is a good way to see what you're getting and the quality of the product.

Highlighted Key Points - Before you find a mattress you're interested in you want to scan a few mattresses to see if any interest you. Having general bullet points of key points or a highlighted list of them is always convenient to have when deciding.

Firmness Feel Meter - A really good tool to help you buy mattresses online is some sort of firmness meter. Usually a 1 - 10 or a low to high scale shows on a meter relative to their other mattress how firm your selection is.

Sleep Position Highlighter - Having a good indication of how the mattress is beneficial to your sleeping position really helps when deciding which mattress to buy.

User Experience - Product pages that have a section that demonstrates how a person would feel using the mattress or even having some reviews from previous customers really helps personalize the mattress you're seeing online and envisioning how you would feel using it.

Blogs - Many online stores will have blog sections that go into further detail about their products or terminology like pocket coil, hybrid, foam mattress, etc.

Quizzes - Even with all these tools, if you're still finding difficulty choosing the right mattress, some websites will have quizzes that ask you personalized questions about your sleeping habits and preferences, and build up a list of mattress recommendations likely to suit you.

What's The Right Firmness For Your Mattress?

The biggest factor websites use to differentiate their mattresses is the firmness. Yeah, you have mattress types like hybrid, foam and pocket coil, but generally the' main concern is with how hard or soft a mattress is.

Some may generally assume that foam mattresses are softer and pocket coil mattresses are firmer, but lately technology for mattresses has advanced quite far. You can even manipulate any type of mattress to be any level of firm.

Of course it's difficult to assess a mattress without physically sitting on it, but most online companies have gotten really good at describing their product's feel and comfort.

As a general rule of thumb you can base your firmness requirements by your sleeping position. If you like to sleep on your back you may prefer a firmer mattress, one that supports your back so you don't sink or lose good posture. If you sleep on your side, you may want some absorption so that your shoulder and arm can sink in a little bit and your spine remains straight throughout. If you're predominantly a stomach sleeper, you may prefer a softer mattress that allows a lot of absorption so your chest, stomach and thighs can sink in enough to keep your body straight throughout the night.

Illustration of proper support and contouring depending on sleep posture.

Now these are general guidelines, every sleeper is unique and may prefer a specific firmness of their mattress. For this reason, mattress companies will usually have some sort of exchange policy until you find your right match.

What Are The Different Types Of Mattresses?

There are 3 main types of mattress sold in retail, and those are: foam mattress, pocket coil/spring mattress, and some sort of hybrid mattress.

By sold in retail, I mean most commonly available in stores and online.

Of course there are all sorts of mattresses out there, like hay, cotton, feather, even horse hair! But for the purpose of this general article, let's stick to the main 3.

Foam Mattress: Foam has a plushier feel than pocket coil and uses different densities of foam to create differing firmness feeling mattresses. With foam you have more contouring support as the foam folds and reaches the natural curves and crevices of your body but still support you evenly throughout.

Pocket Coil Mattress: Pocket coil has a more bouncy feel than foam and uses different types of coils and springs throughout the mattress to create different firmness levels. Pocket coil mattresses tend to have even firmness throughout the bed giving more buoyant support throughout the body indiscriminately.

Hybrid Mattress: Hybrid technology isn't exactly new but the advancements in hybrid mattresses in the last few years has exploded. Having both the buoyant foundation of pocket coils and foam to contour around your body creates very specialized and unique support. Though in theory the hybrid mattress sounds the best, it's again not for everyone, as some people will enjoy having either foam or coil for personal reasons.

Comfort Toppers: A lot of mattress companies will add extra comfort layers like memory foam, latex gel, and plush foam to optimize support and regulate body temperatures, and honestly they work quite well. We'll have more in-depth articles going into further detail about every aspect of mattresses as we grow.

How Long Does A Mattress Take To Deliver?

How you get your mattress depends on where it comes from. If you're buying domestic then you can expect to get your mattress within a week. A local mattress shop would have their mattresses delivered within a couple weeks as most of ones on display are Canadian-made mattresses. Even though many are manufactured locally, Toronto mattress components sometimes go out of stock which could cause an unusual delay.

Although if you are buying a mattress online or at a specialized store selling international mattresses, it could take anywhere from 1 week to 3 months due to transportation delays or common delaying circumstances (inspection, scaling, decontaminating, etc.)

Financial Aid When Purchasing?

A mattress can get expensive and most times goes into the thousands $$$, and you won't always find mattress deals to take advantage of. Luckily, a lot of online shops will partner with a financial institution to offer their customers payment plans or interest free differed payments.

Companies like Affirm or Sezzle will offer payment options like 1/4 of the total amount every 2 weeks or a monthly payment plan for a year to help divide up the whole cost of a mattress into less intimidating payments. It's perfect for those budget-conscious buyers, not only is it an easier payment to swallow, it also means you don't have to rely on mattress sales or delay buying.

How To Know If You Picked The Right Mattress For You?

Okay so you've finally picked a mattress and it's arrived! But now... how do you know if it's the right mattress for you? Here's a quick checklist you can go through from when you received the mattress to sleeping on it for a few months:

Initial Inspection
You just bought a mattress off the internet so obviously the first thing you'd want to do is make sure it is exactly what you ordered, like make sure you didn't get a foam mattress when you ordered a pocket coil.

See if you can try the mattress right when the delivery guys come carrying it in and with the plastic on. If by chance you think the mattress you bought is way more firm or way more soft than what you expected/wanted, you might be able to simply tell the delivery guys to take it back and exchange it. It would be much easier to return/exchange a mattress with its plastic on as it can easily be restocked and there would be no health or sanitation breach.

Break-in Period
Sometimes you may like how the mattress feels with the plastic on but still feel like something is "off". Don't worry too much, because all the mattresses are made to order. Each mattress is freshly created and is likely stiff.

It could take up to 2 week to fully break in a mattress. Not only will it take some time for your body to get used to a completely different bed cold-turkey, but it also takes some time for your mattress to adjust to your body as you repetitively sleep on it.

Long-Term Use
After a month or two, you would have been sleeping on the mattress long enough for it to have fully synergized with your body. However if you feel like something is wrong, you should contact the shop (or factory if you bought your mattress wholesale) and ask for their advice.

A good business will try to work with you and go through a general checklist of potential issues that could be wrong with the mattress and if they can be resolved. Even if you continue to have problems beyond their advice don't worry, there are still more options available and we'll go over them further below.

What If You Don't Like Your Mattress?

Most reputable online mattress shops will have a 60-180 night comfort guarantee on their mattresses but be fully aware of what that entails. A comfort guarantee means if you don't like the mattress you've bought within the days included in their guarantee and have tried the suggestions of the shop, then you are eligible to exchange your mattress for another mattress of your choice and you either pay the difference on a more expensive mattress or are refunded on a less expensive one.