Protecting Yourself When Buying a Wicker Furniture Set From a Foreign Seller
Ideally, buying new furniture would involve you going to the local store, finding the perfect item for your home, and paying a price that would not invoke buyer's remorse.
Again, that's "ideally.
" But things are not always ideal, and sometimes you have to venture to other regions before making a final purchasing decision, especially when it comes to buying a wicker furniture set for the inside or outside of your home.
Investigate the reputation of the seller.
How long has he or she been working with wicker? Do they have a paper trail that you can follow in establishing reputable business transactions? The Internet is a worldwide marketplace, but that unfortunately means that you're subject to more charlatans, scammers, and thieves, who won't follow through on the promises that they make you.
Visit the company's website, but don't stop there.
If possible, go by their warehouse.
If the seller is in another country, check with your embassy or consolate within their borders and see if that person has maintained accurate and legal records.
Buy from someone who makes your decision for you.
How can that happen? Being trustworthy is a good start, but it must go beyond that.
How knowledgeable is the person about the process for producing wicker and using natural materials for the creation of other high quality furniture? What is the person's selection like? The most honest, hard working, friendly people in the world are not the right people if they can't give you options and pricing to make the purchase possible.
Find the best shipping options.
In a perfect world, no one would pay shipping, but when you are importing goods over international waters, that is not possible without someone losing a lot of money.
And no one is going to make you a promise like that unless they're too good to be true.
Make sure you calculate costs of shipping, tariffs, and any other add-ons.
Factor that into the budget when you are determining what you can afford.
If it is too much, then you should probably seek something closer to home.
Seek the opinions of third-party people that you can trust.
It may not be easy to find someone you know who has purchased from the exact same dealer that you are considering, but that shouldn't mean you avoid this step.
There are a variety of watchdog groups out there whose specific purpose is consumer protection.
When using the power of the Internet, the improbable becomes possible, and it happens in a flash.
Find someone who can connect you to another customer of the client, or at least someone who has done something similar to what you are considering and can provide you with the peace of mind needed for such a big decision.
Again, that's "ideally.
" But things are not always ideal, and sometimes you have to venture to other regions before making a final purchasing decision, especially when it comes to buying a wicker furniture set for the inside or outside of your home.
Investigate the reputation of the seller.
How long has he or she been working with wicker? Do they have a paper trail that you can follow in establishing reputable business transactions? The Internet is a worldwide marketplace, but that unfortunately means that you're subject to more charlatans, scammers, and thieves, who won't follow through on the promises that they make you.
Visit the company's website, but don't stop there.
If possible, go by their warehouse.
If the seller is in another country, check with your embassy or consolate within their borders and see if that person has maintained accurate and legal records.
Buy from someone who makes your decision for you.
How can that happen? Being trustworthy is a good start, but it must go beyond that.
How knowledgeable is the person about the process for producing wicker and using natural materials for the creation of other high quality furniture? What is the person's selection like? The most honest, hard working, friendly people in the world are not the right people if they can't give you options and pricing to make the purchase possible.
Find the best shipping options.
In a perfect world, no one would pay shipping, but when you are importing goods over international waters, that is not possible without someone losing a lot of money.
And no one is going to make you a promise like that unless they're too good to be true.
Make sure you calculate costs of shipping, tariffs, and any other add-ons.
Factor that into the budget when you are determining what you can afford.
If it is too much, then you should probably seek something closer to home.
Seek the opinions of third-party people that you can trust.
It may not be easy to find someone you know who has purchased from the exact same dealer that you are considering, but that shouldn't mean you avoid this step.
There are a variety of watchdog groups out there whose specific purpose is consumer protection.
When using the power of the Internet, the improbable becomes possible, and it happens in a flash.
Find someone who can connect you to another customer of the client, or at least someone who has done something similar to what you are considering and can provide you with the peace of mind needed for such a big decision.