How to Successfully Buy a Comfy Couch Online Without Ever Testing It

Goodbyes are hard, but when you find yourself sitting on the same tattered couch you’ve had since moving into your first apartment, it might be time to let go. At least that’s what my boyfriend and I finally admitted to ourselves when we ditched our outdated sectional last year.

Look, there’s nothing wrong with getting as much as you can out of a piece of furniture, especially when it’s a big-ticket item like a couch. We found creative ways to extend our couch’s life, like duct-taping holes created by teething puppies and replacing the ill-fitting couch cover multiple times before attempting to make a custom one. (Yeah, we were that determined.) Eventually, after almost 10 years, we decided it was time for an upgrade — the lumpy duct-taped areas and stained couch cover just became an uncomfortable eyesore.

Supply chain issues are no stranger to anyone these days, and if you live in a small town, it’s hard to get to a furniture store to put your butt to couch (not only because of the distance but because so many brick-and-mortar stores are shutting down). Our problem was compounded by the fact that we don’t have a car big enough to fit a couch, and renting a van for one purchase felt excessive. So, as we have with many recent furniture purchases (like our mattress) — which we’ve been pretty lucky with, so our success rate gave us some security — we made the daunting decision to pick a couch based solely on what we found online. 

Investing in a couch without ever touching it was terrifying. Both of us work from home full-time, so there’s a lot of sitting going on during a normal day, both on and off the couch. When evening comes around, the couch becomes our dinner seating, movie destination, and the occasional nap spot. After hours and hours (and hours) of scrolling, measuring, and calling customer service reps, we finally landed on our Goldilocks couch, but it was a journey.

Finding the best of the best is my literal job, so I didn’t take the hunt for a new sofa lightly. I scrolled through no fewer than 20 furniture websites (ranging from bespoke custom pieces to Costco deals), bookmarking styles I liked before presenting them to my partner. Many an evening was spent hunched over my phone or laptop saving photos, noting measurements, and gasping at astronomical prices.

While my partner cooked meals or played with the dogs, I was in the living room wielding measuring and masking tape, marking off potential couch dimensions. I would call him in for his opinion when I had taped out the area the new couch would fill. I called it flexing my interior design skills, he called it half-mad. Thankfully, he still loves me despite my unique techniques.

To help get you started on your own path, here’s what I learned about buying a couch online.

1. Prioritize size, not style

When shopping for seating online, we operate according to the following mantra: If it fits, it sits.

It’s hard to imagine how big furniture is without physically seeing it, so measuring is key. To know what we were working with, my partner and I measured the old couch and the space around it to ensure we had a general idea of what we could fit. We knew we wanted something that filled a corner, eliminating U-shaped sectionals, loveseats, and three-seat couches, which narrowed it down to L-shaped sofas.

If you don’t already have a couch in the space, place masking tape on the floor to “frame out” where you’re considering it would fit. This way you can visualize how much space your future sofa will take up in the room.

By the time you’ve decided on a size, you can consider the other important factors in your purchase. Aesthetics (like whether you prefer a modern or traditional design) and style (a loveseat versus a sectional versus a modular sofa, for example) depend on your preferences.

2. Order the swatches

Aside from size, you’ll want to consider fabric and material options for your new piece, too. My best advice? Order tons of fabric swatches from furniture websites. They’re usually pretty cheap or free and will save you the massive headache you’d experience if you had to return the couch because the fabric wasn’t as soft as you anticipated. This will give you a true idea of what the fabric will look like in your space, and it’s a great way to test durability. Consider the following when sampling swatches:

1. Knit fabrics are easy to clean, but they tend to snag on claws, which ages a piece of furniture faster.
2. Velvet stands up to pets well, but it will show hair if it’s a darker color (however a quick lint roll will take fur off). The sheen also varies when the fibers are rubbed in different ways, so sometimes you can easily see where someone was sitting.
3. Leather and faux leather are easy to wipe hair, fuzz, and fur off, but they can scratch and stain easily. 
4. Microfiber is touted as an easy-to-clean fabric, but it will show any and all liquid marks until they are wiped down or washed off, meaning you often have to clean an entire cushion and not just the scene of a spill to avoid water marks. However, fur and crumbs are very easily wiped away or vacuumed off.

I personally rubbed fabric samples on our dogs to see what would collect the most fur. I also scratched incessantly at the tiny squares of material to see if they could hold up to rough treatment. Ultimately, I chose velvet for our sectional.

3. Know your cushion materials

Perhaps the most important thing about buying a couch — and the most difficult aspect to ascertain when shopping online — is figuring out how you want it to feel in terms of the cushioning. Some people love sinking into a deep, fluffy couch, while others fear that they’ll never be able to get up.

Most websites list what materials cushions are made of in the product description, which can help gauge plushness. Generally speaking, down, faux down, and polyester fill (think pillow stuffing) will give soft, cloud-like seating. Alternatively, foam cushions often appear more angular and provide firmer support. Foam cushioning also tends to not need fluffing to keep them looking plump. Think of the difference between bed pillows: Memory foam has a firmer feel and shape, while down or polyfill can be fluffed and molded more easily. It’s all about the support you need. Do you want something on the firmer side, or do you prefer really sinking into something soft? 

You’ll also want to consider if you want your cushions to be attached to the base of your couch or not. Attached cushions mean they won’t move around while you sit, but you’ll never be able to remove cushion covers, easily fluff them, or rotate them to keep them looking new. If you’re willing to shuffle pieces back into place every once in a while, detached cushions are the way to go to ensure you get even wear on every single cushion — think of it as rotating your mattress every year or so.

4. Read the fine (delivery) print

Before hitting that “complete purchase” button, you’ll want to know the exact details of your retailer’s delivery services. Places like Wayfair may offer free delivery, but remember that can mean they’re just going to drop it at your front door. That’s great if you have friends or family to help you pivot, but horrible if you’re lugging in a 500-pound piece of furniture alone. White Glove delivery (which often includes bringing furniture into your apartment or house and assembly) is more expensive but can be worth it if the couch is going up the stairs. (I did, however, once order a washing machine and drag it up to my second-floor apartment by myself. I also spent the next three days in bed with a thrown-out back. Please learn from my mistakes.)

Make sure you’re aware of how the couch is shipped before you decide to take up the task solo. Some couches come all in one piece, while others can arrive in separate boxes, making it easy to divide labor.

If you live alone or aren’t handy, look to see what kind of assembly is required before you order your sofa. The last thing you want is to be stuck putting something complicated together on your own.

Where I bought my couch

After months of searching, measuring, and scratching my boyfriend and I landed on the Albany Corner Sectional by Albany Park. Not only were the dimensions perfect, but it is so beautiful to look at. We opted for pet-friendly velvet upholstery, which has the added commitment of regular vacuuming, but thankfully dog fur comes off in a flash. The cushion covers are removable and washable (and, in a worst-case scenario, replaceable), and the velvet is extremely soft to the touch. It arrived in three separate boxes but was simple to build without injury (the brand’s handy-dandy instructional video proved indispensable).

Who knew that finding a couch that fits perfectly into our lives and our living room would be such a journey? After completing our hunt, I’m proud to say that I’ve become the family sofa expert — which means I’m now on the hunt for couches and loveseats that will fit in everyone else’s living rooms.

If you’re still shopping, I’ve compiled some of the contenders from my search for others below. Happy sitting!

Where to Buy a Couch Online 2023