I look around our small apartment and I can't but help note that a great deal of our decor has been purchased online, whether it be via eBay, craigslist or online retailers. Yes, we've got our fair share of brick and mortar retailer purchased pieces, most notably design-conscious Target and Ikea, and we're always on the look out at yard sales, flea markets and second hand stores. But what's really changed the home decor market has been the option to shop from the comfort of my own home, where local shops are no longer the only sources of decorating possibilities. I search eBay for a credenza, and I'm showered with hundreds of listings. I'll peek in on craigslist for used desks, and it's like I'm at the Pasadena Flea Market, but without the crowds nor early wakeup time. I can shop from retailers in Tokyo and London without the jetlag or airfare tab.
Amongst my younger friends in their early 20's, shopping predominately online is the norm, while my peers or older friends still like to see, touch, and then decide before purchasing. Me? Just like my age, I guess I'm right in the middle. But how much has online retailers and sources changed your shopping habits?
as an "other" category, i agree that you can't beat shopping online to save time and see what's out there and who has the best price or offers free shipping, but for the bigger purchases, i definitely go to the store to see the item in person. i also schlepp to save shipping costs on things like rugs and lamps that i can just throw in my car. i bought my six red coco chairs (http://dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=3607) from the dwr website cause i couldn't stand the snooty saleperson at the dwr santa monica showroom.
Furniture is a lot like art - you don't know exactly how you will react until you are standing in front of it. There are hundreds of minor details that can add up to a positive or negative impression. Pictures can give you an idea - but the real thing can be an entirely different experience. We have all had that experience where we go to Ikea looking for that perfect item we saw in the catalog only to walk right by it because its virtually unrecognizable in person. I will buy things that are easy to return (or that I have seen already in person) online. The big stuff like furniture I have to see upclose before I make the commitment.
With Craigslist I can ID stuff I'm interested in and then take a look before buying. My best score: a Pottery Barn leather club chair and sofa for $400 from a guy moving to the east coast and desperate to unload his stuff.
I go both ways. Seeing it in person is always great, but sometimes you have to roll the dice. I check things like measurements which can be mistyped online. If the dimensions seem impossible considering the shape of the item, I wait to see it in store. This place is tiny so I need to be careful about footprints. The only things I didn't get online are a plant stand, a dresser, a bed and a sofabed.
Sometimes I order things that the store never keeps in stock for long or that I don't want the hassle of getting home to Brooklyn.