7 ms·

How should people buy mattresses, or mattress-like products, to avoid this 2000% markup?

_abattoir 7y ago
buy a $30 camping sleeping pad
Retric 7y ago
IKEA for example sells a lot of mattresses under 150$. Under that you can just by foam pads, but the biggest savings is simply avoiding mattress stores or companies. If you like pillow tops or those egg shell foam pads you can also just buy them separately.
- koolba 7y ago
  ... and you can still return it if you’re not satisfied! Plus you get to grab a few $.50 hot dogs while you’re there.
- sjg007 7y ago
  One interesting diy hack I read about is to put insulation or sound proofing around your dishwasher. Basically $20 in insulation can turn an old dishwasher or a $200 dishwasher into something super quiet.
- ramraj07 7y ago
  I've slept on a 150 dollar Ikea for years and I've slept on a leesa. Maybe these conspiracy theories are true, but the Leesa is much more comfortable than the cheap Ikea. Ikea also has more expensive substantial mattress options, but it looks like they approach the same price range anyway. So what's your real suggestion then? Sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag?
  - sumedh 7y ago
    Have you done a blind test, can you figure out which one is Ikea and which one is not just by sleeping on them? The test should be done when both the mattress are new.
  - Retric 7y ago
    Personal preference does not make any option objectively better. So, my suggestion is to explore your options. I enjoy a 4” foam pad on plywood over several thousand dollar mattresses, but it’s not a question of cost just comfort. Water beds are another cheap option that have largely fallen out of favor. PS: Body weight is a huge part of this. Gain or lose significant weight and your preference is likely to change.
sjg007 7y ago
You'd have to bulk order from China most likely or build your own mattress... or just order something cheap on Amazon where it is a race to the bottom. IKEA is also ok. I prefer Costco b/c of the return policy itself. Maybe you might find a hotel liquidator. The fact that we all sleep in hotels though shows you that the mattress resale laws are kind of weird or antiquated .. e.g. maybe last century. It seems like there should be a rehab process that allows a mattress to be resold "used" but clean. I am guessing the reason is health and safety but given craigslist where mattress change hands ad infinitum I am not sure how big the risk is. The fire risk is obviously a bigger deal.
- seanmcdirmid 7y ago
  The reason is surely bedbug infestations. It is just too risky to buy a mattress second hand, even from legitimate sources.
  - ars 7y ago
    That can be handled, either store the mattress for a year or so, or heat it up enough to kill them.
  - OJFord 7y ago
    That's enough for many of us to avoid it, it hardly needs regulation. GP's point is that we gladly share hotel mattresses. Bed bugs are consequently occasionally an inconvenience.
    - seanmcdirmid 7y ago
      The hotels check for bedbugs often and are aggressive in their cleaning habits. They know their reputation is shot once they have even one infestation. Now buy a used mattress from a source you don’t know whose hygiene is also unknown, you just don’t take that risk.
      - scarface74 7y ago
        That sounds like a business opportunity for “certified mattress cleaners”....
matwood 7y ago
I've bought my last couple mattresses on Walmart.com. Good price, free shipping, and foam felt like any other foam I've laid on. And because the price is good, I don't mind replacing them more frequently.
Spooky23 7y ago
Sam’s Club or Costco will sell a good mattress for about 60% less than whatever mattress stores charge. Limited choice, lower margin.
pauljurczak 7y ago
Walmart has a decent quality memory foam mattresses for under $200 (Spa Sensations). I've used them for many years and don't see a reason to spend more.
scotty79 7y ago
Avoid advertised products? I'd recommend latex foam. Material is more expensive so there's less wiggle space to apply huge markups.
135792468 7y ago
That’s a good question. It’s ridiculously hard to avoid, but there are places that others mentioned here you can find deals. Short of that you can find knock off versions on Amazon that might not last you as long but for a fraction of the price $100-200 iirc
superseeplus 7y ago
Check out https://www.themattressunderground.com/ https://www.themattressunderground.com/. It is a site for people who nerd out on mattress construction going so far as to assemble their own from layers, but their forum has a user curated list of small local manufacturers for almost every metropolitan area. The smaller manufacturers are not necessarily cheap, but the good ones do a better job of using higher quality materials and understanding your specific needs.

buy a $30 camping sleeping pad

IKEA for example sells a lot of mattresses under 150$. Under that you can just by foam pads, but the biggest savings is simply avoiding mattress stores or companies. If you like pillow tops or those egg shell foam pads you can also just buy them separately.

koolba 7y ago
... and you can still return it if you’re not satisfied! Plus you get to grab a few $.50 hot dogs while you’re there.
sjg007 7y ago
One interesting diy hack I read about is to put insulation or sound proofing around your dishwasher. Basically $20 in insulation can turn an old dishwasher or a $200 dishwasher into something super quiet.
ramraj07 7y ago
I've slept on a 150 dollar Ikea for years and I've slept on a leesa. Maybe these conspiracy theories are true, but the Leesa is much more comfortable than the cheap Ikea. Ikea also has more expensive substantial mattress options, but it looks like they approach the same price range anyway. So what's your real suggestion then? Sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag?
- sumedh 7y ago
  Have you done a blind test, can you figure out which one is Ikea and which one is not just by sleeping on them? The test should be done when both the mattress are new.
- Retric 7y ago
  Personal preference does not make any option objectively better. So, my suggestion is to explore your options. I enjoy a 4” foam pad on plywood over several thousand dollar mattresses, but it’s not a question of cost just comfort. Water beds are another cheap option that have largely fallen out of favor. PS: Body weight is a huge part of this. Gain or lose significant weight and your preference is likely to change.

sjg007 7y ago

You'd have to bulk order from China most likely or build your own mattress... or just order something cheap on Amazon where it is a race to the bottom. IKEA is also ok. I prefer Costco b/c of the return policy itself. Maybe you might find a hotel liquidator. The fact that we all sleep in hotels though shows you that the mattress resale laws are kind of weird or antiquated .. e.g. maybe last century. It seems like there should be a rehab process that allows a mattress to be resold "used" but clean. I am guessing the reason is health and safety but given craigslist where mattress change hands ad infinitum I am not sure how big the risk is. The fire risk is obviously a bigger deal.

seanmcdirmid 7y ago
The reason is surely bedbug infestations. It is just too risky to buy a mattress second hand, even from legitimate sources.
- ars 7y ago
  That can be handled, either store the mattress for a year or so, or heat it up enough to kill them.
- OJFord 7y ago
  That's enough for many of us to avoid it, it hardly needs regulation. GP's point is that we gladly share hotel mattresses. Bed bugs are consequently occasionally an inconvenience.
  - seanmcdirmid 7y ago
    The hotels check for bedbugs often and are aggressive in their cleaning habits. They know their reputation is shot once they have even one infestation. Now buy a used mattress from a source you don’t know whose hygiene is also unknown, you just don’t take that risk.
    - scarface74 7y ago
      That sounds like a business opportunity for “certified mattress cleaners”....

matwood 7y ago

I've bought my last couple mattresses on Walmart.com. Good price, free shipping, and foam felt like any other foam I've laid on. And because the price is good, I don't mind replacing them more frequently.

Spooky23 7y ago

Sam’s Club or Costco will sell a good mattress for about 60% less than whatever mattress stores charge. Limited choice, lower margin.

pauljurczak 7y ago

Walmart has a decent quality memory foam mattresses for under $200 (Spa Sensations). I've used them for many years and don't see a reason to spend more.

scotty79 7y ago

Avoid advertised products? I'd recommend latex foam. Material is more expensive so there's less wiggle space to apply huge markups.

135792468 7y ago

That’s a good question. It’s ridiculously hard to avoid, but there are places that others mentioned here you can find deals. Short of that you can find knock off versions on Amazon that might not last you as long but for a fraction of the price $100-200 iirc

superseeplus 7y ago

Check out https://www.themattressunderground.com/ https://www.themattressunderground.com/. It is a site for people who nerd out on mattress construction going so far as to assemble their own from layers, but their forum has a user curated list of small local manufacturers for almost every metropolitan area. The smaller manufacturers are not necessarily cheap, but the good ones do a better job of using higher quality materials and understanding your specific needs.