Brand or build quality: how to weigh them

As living standards rise, people pay more attention to their homes, and furniture brands have poured into the market to meet them. But is a big brand always the better buy? Not necessarily.

What we are really chasing in a big name is the value and reassurance the brand promises. In terms of quality, big brands are all over the map. Where they are fairly even is after-sales service. So in the end, buying the brand is largely buying the after-sales guarantee. Is that worth a premium? Everyone will weigh that differently. Here is how I think about it.

When we shop for furniture, the first thing we notice is the style, because that is what we like. Next we look at quality, and we only pay if it passes. Then comes price, and a quick sense of whether it is worth the money. That is where brand recognition enters the picture. Only after all of that do we pay.

Put that together and we are really paying for what we like and for quality. After-sales service is not the first consideration. In my view, if a furniture brand gets style and quality right, the after-sales side becomes almost redundant. You still cannot do without it, but it carries less weight.

With that in mind, you should have a clear way to choose the piece you want. And this applies to just about any product, not only furniture.