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 2019.
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 2019.
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 100,000 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 32 results, 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 32 results, 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. Asda
You could get this sofa for £150 from Asda when we checked
Would you like a sofa with your corn flakes this week, sir?
George at Asda is probably not the first place you'd look for sofas but they've got a small range of very cheap furniture.
When we checked, there were some 3 seater sofas for under £200 and corner sofas from £500.
Some of the descriptions are a bit light on detail. One corner sofa I looked at said it had a 'wood frame' but you really need to know whether it's a hard or soft wood and how it is held together to figure out how sturdy it is.
The range of colours is limited but most of them have decent customer reviews for the money.
George at Asda is probably not the first place you'd look for sofas but they've got a small range of very cheap furniture.
When we checked, there were some 3 seater sofas for under £200 and corner sofas from £500.
Some of the descriptions are a bit light on detail. One corner sofa I looked at said it had a 'wood frame' but you really need to know whether it's a hard or soft wood and how it is held together to figure out how sturdy it is.
The range of colours is limited but most of them have decent customer reviews for the money.
5. Very
This sofa was about £200 at Very when we searched
Three-seater sofas at Very start at around £200 whilst corner sofas start from about £500.
The descriptions don't go into enough technical detail for my liking but one very useful addition is giving an idea of how firm each sofa is. It's surprising how few online sofa retailers offer this detail, even if it is a bit subjective.
There was a choice of about 300 sofas when I looked.
The descriptions don't go into enough technical detail for my liking but one very useful addition is giving an idea of how firm each sofa is. It's surprising how few online sofa retailers offer this detail, even if it is a bit subjective.
There was a choice of about 300 sofas when I looked.
