The Pitfalls of Buying a Mattress Online—Have You Made These 4 Mistakes?

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Now, more than ever, we can appreciate the convenience of being able to purchase just about anything online—even mattresses, which would have been unthinkable 20 years ago. There’s no need to mask up and go indoors just to awkwardly stretch out and try to get comfy on a variety of strange mattresses, under the watchful eye of an over-eager salesperson.

But whether you opt for a bed-in-a-box or a mattress from a big-box store, buying a mattress online has its perks (hello, free delivery!) and some particular challenges.

Michael Magnuson, founder of GoodBed.com, says buying a mattress online is harder than most people think.

“Unfortunately, people make tons of mistakes when shopping for a mattress online,” he says, adding that mattresses bought online have a return rate five to 10 times higher than mattresses bought in brick-and-mortar stores.

So what’s an online shopper to do when searching for a mattress?

We reached out to the experts, to uncover the specific mistakes people make when buying a mattress online and how to avoid wasting your time and money.

1. Not matching your mattress to your body type

If you’re mattress shopping in a store, you can lie down on each mattress to see which one feels more comfortable, but you can’t do that when you’re shopping online. That means you need to dig a little deeper to find out which mattress will suit you best.

“The biggest mistake I see people make is to not do enough research to see what components and feel are best for them,” says Bill Fish, general manager of SleepFoundation.org and a certified sleep coach.

“No one mattress is perfect for everyone. Your body composition … will dictate what is best for you.”

According to Keith Cushner, co-founder of Tuck.com, one of the most important things to consider is your weight, as it directly influences what mattress firmness you should choose.

“So many people claim to love a soft bed or swear by a firm one,” says Cushner. “While preference does play into your comfort, our data shows that body weight and body shape indicate your ideal firmness far more accurately.”

Cushner advises that anyone weighing under 130 pounds should choose a medium-soft mattress, while anyone who weighs 130 to180 pounds should go for medium-soft or medium-firm.

If you weigh between 180 and 230 pounds, medium-firm to firm will likely work best for you, and anyone who weighs over 230 pounds should almost always go for a firm mattress.

“The idea behind the relationship between body weight and firmness is that it factors into support,” he explains.

“The heavier you are, the more your body will sink into the bed, so the firmer that bed is, the less you’ll interact with the deeper layers of it.”

2. Thinking that more layers are better

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Many mattress sites will go out of their way to tell you about the fancy inner workings they say make their mattress the best. Makes sense that more layers would equal a better mattress, right? Not necessarily.

Caitlyn Davidian, an interior designer, says a lot of extra layers actually make a mattress worse, not better.

“Mattresses with two or more layers tend to be less durable and more unstable. Generally, it’s advised for a quality memory foam mattress to be only two layers,” she explains.

Jamie Diamonstein, Leesa Sleep co-founder and chief product officer, elaborates.

“When shopping online, it can be easy for a customer to interpret that more layers, a thicker mattress, and more fancy-sounding foams will lead to a better and longer-lasting product,” he explains.

“The fact is that the quality of [those things] will have a significant impact on the quality, support, comfort, and durability of the mattress. Proper design and alignment of different foams and high-quality pocket springs will provide the comfort and support a consumer is looking for.”

3. Trusting mattress review websites

Reading reviews is an important part of any major online purchase, but Jonathan Prichard, founder and CEO of mattress manufacturing company MattressInsider.com, says this is where many shoppers go wrong. According to Prichard, most review sites are affiliate websites, and they earn a commission from recommending certain products.

“Usually, they will position whatever mattress brand pays the highest commission percentage as the best product to purchase,” he explains.

“Some of those review websites are even owned by the big bed-in-a-box brands, which are obviously going to be biased towards their own products.”

Prichard says the best way to avoid falling into this trap is to go to well-established review websites that you know you can trust, and that have actually tested the product.

“An example would be Consumer Reports, which is known for doing honest and independent reviews for their readers,” he says.

“By law, if a website earns money through an affiliate program, they have to disclose that on the page. Oftentimes, it will be in a sidebar or toward the footer.”

4. Going for the deal

You’re going to be looking for a good deal when shopping for anything online—especially when it comes to something as expensive as a mattress. But according to Trond Nyland, founder and CEO of Mattress Review, that’s where many tend to go wrong.

“You spend over a third of your time in bed. There should be no excuse for saving money on your mattress, but online, so many vendors make it feel like you’re not losing anything by paying less,” he says.

“If you’re being offered an incredible mattress at an unrealistic price, be very careful. Unless it’s a time-limited sale below regular prices, you could be buying a sucky mattress.”

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