Buying patio furniture can be quite an investment, especially if you want your furniture to last more than one season. While many people prefer to buy cheaper patio sets, doing so will usually cost you more in the long run. But why is patio furniture so expensive?
Patio furniture is so expensive because it has to be quality-made to last through quite a few things such as:
- Weather changes
- All kinds of precipitation
- Wind
- Sun damage
- Dry-rotting
- Normal wear and tear due to regular use
- Insect and animal damage
If you aren’t buying furniture made specifically for these kinds of environments or situations, you’re looking at a high price for a short and frustrating lifespan. While there are always pros and cons to both sides, there are ways to beat the high prices without sacrificing the quality of good patio furniture.
Patio Furniture Quality
Buying quality patio furniture is important because it will stop you from buying every season and spending a large chunk of money every year. If your furniture lasts 3-5 years, or longer, it’s a great investment and saves you money over time.
Quality furniture has been made to last through moving, rough summer storms, and those cold winter seasons as well as animal and bug issues. If you aren’t buying quality, you are simply paying for the furniture with fancy outdoor paint on it, and it won’t last very long at all.
Beating The High Prices of Patio Furniture
Due to the high prices of new patio furniture, most people end up looking to save a bit and get home with lower-quality outdoor sets. However, that doesn’t have to be the case for everyone.
You can usually save money and get home with a quality patio set that will last more than one or two seasons. There are some tricks, and it may take a bit of extra time, but it is more than worth it.
Shop End of Season Sales
Most of the time people aren’t looking for patio furniture right before fall or winter, this means you can usually get a better price on any sets that are still leftover from the summer season. Most stores from hardware to grocery will run a huge discount on all patio furniture right after summer ends.
If your budget for patio furniture right after summer, you are much more likely to save money and have extra tables or more outdoor features. Now, the caveat to this method is that the choices available after the end of the season are smaller and you may end up with colors or designs that you aren’t happy with.
If you can keep more of an open mind to a design aspect, you shouldn’t have an issue finding the furniture you need.
Shop Clearance Sections
Most stores have clearance sections for several reasons. If certain sets aren’t popular, or they are about to be discontinued, they will mark the prices down anywhere from 10%-25% in some cases. If you are okay with the idea of your furniture being previously owned, you can usually get a huge discount from furniture that was previously returned.
Most of the time this furniture has simply been opened and partially put together and the store can’t sell it at full price anymore. Any piece that has missing components you can use to your advantage by asking for a bigger discount to compensate.
Scratch and dent stores carry patio furniture through the summer/fall seasons and are usually sets that were damaged in shipping or moving and now stores can’t sell it. They will give huge discounts on furniture that has scratches or tears in the fabric and even bigger discounts for sets that are missing entire tables or chairs.
Buy Individual Pieces
You are also more likely to spend less money if you buy pieces separately when they go on sale or have special deals. While it’s highly likely that your pieces won’t fully match, you can usually find similar colors and patterns that do go well together.
This may take a bit more time since you would need to regularly check on different sections individually for deals, however, the money you save could be more than worth it.
Final Thoughts
Outdoor furniture, when high quality, can be quite expensive and it leaves people wanting a cheaper option. However, it’s extremely possible to get high-quality furniture at good prices without lowering your standards and desires.