Where to Buy Real Solid Wood Furniture Online

A lot of factors contribute to finding the perfect pieces for your home: color, comfort, sizing, quality, function, etc. While some shoppers may prefer to view furniture in-person, there are many benefits to buying your solid wood furniture from an online retailer. 

• Can take your time to order custom-made pieces - Countryside Amish Furniture doesn’t have a showroom because we make each piece to order. That means that each piece is made to the customer’s exact specifications. 
   
• You’re not pressured into a decision - We’ve all dealt with aggressive sales personnel who follow you around the store, elbowing you towards their most expensive pieces. You will have no such experience when buying solid wood pieces online. You can bookmark your favorite designs and return weeks later after you’ve had time to reflect. 
   
• Richer inventories than what a brick-and-mortar store can showcase - For example, Countryside Amish Furniture offers thousands (yes thousands) of solid wood furniture designs spanning across dozens of different categories. You’d be hard-pressed to find such a selection in a store’s physical location. 
   
• Greater ability to compare online vendors - If you drive to a brick-and-mortar location, you’re fairly limited to only their inventory. Want to see what their competitor offers? Well, that’s a whole other car trip rather than a mere click of the mouse. 

Of course, there are downsides to buying solid wood furniture online, mainly the inability to verify the quality of the pieces in-person (which is less applicable if you’re custom-ordering the furniture). This guide will help you evaluate the trustworthiness of the vendors and the quality of the pieces themselves so you can shop online with confidence. 

Red Flags When Considering Online Stores for Wood Furniture

Red Flag: The Owner (and Contact Info) is Shrouded in Mystery

When visiting their About page, do you encounter vague language with no clear indicator of who owns the company? This could be an indicator that the company is a drop-shipper (a company that passes another’s products as its own). Even if the company makes its own products, a lack of stated ownership reflects a lack of pride in the output.

Similarly, the online furniture vendor should have a phone number you can call if you have questions or the order doesn’t go according to plan. If they don’t publish a number, take this as a sign that they have no interest in your satisfaction!

Red Flag: Real Wood Furniture Shouldn’t be Priced Suspiciously Low

Solid wood is much heavier than cheaply manufactured alternatives like veneer or engineered wood. This puts greater physical demands on the furniture makers and raises shipping prices. It also means that the solid wood furniture is of a higher quality than those made from lighter imitations. All this leads to higher prices. If you’re browsing sites to buy solid wood furniture online and come across prices that are “too good to be true,” know that the quality is most likely compromised. 

Not sure how much solid wood pieces should cost? Check out a few different online vendors to understand what price points to expect for real wood. Additionally, check out articles like How Much Does a Wooden Dining Table Cost to receive a range and understand what variables may drive up the price.

Red Flag: Poor Reviews on Third-Party Sites

A less-than-reputable furniture retailer can eliminate bad reviews from their own site but would struggle to do so on third-party sites. Google the company and see if they’ve accrued complaints on Google My Business, Houzz, and other similar review sites. While every company will have one or two disgruntled customers, there should not be an established pattern. 

Can’t find them on Google My Business, Facebook, and other common platforms? This is a sign that they may have something to hide, whether it be a string of negative feedback or a different location than they would want consumers to believe.  

Green Flags When Considering Online Stores for Wood Furniture

Green Flag: You Can Order Stain and Fabric Samples

When solid wood pieces are made-to-order, you should be able to specify the specific stain and upholstery. Therefore, the online store should send multiple stains to your home for you to compare against your other furniture and see how it looks in various types of light. 

Such actions increase the likelihood of your satisfaction. However, more importantly, they demonstrate the online vendor’s commitment to providing a positive shopping experience, even if it causes extra work on their end.

Green Flag: The Furniture is Entirely USA-Made

As we discuss in the article Buying Solid Wood Furniture Made in the USA - Why it Matters, not every company who claims their pieces are American-made is being fully honest. With that in mind, keep a scrutinizing eye out for information on where the manufacturer sources its wood and where its workshops are located. Keep in mind, larger furniture companies are more likely to have complicated supply and manufacturing chains compared to smaller furniture makers. 

American-made isn’t a guarantee of automatic excellence, but it’s a strong indicator. Wood is more likely to be responsibly harvested, harmful chemicals are less likely to be used, and quality standards are overall higher.

Green Flag: The Products Specify Joinery Techniques and Other Details

Just because furniture features solid wood doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to be soundly made. Therefore, keep an eye out for references to the specific joinery techniques (how the furniture makers attach the pieces to one another), specifically mortise and tenon and dovetail.

Green Flag: The Solid Wood Furniture is Made by Amish

Yes, you can buy Amish furniture online! Retailers like Countryside Amish Furniture partner with Amish-ran workshops, collecting orders on their behalf and coordinating the logistics. 

The Amish don’t have a monopoly on crafting high-end, solid wood furniture. However, their dedication to handcrafting individual pieces, utilizing real hardwood, and employing tactics passed down through generations is almost guaranteed to check the boxes of customers seeking unyielding quality. 

Therefore, if you’re buying wood furniture online, know that you’re automatically circumventing many of the above-mentioned red flags by ordering Amish-made pieces. 

To learn more, read What Goes into the Cost of Amish Furniture & Why It’s Worth the Expense.

Why Buy Solid Wood Furniture Online From Countryside Amish Furniture

With decades of experience in the furniture business, Mel Stutzman called upon his Amish roots to found Countryside Amish Furniture in 2010. We continue to thrive today as customers return to us again and again, entrusting us to custom-build their next piece of solid wood furniture. 

We’re available to answer all questions and guide you through the ordering process. Want a second opinion on which stains best fit your current living room set? Send us a picture! Got questions about the timeline and delivery process? We’ll be transparent with all answers. 

Browse our online store to find furniture ranging from gentleman’s chests to full dining sets to barnwood furniture, all customizable. Alternatively, use our live chat to connect with a real person.

Bailiegh Basham is Lead Sales & Marketing Strategist at Countryside Amish Furniture. She's been a team member since 2014. Bailiegh is deeply passionate about furniture design and home decor.