DirectBuy

TimT · 04-09-2008, 11:28 AM

Is anyone here a DirectBuy member? Im in the market for some furniture and wondering if its a legit way to get discounts..

Or is it a MLM scheme like Amway?

looneybin · 04-09-2008, 11:32 AM

I'm not a member, but my neighbor went in looking for some kitchen cabinets.
They insisted that they place the order TODAY and had to put up a 4K deposit.
it was too much of a hard sell so they walked out.

Roadrunner911 · Roadrunner911's Garage

I had a similar experience. They sent me a flyer, so I went down to check it out. They stopped me at the entrance and I had to wait for a "representative". I guess you have to make an appointment for a tour. Anyway a guy came out and told me he would give me a tour but if I didn't join that day, I couldn't come back for five years and oh by the way the membership was $5K. I said thanks @sshole and hit the door.

mschuep · 04-09-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by looneybin

They insisted that they place the order TODAY and had to put up a 4K deposit.

This is the way it works, big money down right then and there or you're out. My parents are building a house, and they have saved a ton of money through DB (made the deposit money back on the windows alone) but I'm not sure if it would be worth it for just cabinets. They also charge shipping for everything, which sours the deal for some items.

YMMV

onewhippedpuppy · 04-09-2008, 01:33 PM

Friend of mine and his wife signed up for $5k, eeek. According to him at least, they save about 1/3 over retail on most things. Of course, when he bragged about the savings on an LCD TV, it wasn't any less than what I spent on NewEgg. They plan on building a house in a few years, and need a lot of furniture, so I suppose it might be worth it. That's a lot of purchases just to get back your $5k.

MikeSid · 04-09-2008, 01:49 PM

Absolute scam. Try Google. Ask a few general contractors if they would use DB.

If anyone tells you that their offer must be accepted immediately or it will never be offered again, it's a sure sign of a scam. There is a business consulting outfit that operates in the same way. High pressure in person sales tactics. That's a pretty big red flag for me.

You will find satisfied customers of Direct Buy. People hate admitting they were taken. I have a friend that fits that profile. But try to get hard numbers out of them and you can't. They don't even know what they've spent or they've gotten themselves so confused on the issue just to convince themselves they got a deal. Bottom line, they didn't. They got taken for $5K plus.

TimT · 04-09-2008, 02:26 PM

5k just to be able to buy is a big barrier for me...Thats just crazy...

Im just looking for a couch, an entertainment center, a few easy chairs. I guess Ill make a trip town to North Carolina soon.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

I am a member. It was $3.5K to join. The Furniture is purchased at the wholesale price. Most furniture is about $0.25 on the dollar. Mall type jewelery is also a very good deal, as are cabinets, and home building/finishing supplies.

BUT, you have to be in the Market for spending something like $10K, to break even on the membership fee. It only makes sense to join if you were planning to spend upwards of $15K on furniture at traditional places, especially if you plan to buy new high end furniture. The higher end stuff usually has the highest discount.

Yep, it is a high pressure sale. But it made sense for us. I've talked to a few others about it, and only one has joined, since he just moved to the US and needed to buy an entire house full of furniture. We had a similar issue when we moved to Houston, as we sold most of our furniture with our townhouse in San Diego, plus our new house was more than 2 times the size.

So, buying more than 10K in furniture, etc, in the next 2 years - Good

Not doing this, bad idea.

Danny_Ocean · 04-09-2008, 08:54 PM

Scam.

Read and weep: http://www.infomercialscams.com/scams/direct_buy_scams

Dottore · 04-10-2008, 02:34 AM

Scam. Stay far, far away.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Maybe it is the way different locations are run. My wife and I are quite satisfied. The Prices were much less for the same furniture. Somethings are not a deal, such as electronics. You do have to do your homework.

Handling is a flat 6%

Shipping matches with general truck shipping charges, and is based on weight.

Some of the operations seem to charge a lot more than is charged here.

I checked into starting up a branch. The "mother" company makes money by selling franchises (around $250K). The local companies make money by selling memberships. The other fees are what it costs to operate the facility.

I am not trying to sell you on joining. But it can make sense if you are buying a house full of furniture. It will make no sense if you want to buy only a few thousand dollars worth of furniture.

Danny_Ocean · 05:01 AM

You cannot purchase "brand name" furniture from them (e.g. Stickley, Ethan Allen, Jennifer, etc.), so what furniture prices are you comparing? Low ~ mid-range furniture can be negotiated/purchased in your local "fast-talking" furniture stores (the stores with the loud TV and giant newspaper ads) which (at least around here) deliver for free (and certainly no membership or handling fees).

???

onewhippedpuppy · 04-10-2008, 05:04 AM

Most furniture stores have a pretty big margin. I've been told by a furniture store owner that it averages around 500% markup. You never have to pay full price for furniture.

Dave L · 04-10-2008, 05:38 AM

Maybe its just me but when ever I hear "you must make a decision right now" I walk. I have no respect for this type of sales as it is simply applying pressure for no reason. Are they going to sell out of memberships or something????

My wife got a call from DB, she told them our household income is less than $30,000/year and they thanked her for her time. LOL!

KFC911 · 04-10-2008, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimT

5k just to be able to buy is a big barrier for me...Thats just crazy...

Im just looking for a couch, an entertainment center, a few easy chairs. I guess Ill make a trip town to North Carolina soon.

There's a huge retail showroom off Business 85 (High Point) that's hard to beat for someone not in the biz and you might can save yourself a trip. Check out furniturelandsouth.com if you're interested.

stomachmonkey · 04-12-2008, 11:23 AM

Just got a call from them re: chance to win a $50,000 home makeover.

Should be fun.

99Coyote · 04-12-2008, 02:02 PM

My wife and I joined 10 years ago when it was called the United Consumers Club, we saved the membership with our first purchase of a couch and a wing back recliner. We had shopped all over and had decided on these particular pieces of furniture, UCC had exactly the same furniture for $1500 less than the best local price we could find. So we paid the $1500 membership then and have maintained the $100 per year maitainance ee since then.

Particular categories of merchandise ae much cheaper at DB (furniture, home improvement, tools, jewelry, home decore) other are more expensive (computers, electronics, tv's).

So, do your homework before you go and compare those specific items. I must say if we were asked for $5k we would have walked. But since then we have saved a lot by using the DB as a shopping option. We just purchased bedroom furniture for our daughter there and saved about $800 of bed, dresser, high boy and mirror.

Good luck.

9dreizig · 04-12-2008, 02:11 PM

I dated a girl that had the Seattle Franchise.. She swears by it. I always thought it was a bit on the scammy side.. You can get the furniture for the same price through alot of outlets in N.Carolina.. Matresses are another huge mark up item.. Between the outlets and Costco I think you can do as well anywhere.

peppy · 04-12-2008, 02:29 PM

Check out this place. It is good for high end furniture.

http://www.greenfront.com/

KFC911 · 04-13-2008, 01:46 AM

I used to have access to some high end showrooms (my parent's retired from Drexal-Heritage and Henredon respectively), and they were simply amazing to wander through. The huge semi-annual "Furniture Market" just ended here in High Point, (where the industry buys/sells for the retail side), and many of those showrooms will be emptied for pennies on the dollar. The markup for high end furniture is huge, and these post-market "johnny on the spot" clearance sale savings are sometimes jaw dropping. If you're contemplating a trip to High Point (Hickory, etc.), you might consider making it in the weeks that follow either the spring or fall markets.