Is A Bed In A Box Worth It? We Tried Dozens (Read Before You Buy)

Searching for a mattress in a showroom is not a preferred activity for most people and is often compared to the exhausting and high pressure sales experience of buying a car.

It can be especially hard when all the beds look the same in your eyes and you only have a few minutes to “try” each one out.

This is where where a bed in a box gets into the picture.

The Bed-In-A-Box innovation sounds like a fantastic alternative to spending hours and days visiting mattress stores and trying every single one of them. But is it worth it? Are the mattresses any good?

Bed-In-a-Box companies allow you to purchase a mattress fully online and get it delivered to your doorstep, squeezed into a box that is about the size of a small coffee table. You can then try it out in the comfort of your home for 100+ days risk free.

In this article, we will look into what a bed in a box is in more detail, the quality of the mattresses and have a look at its advantages and disadvantages to determine whether it’s a smart choice for you.

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What Is A Bed In A Box?

A bed in a box is a foam or individually wrapped spring mattress that has been rolled and compressed before being placed in a box. These types of beds are available for purchase online and are delivered directly to the buyer’s door.

Many of the online companies offer free trials so you can try the mattress out in the comfort of your home for anywhere from 100 to 365 days. If you don’t like it they will come pick it up and give you a full refund.

Although this method of mattress shopping is practical and provides an alternative option to in-store mattress purchases, keep in mind that no matter what a company says, mattresses do not belong in a category of products where “one size fits all.” It is important to do research and try to find a mattress that meets your needs.

To be more specific, purchasing a mattress that doesn’t meet your specific sleeping requirements will most eventually cost you more in the long run.

What Is the Function Of A Bed In A Box?

A bed in a box is supposed to help you minimize if not completely get rid of the pressure and frustration of mattress shopping while also making the visit to the furniture shops unnecessary.

Shopping for a bed in a box is a process that starts and ends online, at least on your part, as you can search and buy the mattress from an online website selling them.

You can browse the mattress collections and look in greater detail about the mattresses’ components and also who they are most suitable for.

Once you have found the one that’s best for you, you simply press the “Buy” button. Then your mattres is delivered to your door and you are able to try it out for a “Free trial period” (100-365 days) to see if its the right fit for you. If not, they will take it back and give you a full refund.

What Is A Bed In A Box Made Of?

The majority of beds in a box are either made of 100% foam layers OR utilize an individually wrapped coil system with comfort foam layers on top similar to a traditional innerspring mattress.

In short, you can essentially purchase any style of mattress these days in a box that you can buy in brick and mortar mattress stores.

What Are The Advantages Of A Bed In A Box?

1. Most Of The Time, It Is Less Expensive

A quick search online will show you how simple it is to save money on a mattress nowadays. One possible explanation for this is lower delivery fees, in addition to the fact that online sales reduce other overhead costs of a brick-and-mortar storefront greatly.

2. You Try Them Out in Your Own Home for Free

To render the procedure as simple as they can, many bed-in-a-box companies provide free delivery as well as great trial periods of 100 days or even longer, and equally flexible refund policies.

Even the cheapest bed-in-a-box mattress manufacturers usually offer a 100-night trial period to ensure you’re satisfied with your purchase.

Most sleep experts say that people need an average of 2-3 weeks on a mattress to get used to it, so by evaluating a bed-in-a-box at home with a free 100 days to test it you can get a better idea if its right for you.

3. Wide Selection with something for everyone

Even the pickiest sleeper has greater chances of finding the perfect mattress for them if they get a bed in a box since there are so many companies and products available to choose from these days.

From organic latex to memory foam, extra firm mattresses, adjustable beds and even custom options, there are brands that service every individual and every price range.

What Are The Disadvantages Of A Bed In A Box?

1. You don’t get to see it or feel it before you order

So, in case your first impression is that it wasn’t really what you anticipated, or if you assumed you needed a soft mattress but eventually realized you would prefer something firmer, your only choice is to set up a replacement or a return.

This task does not have to be complex and difficult, but there is no doubt that a visit to the mattress store could save you from that immediate dislike of a mattress.

2. Difficulty Getting Mattresses With Springs And Edge Support

Memory foam seems to be very trendy, but what happens if you need a traditional mattress with coils and extra support around the edges?

Because bolstered edge support, as well as robust springs, cannot be folded as easily in boxes, it might be more beneficial for you to buy a mattress like that from a physical store.

Is A Bed In A Box Worth It?

We think the answer is yes, a bed-in-a-box is worth it, for most people.

However, you certainly need to take into account the advantages and disadvantages we shared above in order to determine whether a bed-in-a-box is the right mattress purchase for you.

While these mattresses are usually a better value without sacrificing quality, they might not meet your needs.

Moreover, even though they have a long trial period that leaves you with enough time to sleep on it, both literally and figuratively, you might end up buying and returning one bed after the other as not one of them will feel comfortable.

Therefore, unlike the tests you can do in-store, where you can lie on all the mattresses before you choose the one that feels right, a bed-in-a-box is also somewhat a surprise-in-a-box.

But, as we said, if you are not one to hang out in mattress stores and wish to avoid traveling from one store to the next, a bed-in-a-box might be exactly what you need.

Finally, these types of beds might lack some of the features in-store beds have, such as springs and edge support, but they do come with other features such as memory foam.

Customization is another option that allows you to choose things like the firmness of your bed-in-a-box, its size, and other aspects you consider essential or those that will raise the chances of getting the right bed-in-a-box from the first order!

The Bottom Line

A bed-in-a-box is a great alternative to heading to the mattress store and spending hours trying every mattress in an attempt to find the right one.

While that sounds like something many people enjoy doing, if you are not a fan of spending the day picking mattresses, then you should look into getting a bed-in-a-box.

The options online are many and at the same time limited enough to make selecting your next mattress an easy task to complete.

A bed-in-a-box will also come at a cheaper price and, as its name suggests, in a box, which makes it easier to get it delivered and placed on your bed.

However, one thing to keep in mind is that not every company has a bed-in-a-box product line. Certain companies just wrap their mattresses in reinforced plastic and send them over to your front door, but this is not an actual bed-in-a-box.

Other manufacturers might deliver their mattresses without using a box at all, but the price will be higher because of the customization of the delivery.

So, depending on your budget and needs, have a look online to pick the right bed-in-a-box for you. And if it’s not ideal, don’t worry; you can always return it before the end of your trial period and get a new one to try!