If you‘re furnishing a new home or looking to upgrade your decor, online retailers Wayfair and Overstock are two popular options that offer a huge selection at competitive prices. Both carry a wide variety of furniture, rugs, home accents, and more to suit any style. But how do you choose between them?
In this in-depth comparison, we‘ll break down the key differences between Wayfair and Overstock to help you determine which one best meets your needs. We‘ll look at factors like product selection, pricing, quality, customer service, shipping policies, and special features. Plus, we‘ll do direct comparisons of popular products to see how they stack up.
Company Backgrounds
First, let‘s provide some context on each company:
Wayfair
Founded in 2002, Wayfair has grown to become one of the world‘s largest online destinations for home goods. Their mission is to help everyone create spaces they love by offering a vast selection of products to suit any style and budget. In addition to the core Wayfair brand, the company also owns and operates niche sites like AllModern, Birch Lane, Joss & Main and Perigold.
Some key facts about Wayfair:
- Sells over 14 million products from 11,000+ suppliers
- Offers 2-day shipping on many items for orders over $49
- Free shipping on orders over $49
- 30-day return policy
- Award-winning mobile app with augmented reality features to visualize furniture in your space
- Highly-rated customer service
Overstock
Launched in 1999, Overstock.com initially sold exclusively surplus and returned merchandise. They‘ve since expanded to offer new, brand-name goods at deep discounts across many categories, including furniture, home decor, rugs, bedding, and more. Overstock is known for their commitment to customer service and their Club O loyalty rewards program.
Some key facts about Overstock:
- Sells millions of products across all major home categories
- Many items include free shipping
- Club O members get free returns, exclusive discounts, and reward dollars back on purchases
- Special financing options available
- Price match guarantee
- Mobile app with AR visualizer tools
Product Selection
Both Wayfair and Overstock offer an enormous catalog of home furnishings to browse. You‘ll find everything from sofas and dining sets to decorative accents and storage solutions. However, there are some differences in the breadth and focus of their offerings.
Wayfair‘s selection is larger overall, with over 14 million items sold. You can shop their single main site or visit one of their specialty sister brands to narrow in on a particular aesthetic, like modern, traditional, or rustic. Wayfair adds thousands of new products daily, so there‘s always a fresh assortment.
Overstock‘s catalog is smaller but still extensive, with products tending towards more traditional and classic styles compared to Wayfair‘s range. They offer a robust selection of rugs, including many oversized and runner options. Overstock also carries clothing, jewelry, and more in addition to home goods.
Overall, both retailers offer enough variety to find pieces to bring almost any design vision to life. With either, it helps to have an idea of the look you want, as the huge selection can be overwhelming.
Pricing
In general, Overstock has a reputation for lower prices, which makes sense given their origins in liquidating excess inventory. They also prominently feature limited-time flash deals offering big savings on select items. Look for their semi-annual blowout sales for prices up to 70% off.
Wayfair‘s prices are competitive and they offer frequent sales, but they aren‘t usually the absolute lowest. However, Wayfair makes up for this with their vast selection – if you have a specific item in mind, you‘re more likely to find it there. And with many filter options, it‘s easy to sort for pieces that fit your budget. They also do major sales events around holidays like Black Friday, often with doorbuster deals up to 80% off.
To compare prices, let‘s look at a couple of popular items. Here‘s how the retailers stack up:
Linen Sofa
Wayfair: Arlette 81" Square Arm Sofa, $780
Overstock: Brookside Erin Upholstered Sofa, $663
Area Rug
Wayfair: Abbeville Oriental Navy Rug, $116 for 5‘x8‘
Overstock: Safavieh Evoke Ivory/Blue Rug, $100 for 5‘1"x7‘6"
Upholstered Bed
Wayfair: Juliette Upholstered Low Profile Platform Bed, $316 (Queen)
Overstock: Brookside Emmie Upholstered Platform Bed, $351 (Queen)
As these examples show, exact comparisons are tricky since the two retailers carry different brands and products. However, these similar items were priced within about 10-15% of each other, with Overstock being slightly less expensive. Both offer very reasonable prices for the quality compared to traditional furniture stores.
Quality
With online furniture retailers, it can be hard to gauge quality when you can‘t see and touch pieces in person. Judging by customer reviews, both Wayfair and Overstock generally offer a good level of quality for the price.
Wayfair products tend to get slightly higher ratings on average. Common positive feedback cites sturdy, solid-wood construction, soft and comfortable upholstery, and luxe-looking details. Negative reviews sometimes mention damage during shipping, color discrepancies, or frustrations with assembly.
For Overstock, reviews often praise the attractive designs, quality materials, and great value. But there are some complaints about cheap-feeling pieces, visible defects, and poor packaging. It seems hit-or-miss based on the specific item and brand.
In general, you can find well-made, long-lasting furniture at either retailer if you shop carefully. Read descriptions to look for solid wood, high-quality fabrics, and other markers of durability. Checking reviews is also useful to see feedback on the item‘s real-life look and feel.
Customer Service & Returns
Responsive customer service and a generous return policy are especially important when buying furniture online. Luckily, both Wayfair and Overstock perform well in this area.
Wayfair offers support via phone, email, and live chat 24/7. They also have a detailed Help Center on their site with answers to common questions and issues. If there are any problems with your order, Wayfair is usually quick to remedy the situation by sending replacement parts or issuing refunds. Returns are free within 30 days for most items (a few exceptions apply).
Overstock also has 24/7 customer service by phone and live chat. Their agents are known for being friendly and helpful in resolving problems quickly. In addition, Overstock offers a unique Hybrid Concierge Service that can help with tasks like filing insurance claims or hiring contractors. For returns, Overstock gives you 30 days with free return shipping on most items. However, larger pieces may incur a return fee and a few product categories are non-returnable.
Shipping
When you‘re eagerly awaiting a furniture delivery, shipping speed is a big factor. Both companies generally process and ship out orders quickly, within 1-2 business days. Actual delivery timeframes vary based on your location and the item‘s size and weight.
Wayfair offers free shipping on orders over $49. Many smaller items are eligible for their 2-day delivery if you order by 4 pm. For oversized items, standard ground shipping is available with estimated delivery in about 1-3 weeks. Tracking is provided and their website shows status updates.
At Overstock, shipping is free on everything (with just a few exceptions). They promise quick delivery on thousands of items, with multiple shipping speed options. Smaller items often arrive within 3-5 business days via UPS or FedEx Ground. Larger items will take about 1-2 weeks using an LTL freight carrier. You can track your order‘s progress online.
Extra Perks
Both retailers offer some handy tools and special programs to make shopping easier and save you money.
Wayfair has a top-rated app that lets you shop their entire inventory from your phone. You can create Idea Boards to save favorite products, access your order history, and get personalized recommendations. Their "View in Room 3D" augmented reality feature lets you virtually place true-to-scale 3D furniture models in your space to see how they‘ll look and fit before you buy.
Wayfair also offers assembly services from handy.com starting at $59 in select locations. This can be added right at checkout, sparing you the hassle of complicated furniture setup.
Overstock‘s biggest extra perk is their Club O loyalty program. For $19.95/year, you get perks like:
- Free standard shipping and returns on every order
- 5% reward dollars back on every purchase to use on future orders
- Bonus rewards on select items, sometimes up to 40% back
- Extra reward dollars for writing reviews
- Access to exclusive extra discounts
- Expedited 2-day shipping for $2.95 (free for O Gold members)
These rewards can really add up for frequent Overstock shoppers, potentially paying for the membership fee many times over.
Overstock also offers their own AR app feature called "View in My Room" that works similarly to Wayfair‘s 3D tool. You can virtually place furniture in your space at true scale to get a realistic preview from your phone or tablet.
The Bottom Line
So which should you choose between Wayfair vs Overstock? Ultimately, both retailers are great choices for affordable home furnishings. You‘ll generally find the lowest prices at Overstock, especially for their frequent sitewide sales and extra Club O loyalty discounts.
However, Wayfair offers the widest overall selection and an easier shopping experience with more search filters, room inspiration ideas, and high-quality product images. They also have more customer reviews on average to help inform your decisions.
In terms of shipping and customer service, both companies perform very well with quick delivery times and helpful support. Overstock has a slight edge for large furniture pieces that ship for free every time. Their Club O rewards program is also a major selling point if you plan to buy most of your home goods there.
For fast, affordable furniture shopping, you really can‘t go wrong with either Overstock or Wayfair. Take advantage of their filtering options to quickly narrow down the huge catalogs to your style, needs, and budget. Read item details and reviews carefully to assess quality and check dimensions.
Start with a search on both sites to compare prices and selection for items on your list. Factor in shipping costs, special promotions, and loyalty rewards to find the very best deals. With some savvy shopping, you‘re sure to find beautiful, high-quality home furnishings to create a space you love.
