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This Is The Best Time of Year To Buy Furniture, According to Industry Experts

How to Find the Best Deals on Indoor, Outdoor, and Office Furniture

Furniture showroom with dining room, living room and dresser displays closeup

The Spruce / Michelle Becker

The best time to buy furniture depends on what you want to purchase. Different categories of furniture go on sale during certain times of the year, just like mattresses and appliances do. And the lower the prices, the more potential options you'll have that fit into your budget. It’s a good bet that you’ll find a deal on indoor, outdoor, and office furniture around major holidays, but that's not the only time you can save. You'll also find end-of-season sales for items such as outdoor furniture. While many factors go into purchasing furniture, two of the biggest considerations are cost and when to buy. Here's exactly when you should shop to get the best price on all types of furniture.

Best Time to Buy Indoor Furniture: Winter and Summer

If you're ready to spruce up your kitchen or living room, January, July, and holiday weekends are the best times to look for deals. These sales and the subsequent restocking cycles “tend to not be room-specific," according to Bill McLoughlin, the editor-in-chief of Furniture Today. Couches and sofas, and bedroom and living room sets are all considered one category.

Seasonal Sales

Since retailers start selling next season's new furniture styles in stores and online in February and August, you'll find the best deals before then. This biannual cycle means you have two guaranteed times to shop at lower prices.

Tip

During January and July, you can typically find prices of furniture drop by 10 to 60 percent.

Holiday Weekends

The furniture retailers rely heavily on holiday-driven promotional cycles—Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, the Fourth of July, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and more—so sellers are marking items down, both online and in stores, explains McLoughlin.

Tip

Shoppers can typically save between 20 and 60 percent on furniture during holiday weekends.

Amazon Prime Day and Way Day

Even if you're not buying furniture from Amazon or Wayfair, McLoughlin recommends keeping an eye on the date for these market-moving events. Furniture sellers, both online and in-person, want to compete with Amazon and Wayfair, so they will align their prices with these anticipated sales.

Tip

On Amazon Prime Day and Way Day, you can typically save up to 40 percent.

Best Time to Buy Patio Furniture: Late Summer and Fall

As soon as the holidays are over, retailers start working to get you shopping for spring, meaning new outdoor furniture typically shows up on retailers’ floors in February. If you want brand new styles, “start thinking about your outdoor space at the beginning of the year to make sure you’re all set when the weather is warmer,” Lowe’s Trend Strategy Manager Caroline Harmon says. But if you’re scouring bargains, there’s one best time to buy.

From August to October, stores are trying to sell all their barbeques and patio displays as the months turn colder. You can expect to find steep discounts on everything from outdoor dining tables to weather-resilient sofas.

Tip

Look for a price drop of up to 50 percent off on outdoor furniture from August through October.

Best Time to Buy Office Furniture: Late Summer

In June, office retailers and manufacturers attend a tradeshow called NeoCon, and it's there that all the latest and the greatest innovations in desks, task chairs, filing cabinets, organizers, and more are first announced. However, the products aren't found in stores until the fall. All last season's furniture will go on sale right before the new products arrive.

Typically new office desks, chairs, bookshelves, and filing cabinets launch at stores during October, November, and December, explains Phil Robinson, show director for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, a trade event for manufacturers, designers, and retailers. Therefore, the best chance for deals comes right before that in August and September, when stores are clearing out their previous inventory.

Tip

Shoppers can typically save between 30 and 60 percent on office furniture during the back-to-school season.

The Worst Time to Buy Furniture

If you're looking to save money on indoor, outdoor, or office furniture, there are some times of the year when the discounts won't be as big, or even exist.

  • For indoor furniture, you're unlikely to see low prices during February and August.
  • Try to avoid buying outdoor furniture in the months leading up to when you'll use it, and early summer.
  • Office furniture is typically more expensive during the late fall months into early winter—think October, November, and December.

Furniture Buying Tips

Oftentimes furniture is marked up so it pays to wait for discount days or use coupons to help knock down the sticker price of a piece of furniture. Look for closeout, clearance, and floor sample sales to find even better deals. Try the following strategies, as well.

  • Negotiate: In-store prices now typically match online prices but if you find a discrepancy, try negotiating. Retailers expect you've done your homework. During big sale times, like January and July, ask about floor models and samples, plus any special pricing in-store.
  • Know when to shop online or in-store: “People aren’t coming into a store anymore to kick the tires,” McLoughlin says. Historically, shoppers would visit a store almost seven times before making a purchase but that's now down to two, explains McLoughlin. Retailers know buyers are walking through the door with a specific type or brand in mind after doing research and price comparisons online.
  • Research trial periods: More companies offer trial periods and extended return terms to make online sales more attractive to customers.
  • Ask about warranties: McLoughlin advises buyers to read warranties thoroughly to understand what they do and do not cover. Save yourself the headache—and money—of not being able to return a big-ticket purchase, he says.
  • Sign up for promo alerts: Monitor when a specific retailer has a sale by signing up for an alert or online newsletter. “If I’m looking for a specific item I always set up a search alert to get notified when similar items pop up for sale near me,” says Deb Liu, founder of Facebook Marketplace.
  • Temporarily abandon your cart: Put the item you want into your cart and then close out of your browser. Online retailers keep track of people who abandon their carts and often send incentives to complete purchases.
FAQ
  • What is the biggest furniture sale day of the year?

    The biggest furniture sale day of the year tends to be Black Friday, however, other holidays such as President's Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day also draw in customers.

  • Is it worth it to spend money on furniture?

    Good, quality material furniture is worth the investment and can last for years, if not generations. Bedroom sets, dressers, and sofas are items to splurge on, whereas tables and chairs have more damage potential if there are pets or children in the home and are heavily used daily.

  • How much money should you spend on furniture?

    Your furniture budget should be dependent on several factors including your monthly spending, how many items you need to furnish the space, the amount of time you will spend in the space, and the function of the space. Considerations such as material and design, while important, are secondary to functionality when determining your financial baseline.