Most people are used to doing the bulk of their shopping online these days, but you should be wary of certain outlets that seem too good to be true. For many shoppers, Wayfair fits this description. With its huge selection of home goods at very low prices and a mixed bag of customer reviews, you may be wondering if this online retailer is legit.
In this article, we’ll explore this question and lay out the benefits and drawbacks of shopping with Wayfair so you can feel confident about where your money’s going and what you get for it.
Is Wayfair a Legit Company?
Wayfair is a legitimate company, but there are still some compelling reasons why consumers don’t want to shop there. Overall, the company is successful, but it suffers from a slate of poor customer reviews citing everything from poor quality to difficult returns. However, there are plenty of other customers who are quite happy with their purchases.
About Wayfair
Wayfair began in 2002 in Boston, Massachusetts, when it operated under the name CSN Stores. In the beginning, the company only sold storage furniture and media stands. In the following 20+ years, CSN Stores slowly grew larger, adding over 200 online stores, more products, and hiring more employees.
Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Large catalog of products
- Free shipping
- Buy Now, Pay Later program
Cons
- Questionable quality
- Long shipping times
- Assembly often required
- Complicated returns process
- Mixed reviews and customer service
In 2011, the company rebranded as Wayfair and consolidated all its web traffic to a single site, wayfair.com. Wayfair also operates a handful of brick-and-mortar locations and boasts over 22 million customers. The company offers consumers more than 30 million different products from suppliers across the globe.
| Platform | Average Rating |
|---|---|
| BBB | 1.1/5 |
| Trustpilot | 1.3/5 |
| Google Play | 4.8/5 |
| Apple App Store | 4.9/5 |
Although Wayfair currently has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), this comes with a low consumer review average. Wayfair only has an average of 1.1 out of 5 stars based on over 2,000 BBB customer reviews and over 5,000 complaints have been lodged against the company in the last three years. Similarly, Wayfair has an average rating of only 1.3 out of 5 stars through Trustpilot with 80% of reviews assigning the company one star.
On the other hand, when you look at user ratings of the Wayfair app from both Google Play and the App Store, they’re surprisingly high with an average of 4.8 and 4.9 stars, respectively.
Pros and Cons of Wayfair
There are both good and bad things about shopping with Wayfair, and like any product or service, it won’t be right for everyone. Depending on your needs, you may find exactly what you’re looking for or you may find you’d rather shop elsewhere.
Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of Wayfair.
Pros of Wayfair
Affordable Pricing
Hands down, one of the biggest benefits of shopping at Wayfair is the low prices. Because the company operates almost entirely online and sources products in bulk from global suppliers, it’s able to offer items at a much lower cost than its competitors. Plus, there are almost always sales going on, meaning customers have ways to save even more. One of Wayfair’s most popular annual sales is called Way Day, which features steep discounts on its top products.
Large Catalog
Wayfair offers more than 30 million products from 20,000+ suppliers. It’s one of the largest home goods retailers in the world. When you want variety, there are few better places to go.
Free Shipping
For all orders over $35, customers get free shipping and for orders under $35 shipping is only a flat rate of $4.99. However, customers in the U.S. who live in Alaska, Hawaii, or the U.S. territories will incur added shipping charges. It’s also worth noting that return shipping is not free.
Buy Now, Pay Later program
One popular program that many retailers are adopting these days is buy now, pay later financing. With this program, Wayfair customers can choose to postpone their payment using either the Afterpay or Klarna platforms. Once you’ve been approved by one of these partner companies, your order will be processed and shipped and you’ll make four payments every two weeks to cover the cost.
These payments will be interest-free, but only if you pay it off in full after four payments and there will be associated fees if you don’t pay on time.
Cons of Wayfair
Questionable Quality
One of the biggest gripes Wayfair customers have is the poor quality of the products they receive. There’s some merit to this claim, although it does not mean that all of Wayfair’s items are subpar. With the super low prices, you’re inevitably going to get products that may not be the best quality.
The truth is that quality will vary depending on what you buy, making it all the more important to read reviews before you buy. Look carefully at the product description so you know exactly what you’re getting.
Long Shipping Times
Free shipping is nice, but Wayfair’s long shipping times can frustrate a lot of customers. However, if you can plan ahead to give yourself extra time, you may find that occasional shipping delays aren’t a problem. Some items may ship quickly, some may ship in separate boxes meaning you’ll get multiple shipments, while others can take weeks to get to you if they need to be sourced from a third party.
Some Assembly Required
Another reason Wayfair can offer such low prices is that many of its products are shipped in pieces and require you to assemble them yourself. All items will come with assembly directions and most will even include the tools you need to put it together, but you should plan for this when shopping and have some basic skills to complete the project.
If you think you’ll need help with larger items, you can schedule help through the website which books a service professional through Wayfair Home Services or Angi.
Complicated Returns Process
Many negative customer reviews mention how complicated the returns process is. Wayfair accepts most returns within 30 days for a refund or store credit, but you’re responsible for the return shipping costs and the product has to be in the original package – and it must be unassembled. That means that if you set up a new desk only to find it doesn’t fit in your space or you don’t like the color, you could be stuck with it.
Note that this criteria won’t apply to items that are defective or damaged. Return shipping costs can be quite steep, especially if you want to send back larger items like a bed or a couch.
Mixed Reviews and Customer Service
One last con of Wayfair is the mixed reviews the company gets for its customer service. Many customers say it takes a long time to get someone on the phone or to respond to an email or text message. Although the company has customer service available seven days a week, many feel like they’re left in a lurch when they need help with an order.
What Shoppers Are Saying About Wayfair
It should be said upfront that customers are far more likely to write reviews when something goes wrong than when something goes right. And when you start reading reviews for Wayfair, you may start to see a trend of negative experiences with the quality of the products, poor customer service, and difficult returns. That said, there are plenty of people who have good experiences with Wayfair, so each review should be taken with a grain of salt.
Below are a few reviews from commenters on Reddit:
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Reddit commenterb88b15
Reddit commenterzozonicole5
Reddit commenterrecephod
Reddit commenterSo, Is Wayfair Worth It?
If you’re looking for high-quality products with great customer service, you may want to steer clear of Wayfair. There have been enough complaints and negative reviews to warrant caution, and customers may wish to look to other online retailers like Amazon when buying home goods. And, if you have an Amazon Prime account, you’ll get free shipping and many items will also qualify for free returns.
On the other hand, if you do your due diligence and know exactly what product you’re buying from Wayfair, aren’t in a rush to get it – and are confident you can assemble it yourself – you may find you’re able to save significant money and get the product you want.
So, is Wayfair worth it? It really depends on whether you’re willing to sacrifice your time and put up with so-so customer service to save a few bucks.
How can I check if a product is good quality?
You can always google the brand and item name to see if you can find it elsewhere, but if this doesn’t work try a reverse image search using Google Lens. This will ensure you’re looking at the exact same product, even if it’s been renamed or rebranded.
Are Wayfair’s sales worth it?
Yes and no. Many customers have commented that Wayfair will artificially inflate the price of their products during sales so that the discount makes it seem like an even better deal. If you know a sale is coming up (like Way Day), the best thing you can do is start tracking the price of an item you want to buy now, then check it again during the sale to make sure you’re getting a good deal.
What is Wayfair’s Open Box program?
The Open Box program offers customers even more ways to save money by reselling items that have been opened and returned by previous customers. These products are sold at a discounted rate and have all been inspected for defects and damage. This can be a great tool if you’re trying to figure out how to spend less money while also being able to furnish your home. The only catch? Open Box items are not eligible for returns, so if you don’t end up liking it, you’re out of luck.
