10 ms·

Casper went to war with popular mattress review site, then financed its takeover

144 points by jsm386 9y ago

dpflan 9y ago
I like how the final remarks so clearly show the shift in perspective, review and affiliate marketing after the Casper influence. Many of these on-demand mattress companies had 30-day return policies: has any one tried and returned such a mattress? My suspicion is that the large unwieldy-mess of the mattress suppresses ability for the customer to return, so the police is great on paper, but then you end up stuck with the mattress and settle?
- grzm 9y ago
  From what I've read, the companies have done a lot to make this as frictionless as possible by picking up the mattresses rather than requiring the customer to package and ship them themselves if necessary. Here are two I'm aware of: Casper: "we’ll send a courier over to remove the product from your home and either donate it to a local charity or have it recycled." (https://casper.com/faqs/returns-exchanges/tell-me-more-about-the-100-night-trial https://casper.com/faqs/returns-exchanges/tell-me-more-about...) Tuft & Needle: "Instead of shipping it back to us, we'll work together with you to donate the mattress to a local charity or non-profit organization. Upload or email us a scanned or photographed copy of your donation receipt and we'll process your full refund. If no charity is available nearby for donation, we'll arrange a 3rd party pickup for the mattress." (https://www.tuftandneedle.com/faq/#category:3 https://www.tuftandneedle.com/faq/#category:3)
- troydavis 9y ago
  https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/your-money/buying-a-mattress-online-was-easy-now-about-the-return.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/your-money/buying-a-mattr... tested the return policies. The gist is that all vendors did quite well. Returns were way easier than one might expect.
- whorleater 9y ago
  > My suspicion is that the large unwieldy-mess of the mattress suppresses ability for the customer to return I have. I bought a Casper bedframe and I didn't like the height of the bedframe, so I opted to return it. Casper sent some guys from GOT-JUNK to pick it up from my apartment and refunded me. No haggling on the phone either
SamReidHughes 9y ago
I got a Casper mattress when they were new and liked it a lot. But recently I had another occasion to buy a mattress — to my dismay, upon doing some research I found out they bought out a review site and they’d also increased prices and swapped out latex with cheaper materials. So I went with a less expensive Leesa mattress this time around and I sleep just as well as before.
- TheGorramBatman 9y ago
  Was this Leesa to replace the Casper? If so, that's a tiny amount of time for it to last.
  - SamReidHughes 9y ago
    No, I donated the Casper to a friend when I moved.
stareatgoats 9y ago
I don't understand this. Large parts of the review business doesn't seem to abide by common ethical standards. Paid adverts are deceptively presented as objective reviews in a myriad ways. Is it even legal?
- dawnerd 9y ago
  Nope not legal but the FTC/others are really bad at enforcing it. Look at all the brand “embassadors” out there promoting products on personal accounts and trying to hide their affiliation as much as possible.
  - freehunter 9y ago
    Which makes it really hard for people who actually enjoy the products to talk about them. If I mention any brand name in my comments, it seems about 40%-50% of the time I'll get someone accusing me of being paid to mention the name. Word of mouth is being ruined by advertisers who don't know what word of mouth actually means.
    - curun1r 9y ago
      I don't even understand why word of mouth would even be a thing when it comes to mattresses. People sleep differently and have different preferences when it comes to what they sleep on such that I can't see buying a mattress without first lying on it for a while. I recently bought one of the newish high-tech foam brands (not saying which one so no one accuses me of shilling), but only after going into one of their showrooms and spending a couple of hours testing out the various options. The only thing I looked at reviews to determine was what the return process was like, and for that you really need to look for user-generated content sites like Yelp rather than people with their own review sites since the return process for a demo model won't be representative.
    - resu_nimda 9y ago
      To be fair, publishing something online is not quite the same as traditional word of mouth, which is shared between friends that know and trust each other. It's a lot harder to discern the biases and motives behind a post from an unknown person on the internet. Brought to you by Carl's Jr.
frou_dh 9y ago
I bet there are plenty of people Googling specifically for coupon codes and then lifting them off of review sites like Sleepopolis without even reading the review. In that situation it does not even matter how favourable the review is, just that the site has good SEO. If you find a substantial seeming coupon that's valid then that's a major positive feeling that encourages completing the purchase.
_JamesA_ 9y ago
I bought a high-end Stearns and Foster 15+ years ago from a department store and it's about due for a replacement. It was expensive and worth it. Now it seems the market is all about overpriced mattress stores with sleazy salesmen or start-ups selling fabric covered foam.
- TheKarateKid 9y ago
  Agreed. I just bought mine the other week from Macy's where every mattress was "on sale" for almost half of the list price. Then they took another 10% off for a Labor Day sale. The $900 mattress I bought was the same quality as all the other ones I tried for around that price in other stores - each of which had their own ridiculous list price and sale. MattressFirm was even worse. They wanted over $1000 for mattresses that felt like junk and were $500 elsewhere. Sleepy's was great before they were bought by them.
- spaceisballer 9y ago
  I recently bought the same brand after the Leesa didn’t work out. Tried out a lot of beds and the Sterns and Foster is working out, seemed too pricey but it’s fine. There just doesn’t seem to be enough support for me in an all foam mattress. It’s a bummer because going to a mattress store is a complete and utter hassle, just like car salespeople. They use the same tactics and I want none of it. And you hear the sales people say thing like “Well beds haven’t changed much however the sleep science has come a long way.” What the hell are you talking about. So I went in the store, tested out mattresses and then left and priced them online. Called them back and beat them up on the price and bought it.
stuaxo 9y ago
How do you even buy non memory foam these days? I really don't understand the benefit - if you ever move in your sleep then you will be uncomfortable.
- fredley 9y ago
  I've got springs now (Ikea), and a partner who moves often in their sleep. Having stayed in some Airbnb's recently with foam, the difference was huge. Planning on getting a Caspar or similar soon.
- overcast 9y ago
  There are hybrid mattresses that give you strengths of both. Basically foam wrapped coils. So you still get the nice spring action for sex, but for sleeping it conforms to your body, and doesn't wake your partner. Ordered Saatva mattress, and it's by FAR the best mattress I've ever slept on. Organic cotton, no horrible gas smell, no overheating like full foam, eco friendly construction. The thing is magical. $1027 delivered + removal of old mattress. https://www.saatvamattress.com/the-mattresses.html https://www.saatvamattress.com/the-mattresses.html
  - joering2 9y ago
    Seems like a decent matress but the reviews page were somewhat suspicious. 12,000 reviews most 5 stars and first time ever I found a website where each review is professionally written - with nice grammar, punctuation, full sentences, few nicely worded paragraphs. Most start with "client" fear of buying online and ends with full relief upon sleeping on it first night.
    - overcast 9y ago
      No doubt a lot of reviews are nonsense, you'll find that anywhere though. Seriously good mattress, especially for $1000 though.
- kevin_thibedeau 9y ago
  J-life has proper futon filled with cotton. Not the western couch thingys.
erentz 9y ago
I recently went bought a Casper. I didn't like it. It gave me a sore back and neck and didn't get any better until I switched. So next I ordered a Leesa. But that had the strong chemical smell. And I left it unpacked in a room with ventilation for two weeks and the smell didn't stop. Then I ordered a Tuft and Needle, and despite being the cheapest of the three (I think?) it had no odor issues and was surprisingly the more comfortable. I'm very happy with it. The return on the other two mattresses was completely painless and easy, so I highly recommend taking advantage of their 90-100 day trials.
- martin_ 9y ago
  Curious: Did you consider the Purple? I tend to get pretty hot at night (no AC) and that one seems to boast the best marketing jargon with regards to cooling. Can you speak to the breathability of the others you've tried?
  - birken 9y ago
    I haven't tried Purple, so I can't speak to that, but I have ordered 2 mattresses and returned them both (Helix, Leesa), and I'll second that the return process was easy for both of them. The Helix support actually convinced me to try a different variant of their bed which I'm trying next, which should show you there is no judgment on their end when you try it and return it. Obviously check reviews and everything, but I've found that as helpful as the reviews are, nothing is even close to your experience with the mattress and how you sleep on it. So if there is some brand of a bed that interests you, you should just get it and then return it if you don't like it. One note though: The return process is easier if you buy it directly from the company and not through Amazon.
  - jbooj 9y ago
    Purple is wonderful and extremely cool (Had one since June and it's the best bed I've ever owned)
    - gregd 9y ago
      I just recently bought a Purple pillow. Good god, I love this thing! I've tried every kind of pillow to help alleviate my neck pain and sweating and while some got pretty good at eliminating the sweatiness, none did squat for my constant neck pain...until the Purple pillow. The only issue (and it's a very slight one at that) is the weight of this pillow. I think the shipment said it was just shy of 10lbs. The best way I can think of to describe this pillow is that it's like a sack full of ass fat.
coldcode 9y ago
I bought a Zinus Memory Foam Mattress recently on Amazon for a 1/3 of the price of Casper. Most comfy I've ever slept on. Not sure why one would pay 3x the price.
- spraak 9y ago
  Yeah I've been eyeing Zinus as I'm about to buy a new matress as well.
- icelancer 9y ago
  Return policy for Zinus is significantly less clear, guaranteed, and flexible than Leesa/Casper/T&N. Big deal breaker for many. Zinus is 30 days. Majority of the others are 100 days to 1 year.
- gnicholas 9y ago
  My general feeling is that two mattresses might feel the same at first, but they could age differently. I don't know if this is the case here, and it's difficult to assess this even with side-by-side testing in a showroom. What you really need is years worth of data from genuine reviews. As this article indicates, genuine reviews are hard to come by.
ardit33 9y ago
I have one right now, (I bought the mid level one) and I don't like it. Not comfortable on the long run and it seems it is actually smaller (by one inch in both sides and length) than my older mattress. If you are tall it can be a problem. Good marketing, not so great of a product.
hurricanesugar 9y ago
I’m fascinated by this story. I was searching for a new mattress months ago. I found a casper.com case study from a web designer, which piqued my interest in a Casper mattress. After some research, I found sleepopolis.com. The site owner reviewed a dozen mattresses and his opinion was that Casper rated lower than its competitors, like Leesa, especially for side sleepers like me. Later, the site owner mentioned he was in a legal battle with Casper and fully intended on going to war until the end. It was all over his site, blog posts and everything. I was ready to buy a couple weeks ago so I checked sleepopolis.com again to check in and make a final decision. His site had been sold, all his posts about the legal stuff were gone and I remember feeling like the valuable “human-perspective” opinions of the writer were gone. I would love to hear the perspective of the original Sleepopolis writer/owner - he built a valuable thing. Likely his deal prevents him from ever speaking about it publicly. Side note: I bought a Leesa and it’s very firm compared to the W bed I bought a decade ago. It’s a few hundred dollars cheaper but we will probably return it before 100 days and buy W again.
- frankacter 9y ago
  Here is the original motivation: https://ideamensch.com/derek-hales/ https://ideamensch.com/derek-hales/ Here is a cache of his perspective: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:F3VoYTa0IA0J:https://www.honestmattressreviews.com/casper-buys-sleepopolis-number-1-paid-affiliate-site/+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=tw https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:F3VoYT... “Casper filed the lawsuit against me in April, 2016, on the same day that it sued two other websites that review mattresses. The suit makes a number of different allegations, but they are primarily focused on my Casper mattress reviews and how I inform my readers about referral links. I am currently fighting the lawsuit and pushing for it to be dismissed with prejudice. It is my opinion that this lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to silence my voice and infringe my first amendment right. When my lawyer asked Casper what it would take to resolve the case, Casper’s settlement demand was that I take down my reviews of Casper’s mattress and never write about Casper again. I don’t think Casper is concerned about my referral link disclosures at all – they just don’t like criticism of their product.”
  - 9y ago
gwern 9y ago
So what were the 3? I only see Sleepopolis named.
- ringaroundthetx 9y ago
  I know a guy that offered X service, and also registered a ton of the "is X service a scam" websites great SEO at the time, probably still is. the moral of the story is that this article is probably affiliate marketing for sleepopolis and leveraged buyouts
pcmaffey 9y ago
For anyone reading this interested in mattresses, I highly recommend natural latex. It's pricey, but 7 years and 17k+ hours of use later, it's still in near impeccable condition, sleeps perfectly (I got the firm) and is easily the best $2k investment I've ever made.
- askvictor 9y ago
  Except when it gets hot. Latex holds heat like a brick; if you haven't got air conditioning and live somewhere where it gets warm, stay well clear of latex.
dogruck 9y ago
It amuses me that many of the informal reviews and attestations in the comments echo the mattress sales pitch. Also buyers-bias. I'm not saying anything is untoward. I'm just saying that when someone mentions how many hours they slept on a mattress I can immediately see a sales rep or marketer pattering. Also reminds me of when audiophiles talk about their kit.
- tinus_hn 9y ago
  Also, how can a store have a policy where you destroy the item and get your money back, without the price being a complete and utter scam with markup that’s through the roof?
subwayclub 9y ago
I invested in a Rumpl blanket and eventually took to putting that on the carpet, a smaller blanket to support the head, and one top cover. The Rumpl is designed to be of a similar quality to a sleeping bag but easier to spread and wash. It's an "as if perpetually travelling" mindset.
- jpeg_hero 9y ago
  Dude, are you recommending we sleep on the floor?
markbnj 9y ago
We bought a Costco Novaform Serafina 14" about six months ago, unpacked it and let it pop for a few days, and its been the most comfortable bed we've owned.
- bigtex 9y ago
  My wife and I really enjoyed our Novaform when we first got it however it has developed a lump in the middle where we usually don't sleep so it bothers the wife. We will be in the market for a new one soon.
TheKarateKid 9y ago
The FTC should treat sites which offer reviews and have affiliate links the same way they do as celebrity endorsements on social media: They should be required to disclose that, and fine those who don't.
- mintplant 9y ago
  This is already the case.
  - TheKarateKid 9y ago
    If it was, this article wouldn't be relevant. Many sites feature affiliate links but don't state they are receiving commission.
    - DanBC 9y ago
      ...and if they're reported to FTC action will be taken. https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/native-advertising-guide-businesses https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/nat... https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftc...
hourislate 9y ago
You can buy a whole shipping container of Memory Foam mattresses like the Casper kind for about $200/Queen, $100/twin, $250/King from China. Log on to Import Genius and you can find all kinds of excellent suppliers. In Canada they get them in and wholesale them out. They typically sell them for about $400 for a Queen. I have one in my guest room. Doesn't smell, is comfortable if you like memory foam. My guests so far like it. I like to sleep on individual pocket mattresses (traditional). Anyway, the other mattresses I bought for my dwelling in Toronto was from Queensway Mattress Warehouse across from Ikea in Etobicoke. Double size that is completely organic cotton with individual coils with a thick pillow top and box spring for $600 CAD. It is the best mattress I have eve purchases in my life. My primary dwelling in DFW has mattresses that cost 3 times as much and are half as comfortable. I have come to realize that there are only 2 or 3 companies that sell mattresses in the USA and that is why they are so expensive. Total ripoff in America when it comes to mattresses. Casper doesn't seem like anything special since anyone can buy from China and mark it up and sell it in a market like the US for a big profit since there is no competition really. Casper just has good marketing.
- phonon 9y ago
  You don't have to go that far. http://www.thefoamfactory.com/mattress/memorymattress.html http://www.thefoamfactory.com/mattress/memorymattress.html Will sell you the foam to size, as a mattress or a topper, in different densities, etc. I've bought their memory foam mattresses and latex toppers, I thought they were fine.
bearcobra 9y ago
One of the reasons I trust the reviews on The Wirecutter/Sweethome is because they are pretty up front with disclosing they get paid via affiliate links. I don't know how these sites built up enough trust to influence people's purchasing decisions.
gexla 9y ago
Does anyone sleep on a hard surface? I generally don't, but when I get a migraine, I can't stand to sleep on a soft surface. I also can't deal with pillows. Maybe the reason is that I can put my body in the exact position I want without any give or movement. When I don't have a migraine, I sleep on a thin foam, but I don't mind hard surfaces with a blanket covering.
naner 9y ago
As someone who grew up with the web, it feels odd that I distrust all of these direct-to-consumer product sites by default. Mattresses, underwear, watches, shaving equipment, etc. It all feels like a gimmick.
vvpan 9y ago
I'll diverge from the main topic here for a moment. When I moved to the US I was puzzled to discover that there're stores that specialize in mattresses. Later it became apparent that US has, what seems to me, a bizarre fascination with mattresses. In my home-country (and I think many other countries) most people grew up sleeping on thin cotton-filled mattresses and the idea of mattress brands and "technology" just sounds preposterous. It seems like mattress firms have been able to reshape how a whole populace thinks about what elsewhere is a comparatively straight-forward product. Does a person really need hi-tech space-technology memory foam for a thousand dollars to sleep on? This study for example suggests that not: http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/11198791 http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/11198791
- tudorw 9y ago
  Sell fear, back pain, bed mites, lack of sleep, it's the easiest sell in the book, plus a high cost item that lasts is easily pitched, 'Yours for $10/month) (over 10 years...), throw in a 'if you don't like it send it back' (at your cost...), that's sales, it's irrelevant whether people need something, capitalism is can you sell them something.
- JBlue42 9y ago
  You might have noticed Americans are obsessed with technological solutionism, whether it's the form of products or pills. There's a cure for anything.
  - TeMPOraL 9y ago
    I think that's unfair towards technology, which is our primary and - I dare to say - only tool for solving problems[0]. What Americans, and other Western cultures, have a problem with is an obsession with consumptionism - the belief that you can always buy a solution for everything, the belief that the best solution comes from those who advertise most, the belief that they even care about you solving your problem. The gullibility to buy "space-tech" widgets with "new QuantumPower formula" that is obvious bullshit, from people who obviously have zero incentive to help you, and all the incentives to take your money. -- [0] - I mean, what else is there? Magic? Hoping for divine intervention? Pretending a problem doesn't exist?
mavhc 9y ago
http://freakonomics.com/podcast/mattress-store-bubble/ http://freakonomics.com/podcast/mattress-store-bubble/ mentions that a mattress store only has to sell 1 mattress per day to be profitable, now that's a profit margin.

144 points by jsm386 9y ago

I like how the final remarks so clearly show the shift in perspective, review and affiliate marketing after the Casper influence. Many of these on-demand mattress companies had 30-day return policies: has any one tried and returned such a mattress? My suspicion is that the large unwieldy-mess of the mattress suppresses ability for the customer to return, so the police is great on paper, but then you end up stuck with the mattress and settle?

grzm 9y ago
From what I've read, the companies have done a lot to make this as frictionless as possible by picking up the mattresses rather than requiring the customer to package and ship them themselves if necessary. Here are two I'm aware of: Casper: "we’ll send a courier over to remove the product from your home and either donate it to a local charity or have it recycled." (https://casper.com/faqs/returns-exchanges/tell-me-more-about-the-100-night-trial https://casper.com/faqs/returns-exchanges/tell-me-more-about...) Tuft & Needle: "Instead of shipping it back to us, we'll work together with you to donate the mattress to a local charity or non-profit organization. Upload or email us a scanned or photographed copy of your donation receipt and we'll process your full refund. If no charity is available nearby for donation, we'll arrange a 3rd party pickup for the mattress." (https://www.tuftandneedle.com/faq/#category:3 https://www.tuftandneedle.com/faq/#category:3)
troydavis 9y ago
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/your-money/buying-a-mattress-online-was-easy-now-about-the-return.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/your-money/buying-a-mattr... tested the return policies. The gist is that all vendors did quite well. Returns were way easier than one might expect.
whorleater 9y ago
> My suspicion is that the large unwieldy-mess of the mattress suppresses ability for the customer to return I have. I bought a Casper bedframe and I didn't like the height of the bedframe, so I opted to return it. Casper sent some guys from GOT-JUNK to pick it up from my apartment and refunded me. No haggling on the phone either

SamReidHughes 9y ago

I got a Casper mattress when they were new and liked it a lot. But recently I had another occasion to buy a mattress — to my dismay, upon doing some research I found out they bought out a review site and they’d also increased prices and swapped out latex with cheaper materials. So I went with a less expensive Leesa mattress this time around and I sleep just as well as before.

TheGorramBatman 9y ago
Was this Leesa to replace the Casper? If so, that's a tiny amount of time for it to last.
- SamReidHughes 9y ago
  No, I donated the Casper to a friend when I moved.

stareatgoats 9y ago

I don't understand this. Large parts of the review business doesn't seem to abide by common ethical standards. Paid adverts are deceptively presented as objective reviews in a myriad ways. Is it even legal?

dawnerd 9y ago
Nope not legal but the FTC/others are really bad at enforcing it. Look at all the brand “embassadors” out there promoting products on personal accounts and trying to hide their affiliation as much as possible.
- freehunter 9y ago
  Which makes it really hard for people who actually enjoy the products to talk about them. If I mention any brand name in my comments, it seems about 40%-50% of the time I'll get someone accusing me of being paid to mention the name. Word of mouth is being ruined by advertisers who don't know what word of mouth actually means.
  - curun1r 9y ago
    I don't even understand why word of mouth would even be a thing when it comes to mattresses. People sleep differently and have different preferences when it comes to what they sleep on such that I can't see buying a mattress without first lying on it for a while. I recently bought one of the newish high-tech foam brands (not saying which one so no one accuses me of shilling), but only after going into one of their showrooms and spending a couple of hours testing out the various options. The only thing I looked at reviews to determine was what the return process was like, and for that you really need to look for user-generated content sites like Yelp rather than people with their own review sites since the return process for a demo model won't be representative.
  - resu_nimda 9y ago
    To be fair, publishing something online is not quite the same as traditional word of mouth, which is shared between friends that know and trust each other. It's a lot harder to discern the biases and motives behind a post from an unknown person on the internet. Brought to you by Carl's Jr.

frou_dh 9y ago

I bet there are plenty of people Googling specifically for coupon codes and then lifting them off of review sites like Sleepopolis without even reading the review. In that situation it does not even matter how favourable the review is, just that the site has good SEO. If you find a substantial seeming coupon that's valid then that's a major positive feeling that encourages completing the purchase.

_JamesA_ 9y ago

I bought a high-end Stearns and Foster 15+ years ago from a department store and it's about due for a replacement. It was expensive and worth it. Now it seems the market is all about overpriced mattress stores with sleazy salesmen or start-ups selling fabric covered foam.

TheKarateKid 9y ago
Agreed. I just bought mine the other week from Macy's where every mattress was "on sale" for almost half of the list price. Then they took another 10% off for a Labor Day sale. The $900 mattress I bought was the same quality as all the other ones I tried for around that price in other stores - each of which had their own ridiculous list price and sale. MattressFirm was even worse. They wanted over $1000 for mattresses that felt like junk and were $500 elsewhere. Sleepy's was great before they were bought by them.
spaceisballer 9y ago
I recently bought the same brand after the Leesa didn’t work out. Tried out a lot of beds and the Sterns and Foster is working out, seemed too pricey but it’s fine. There just doesn’t seem to be enough support for me in an all foam mattress. It’s a bummer because going to a mattress store is a complete and utter hassle, just like car salespeople. They use the same tactics and I want none of it. And you hear the sales people say thing like “Well beds haven’t changed much however the sleep science has come a long way.” What the hell are you talking about. So I went in the store, tested out mattresses and then left and priced them online. Called them back and beat them up on the price and bought it.

stuaxo 9y ago

How do you even buy non memory foam these days? I really don't understand the benefit - if you ever move in your sleep then you will be uncomfortable.

fredley 9y ago
I've got springs now (Ikea), and a partner who moves often in their sleep. Having stayed in some Airbnb's recently with foam, the difference was huge. Planning on getting a Caspar or similar soon.
overcast 9y ago
There are hybrid mattresses that give you strengths of both. Basically foam wrapped coils. So you still get the nice spring action for sex, but for sleeping it conforms to your body, and doesn't wake your partner. Ordered Saatva mattress, and it's by FAR the best mattress I've ever slept on. Organic cotton, no horrible gas smell, no overheating like full foam, eco friendly construction. The thing is magical. $1027 delivered + removal of old mattress. https://www.saatvamattress.com/the-mattresses.html https://www.saatvamattress.com/the-mattresses.html
- joering2 9y ago
  Seems like a decent matress but the reviews page were somewhat suspicious. 12,000 reviews most 5 stars and first time ever I found a website where each review is professionally written - with nice grammar, punctuation, full sentences, few nicely worded paragraphs. Most start with "client" fear of buying online and ends with full relief upon sleeping on it first night.
  - overcast 9y ago
    No doubt a lot of reviews are nonsense, you'll find that anywhere though. Seriously good mattress, especially for $1000 though.
kevin_thibedeau 9y ago
J-life has proper futon filled with cotton. Not the western couch thingys.

erentz 9y ago

I recently went bought a Casper. I didn't like it. It gave me a sore back and neck and didn't get any better until I switched. So next I ordered a Leesa. But that had the strong chemical smell. And I left it unpacked in a room with ventilation for two weeks and the smell didn't stop. Then I ordered a Tuft and Needle, and despite being the cheapest of the three (I think?) it had no odor issues and was surprisingly the more comfortable. I'm very happy with it. The return on the other two mattresses was completely painless and easy, so I highly recommend taking advantage of their 90-100 day trials.

martin_ 9y ago
Curious: Did you consider the Purple? I tend to get pretty hot at night (no AC) and that one seems to boast the best marketing jargon with regards to cooling. Can you speak to the breathability of the others you've tried?
- birken 9y ago
  I haven't tried Purple, so I can't speak to that, but I have ordered 2 mattresses and returned them both (Helix, Leesa), and I'll second that the return process was easy for both of them. The Helix support actually convinced me to try a different variant of their bed which I'm trying next, which should show you there is no judgment on their end when you try it and return it. Obviously check reviews and everything, but I've found that as helpful as the reviews are, nothing is even close to your experience with the mattress and how you sleep on it. So if there is some brand of a bed that interests you, you should just get it and then return it if you don't like it. One note though: The return process is easier if you buy it directly from the company and not through Amazon.
- jbooj 9y ago
  Purple is wonderful and extremely cool (Had one since June and it's the best bed I've ever owned)
  - gregd 9y ago
    I just recently bought a Purple pillow. Good god, I love this thing! I've tried every kind of pillow to help alleviate my neck pain and sweating and while some got pretty good at eliminating the sweatiness, none did squat for my constant neck pain...until the Purple pillow. The only issue (and it's a very slight one at that) is the weight of this pillow. I think the shipment said it was just shy of 10lbs. The best way I can think of to describe this pillow is that it's like a sack full of ass fat.

coldcode 9y ago

I bought a Zinus Memory Foam Mattress recently on Amazon for a 1/3 of the price of Casper. Most comfy I've ever slept on. Not sure why one would pay 3x the price.

spraak 9y ago
Yeah I've been eyeing Zinus as I'm about to buy a new matress as well.
icelancer 9y ago
Return policy for Zinus is significantly less clear, guaranteed, and flexible than Leesa/Casper/T&N. Big deal breaker for many. Zinus is 30 days. Majority of the others are 100 days to 1 year.
gnicholas 9y ago
My general feeling is that two mattresses might feel the same at first, but they could age differently. I don't know if this is the case here, and it's difficult to assess this even with side-by-side testing in a showroom. What you really need is years worth of data from genuine reviews. As this article indicates, genuine reviews are hard to come by.

ardit33 9y ago

I have one right now, (I bought the mid level one) and I don't like it. Not comfortable on the long run and it seems it is actually smaller (by one inch in both sides and length) than my older mattress. If you are tall it can be a problem. Good marketing, not so great of a product.

hurricanesugar 9y ago

I’m fascinated by this story. I was searching for a new mattress months ago. I found a casper.com case study from a web designer, which piqued my interest in a Casper mattress. After some research, I found sleepopolis.com. The site owner reviewed a dozen mattresses and his opinion was that Casper rated lower than its competitors, like Leesa, especially for side sleepers like me. Later, the site owner mentioned he was in a legal battle with Casper and fully intended on going to war until the end. It was all over his site, blog posts and everything. I was ready to buy a couple weeks ago so I checked sleepopolis.com again to check in and make a final decision. His site had been sold, all his posts about the legal stuff were gone and I remember feeling like the valuable “human-perspective” opinions of the writer were gone. I would love to hear the perspective of the original Sleepopolis writer/owner - he built a valuable thing. Likely his deal prevents him from ever speaking about it publicly. Side note: I bought a Leesa and it’s very firm compared to the W bed I bought a decade ago. It’s a few hundred dollars cheaper but we will probably return it before 100 days and buy W again.

frankacter 9y ago
Here is the original motivation: https://ideamensch.com/derek-hales/ https://ideamensch.com/derek-hales/ Here is a cache of his perspective: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:F3VoYTa0IA0J:https://www.honestmattressreviews.com/casper-buys-sleepopolis-number-1-paid-affiliate-site/+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=tw https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:F3VoYT... “Casper filed the lawsuit against me in April, 2016, on the same day that it sued two other websites that review mattresses. The suit makes a number of different allegations, but they are primarily focused on my Casper mattress reviews and how I inform my readers about referral links. I am currently fighting the lawsuit and pushing for it to be dismissed with prejudice. It is my opinion that this lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to silence my voice and infringe my first amendment right. When my lawyer asked Casper what it would take to resolve the case, Casper’s settlement demand was that I take down my reviews of Casper’s mattress and never write about Casper again. I don’t think Casper is concerned about my referral link disclosures at all – they just don’t like criticism of their product.”
- 9y ago

gwern 9y ago

So what were the 3? I only see Sleepopolis named.

ringaroundthetx 9y ago
I know a guy that offered X service, and also registered a ton of the "is X service a scam" websites great SEO at the time, probably still is. the moral of the story is that this article is probably affiliate marketing for sleepopolis and leveraged buyouts

pcmaffey 9y ago

For anyone reading this interested in mattresses, I highly recommend natural latex. It's pricey, but 7 years and 17k+ hours of use later, it's still in near impeccable condition, sleeps perfectly (I got the firm) and is easily the best $2k investment I've ever made.

askvictor 9y ago
Except when it gets hot. Latex holds heat like a brick; if you haven't got air conditioning and live somewhere where it gets warm, stay well clear of latex.

dogruck 9y ago

It amuses me that many of the informal reviews and attestations in the comments echo the mattress sales pitch. Also buyers-bias. I'm not saying anything is untoward. I'm just saying that when someone mentions how many hours they slept on a mattress I can immediately see a sales rep or marketer pattering. Also reminds me of when audiophiles talk about their kit.

tinus_hn 9y ago
Also, how can a store have a policy where you destroy the item and get your money back, without the price being a complete and utter scam with markup that’s through the roof?

subwayclub 9y ago

I invested in a Rumpl blanket and eventually took to putting that on the carpet, a smaller blanket to support the head, and one top cover. The Rumpl is designed to be of a similar quality to a sleeping bag but easier to spread and wash. It's an "as if perpetually travelling" mindset.

jpeg_hero 9y ago
Dude, are you recommending we sleep on the floor?

markbnj 9y ago

We bought a Costco Novaform Serafina 14" about six months ago, unpacked it and let it pop for a few days, and its been the most comfortable bed we've owned.

bigtex 9y ago
My wife and I really enjoyed our Novaform when we first got it however it has developed a lump in the middle where we usually don't sleep so it bothers the wife. We will be in the market for a new one soon.

TheKarateKid 9y ago

The FTC should treat sites which offer reviews and have affiliate links the same way they do as celebrity endorsements on social media: They should be required to disclose that, and fine those who don't.

mintplant 9y ago
This is already the case.
- TheKarateKid 9y ago
  If it was, this article wouldn't be relevant. Many sites feature affiliate links but don't state they are receiving commission.
  - DanBC 9y ago
    ...and if they're reported to FTC action will be taken. https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/native-advertising-guide-businesses https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/nat... https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftc...

hourislate 9y ago

You can buy a whole shipping container of Memory Foam mattresses like the Casper kind for about $200/Queen, $100/twin, $250/King from China. Log on to Import Genius and you can find all kinds of excellent suppliers. In Canada they get them in and wholesale them out. They typically sell them for about $400 for a Queen. I have one in my guest room. Doesn't smell, is comfortable if you like memory foam. My guests so far like it. I like to sleep on individual pocket mattresses (traditional). Anyway, the other mattresses I bought for my dwelling in Toronto was from Queensway Mattress Warehouse across from Ikea in Etobicoke. Double size that is completely organic cotton with individual coils with a thick pillow top and box spring for $600 CAD. It is the best mattress I have eve purchases in my life. My primary dwelling in DFW has mattresses that cost 3 times as much and are half as comfortable. I have come to realize that there are only 2 or 3 companies that sell mattresses in the USA and that is why they are so expensive. Total ripoff in America when it comes to mattresses. Casper doesn't seem like anything special since anyone can buy from China and mark it up and sell it in a market like the US for a big profit since there is no competition really. Casper just has good marketing.

phonon 9y ago
You don't have to go that far. http://www.thefoamfactory.com/mattress/memorymattress.html http://www.thefoamfactory.com/mattress/memorymattress.html Will sell you the foam to size, as a mattress or a topper, in different densities, etc. I've bought their memory foam mattresses and latex toppers, I thought they were fine.

bearcobra 9y ago

One of the reasons I trust the reviews on The Wirecutter/Sweethome is because they are pretty up front with disclosing they get paid via affiliate links. I don't know how these sites built up enough trust to influence people's purchasing decisions.

gexla 9y ago

Does anyone sleep on a hard surface? I generally don't, but when I get a migraine, I can't stand to sleep on a soft surface. I also can't deal with pillows. Maybe the reason is that I can put my body in the exact position I want without any give or movement. When I don't have a migraine, I sleep on a thin foam, but I don't mind hard surfaces with a blanket covering.

naner 9y ago

As someone who grew up with the web, it feels odd that I distrust all of these direct-to-consumer product sites by default. Mattresses, underwear, watches, shaving equipment, etc. It all feels like a gimmick.

vvpan 9y ago

I'll diverge from the main topic here for a moment. When I moved to the US I was puzzled to discover that there're stores that specialize in mattresses. Later it became apparent that US has, what seems to me, a bizarre fascination with mattresses. In my home-country (and I think many other countries) most people grew up sleeping on thin cotton-filled mattresses and the idea of mattress brands and "technology" just sounds preposterous. It seems like mattress firms have been able to reshape how a whole populace thinks about what elsewhere is a comparatively straight-forward product. Does a person really need hi-tech space-technology memory foam for a thousand dollars to sleep on? This study for example suggests that not: http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/11198791 http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/11198791

tudorw 9y ago
Sell fear, back pain, bed mites, lack of sleep, it's the easiest sell in the book, plus a high cost item that lasts is easily pitched, 'Yours for $10/month) (over 10 years...), throw in a 'if you don't like it send it back' (at your cost...), that's sales, it's irrelevant whether people need something, capitalism is can you sell them something.
JBlue42 9y ago
You might have noticed Americans are obsessed with technological solutionism, whether it's the form of products or pills. There's a cure for anything.
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  I think that's unfair towards technology, which is our primary and - I dare to say - only tool for solving problems[0]. What Americans, and other Western cultures, have a problem with is an obsession with consumptionism - the belief that you can always buy a solution for everything, the belief that the best solution comes from those who advertise most, the belief that they even care about you solving your problem. The gullibility to buy "space-tech" widgets with "new QuantumPower formula" that is obvious bullshit, from people who obviously have zero incentive to help you, and all the incentives to take your money. -- [0] - I mean, what else is there? Magic? Hoping for divine intervention? Pretending a problem doesn't exist?

mavhc 9y ago

http://freakonomics.com/podcast/mattress-store-bubble/ http://freakonomics.com/podcast/mattress-store-bubble/ mentions that a mattress store only has to sell 1 mattress per day to be profitable, now that's a profit margin.