Sales and support: 1-888-694-2120 There are ads in online classifieds and social media advertising for sofas and sectionals at suspiciously low prices, as little as 400 dollars sometimes. This makes us wonder how these sellers can sell so low, when typically sofas and sectionals cost upwards of 1000 dollars? Let’s look into it, it is quite entertaining.
First let's keep in mind that for a piece of furniture to be advertised at 400 or 500 dollars, it must have been produced at no more than $200. Factory, middle-men/women and retailers all have to make money. Let's see how somebody can build a sofa for that price.
The first thing that gets sacrificed in cheap furniture is longevity and structural integrity. Frames could be made with proper design, from solid, kiln dried lumber and structural plywood, or it could be made with a weaker design, from cheap, poor quality material. Since they are wrapped in filling and upholstery, the buyer could not know what is inside until it breaks. The poor quality frame will fall apart after a year or two of normal use, if not sooner, while a properly engineered frame made of substantial material can last for decades.
Springs, straps and fasteners are another place corners could be cut in a cheap piece of furniture. Springs and straps because of their function play and important part in comfort, functionality and longevity of furniture. Again, the weak and poor quality springs and straps, unable to face the embarrassment of their inadequacy, will give up willingness to live much faster than their owners expect.
Things get much more complicated if there are internal mechanisms, such as a folding bed, reclining, or swivelling involved. These mechanisms are always purchased and integrated into the armchair, sofa or sectional. They count for a big percentage of cost of production of the item. Quality of the mechanism plays a big role in comfort and ease of use. The cheaper mechanism do not last long and result in many problems, such as poor sleeping quality, sunken seat, cumbersome opening and closing, unusual heaviness, flimsiness resulting in falling apart, etc. etc.
Next, we have foams and filling material. There are dozens of different types of foams, and they are not all created equally. Like everything else in life, the high quality ones cost more. The cheap furniture is chuck full of the least expensive options available, making them collapse very early in their miserable lives.
We talked about what is inside, now let's focus on what you can see, the upholstery. Very simple factors such as the type of fabric, the threads used, the stitching, and patterns design can make a huge difference in how the piece of furniture will look few years down the road. We have not touched the most important factor yet, the labour. If manufacturing is done under shoddy, substandard working conditions, at low salary, worker’s benefits, health and safety concerns, the unscrupulous manufacturer can save a bundle on the most expensive part of his production. This in effect is abusing and putting the workers' life at risk. Why should you care? Workers are not stupid. When treated in such a manner how dedicated and careful do you think they will be in making the cheap junks they are working on?
You must have heard of factories burning and killing hundreds of unfortunate workers who had no way to escape. Such nightmarish occurrences in Third World countries happen more frequently than you hear about them, unless Canadian companies are involved (which sadly they have been, and they should be boycotted completely).
Would you want to bring products of such injustice and abuse to your home? I am sure you would not.
So, as you see by cutting corners in every step, a poor quality piece of furniture can be made a lot (I do mean a lot) cheaper, than a high quality and well-made item.
That is one side of the coin. On the other hand, I have seen websites that sell 6000 dollars beanbags and twelve thousand dollars armchairs! The photo on the right shows a chair I found in a furniture site with price tag of $2650 (USD). This was the cheapest item on that site! As they say, "a fool and his money are soon parted". Hype and pretentiousness will never go away, and the new-rich need to find ways to fill the empty spaces in their souls. I have noticed that most of these sites inform their customers that there is an 8 to 12 weeks waiting period. In conclusion, I suggest you purchase the best quality product you can afford. Keep in mind that furniture is not something that you buy every month or every year. When you see a price tag do a simple calculation, divide the price by the number of days of the product's life. You see that quality costs only pennies per day. It will be cheaper in the long run.
Finally, I suggest buying Canadian, and locally. This will help the local economy, and money goes around, eventually circling back to you and your community.
I hope you find this article useful, and whether you make your purchases from us or not, make good smart choices in selecting the furniture that will be shaping your environment.
Sam, thriftybeaver.ca website's curator
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Concerns such as ease of cleaning and maintenance, ease of repair if needed, and other considerations make a better made sofa more expensive. It also make it last and function much better.
For example, if the cushions are not reversible, the manufacturer has cut down the life span of their products to about half. By turning the cushion over the buyer can change the pressure points, reduce the intense wear and tear and basically use the cushion as two non-reversible cushions. A reversible cushion would need to use more fabric of higher price, while a non-reversible cushion has a cheaper fabric at the back side. Also, the techniques of upholstery are different and simpler, less labour-intensive in case of a non-reversible cushion.
When maximum profit is the goal, implementing adequate measures for the safety and health of workers goes out of the window, but it will produce cheap products.
These cheap products are imported to West through a shady chain of suppliers and importers, each one buying or contracting from the other. Everybody washes their hands of their responsibilities and as a result you see these impossibly cheap products in the market with invisible blood stains on them.
By buying a poorly made product no one actually wins, or saves anything. It lasts less, works inadequately, starts to look awful in a short time and will end up in land-fields in three to four year. The buyer trying to save will end up paying more for another item, not to mention having a lower quality of life while using the junk they thought will save them money. In addition, it will support the chain of abuse and legal slavery, making profit for very unscrupulous people.
Let me translate: It takes them that long to send the order to some third world slum, get it built for a couple of hundred dollars, and get it shipped back to them. That twelve thousand dollars price tag is not for quality or craftsmanship. You really do not have to spend such exuberant amount of money for good furniture. By shopping around (which is now easier than ever) and comparing products and prices, you can find really good deals. If I may say so myself, that is why we started this business.
Fair use disclaimer: We do not own the copyright to the photo on the right. It is used in what is called "Fair use" for purpose of criticism according to copyright laws.
Also, where you live and how you live, not only reflects your personality, it shapes it.
Most of this site's suppliers have been in business right here in Montreal for over 30 years. Their workers have been with them for decades. Their work is solid. Workers are highly skilled, experienced, and they are happy with their work environment.
For years, I had worked in very similar factories myself, before I was financially able to study. Frankly, if I am not satisfied with the work environment, and comfort and safety of the factory's workers, I would not do business with the company. I was one of those workers not that long ago.
If you have any specific questions or comments use the contact page to reach us. We take the communication seriously and answer back in a timely fashion.
Feb. 2026