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It's generally fair to say that you get what you pay for with a sofa. There are exceptions but things like hard wood frames, natural fibres and high quality springs and fillings all bump up the price.
But that doesn't mean a cheap sofa won't do the job.
Sure, it might not last for decades if it's been made using cheaper methods but that may not matter if you've got a house full of children who like to run around with paint brushes and cats with sharp claws.
We've picked out five online retailers offering cheap sofas. Prices correct early 2021.
But that doesn't mean a cheap sofa won't do the job.
Sure, it might not last for decades if it's been made using cheaper methods but that may not matter if you've got a house full of children who like to run around with paint brushes and cats with sharp claws.
We've picked out five online retailers offering cheap sofas. Prices correct early 2021.
1. Amazon
This sofa was under £200 on Amazon when we searched
Amazon's selection of cheap sofas are mostly sold by 'marketplace' sellers - i.e. third party sellers who are selling through Amazon.
Since there are so many sellers, prices are very competitive with several 3 seater sofas for under £200.
Some sellers give helpful descriptions which explain whether 'springs' or 'webbing' is used (most higher quality sofas use springs of some sort) or whether there's a hardwood frame to give it strength.
My advice is to narrow it down by customer review and then pick one with a warranty beyond 12 months or one which gives a detailed description of its materials.
Or, just take a punt on one of the many sofas which looks like it should cost £1000 but is available for a fraction of the price.
We've done some filtering and picked out some popular searches:
Since there are so many sellers, prices are very competitive with several 3 seater sofas for under £200.
Some sellers give helpful descriptions which explain whether 'springs' or 'webbing' is used (most higher quality sofas use springs of some sort) or whether there's a hardwood frame to give it strength.
My advice is to narrow it down by customer review and then pick one with a warranty beyond 12 months or one which gives a detailed description of its materials.
Or, just take a punt on one of the many sofas which looks like it should cost £1000 but is available for a fraction of the price.
We've done some filtering and picked out some popular searches:
2. eBay
eBay's range of 60,000 sofas is initially overwhelmingly, but you can narrow things down quickly with their filters.
My advice is to start by deciding whether you want a new or used sofa.
If you don't mind a used sofa there are bargains to be had at auction. Put your postcode in and choose items within 10 or 25 miles so you don't end up driving a van from Southampton to Dundee for a 99p sofa.
If you stick with new sofas, I'd narrow things down by shape or size (e.g. corner sofa, 3 seater), then colour and then price range.
For example, I searched for a new, 3 seater black leather sofa under £300 and found a somewhat more manageable number than 100,000...
We've created a few shortcuts to popular searches to get you started:
My advice is to start by deciding whether you want a new or used sofa.
If you don't mind a used sofa there are bargains to be had at auction. Put your postcode in and choose items within 10 or 25 miles so you don't end up driving a van from Southampton to Dundee for a 99p sofa.
If you stick with new sofas, I'd narrow things down by shape or size (e.g. corner sofa, 3 seater), then colour and then price range.
For example, I searched for a new, 3 seater black leather sofa under £300 and found a somewhat more manageable number than 100,000...
We've created a few shortcuts to popular searches to get you started:
3. Argos
This Argos sofa was £150 when we checked
Argos has about 500 sofas in its range, with 3 seaters starting from about £200 when I searched (thanks to one of Argos' discount codes which pop up fairly often).
The good points are that there are enough customer reviews to filter out the best sofas for your money, as well as Q&A sections which sometimes give some extra useful information. There are also occasional 'clearance' sofas which take another few quid off the price.
Personally I'd like to see a bit more detail on the specifications, as there's not a huge amount to go on if you're a nerd like me who wants to know what the frame is made of and whether it uses springs (John Lewis & Partners is good for providing this level of detail, though is more expensive).
The good points are that there are enough customer reviews to filter out the best sofas for your money, as well as Q&A sections which sometimes give some extra useful information. There are also occasional 'clearance' sofas which take another few quid off the price.
Personally I'd like to see a bit more detail on the specifications, as there's not a huge amount to go on if you're a nerd like me who wants to know what the frame is made of and whether it uses springs (John Lewis & Partners is good for providing this level of detail, though is more expensive).
4. Dunelm
This sofa was less than £300 at Dunelm when we checked
You've probably bought a pair of curtains from Dunelm but they also have a good range of cheap sofas on their website.
When we checked, the cheapest two-seater sofa was £239 whilst a three-seater sofa was £399.
The choice is pretty decent, with about 300+ sofas and armchairs to choose from.
Most of the descriptions give a good level of detail, such as telling you what type of wood has been used to build the sofa frame (hard woods are better than soft woods).
My main reservation with Dunelm sofas is that the range of colours is a bit limited for the cheaper sofas. Most sofas just come in one or two colours with a few coming in a better choice of three or four. Also, most sofas just come with a one-year warranty.
If you want a better choice of colours, you need to go for one of their made-to-order sofas which are a lot more expensive (£1000+)
When we checked, the cheapest two-seater sofa was £239 whilst a three-seater sofa was £399.
The choice is pretty decent, with about 300+ sofas and armchairs to choose from.
Most of the descriptions give a good level of detail, such as telling you what type of wood has been used to build the sofa frame (hard woods are better than soft woods).
My main reservation with Dunelm sofas is that the range of colours is a bit limited for the cheaper sofas. Most sofas just come in one or two colours with a few coming in a better choice of three or four. Also, most sofas just come with a one-year warranty.
If you want a better choice of colours, you need to go for one of their made-to-order sofas which are a lot more expensive (£1000+)
5. Wayfair
This sofa was £265 on Wayfair when we checked
Wayfair is another huge website which offers a marketplace for cheap sofas (and all kinds of other things).
I suggest filtering by price to start off. We set a budget of £500 and it came back with about 500 results.
With a budget of £300, we found that there were more than 100 sofas to choose from. Most were clic-clac sofa beds but there were a few 'normal' sofas as well for that price.
You can also filter by the actual size you are looking for in centimetres, which is a rather neat feature if you have limited space.
I suggest filtering by price to start off. We set a budget of £500 and it came back with about 500 results.
With a budget of £300, we found that there were more than 100 sofas to choose from. Most were clic-clac sofa beds but there were a few 'normal' sofas as well for that price.
You can also filter by the actual size you are looking for in centimetres, which is a rather neat feature if you have limited space.
