Wayfair Review 2024: Legit or Scam?

Wayfair is an American speciality store headquartered in Boston (Massachusetts) that offers all things home. It was started by Steve Conine and Niraj Shah who met while studying Engineering at Cornell University.

Though the company as it is today was birthed in 2011, its roots can be traced to 2002. At the time, noticing that small specialized online stores were still growing despite the collapse of major online businesses, the duo founded www.racksandstands.com to sell stereo racks and stands online.

Given the success of racksandstands.com, other sites quickly followed (such as cookware.com, outdoorrugs.com, everygrandfatherclock.com); and before long, the founders were running some 270 websites. In 2011, Steve and Niraj took the decision to consolidate all their sites. The robust new e-commerce website became a destination for everything home and was named Wayfair.

Wayfair did not take time to hit the heights; it exceeded $600 million in annual revenue the very next year. In 2014, Wayfair went public; and it has only grown explosively ever since. Apart from wayfair.com, the Company currently operates five distinct brands –All Modern, Birch Lane, Joss & Main, and Perigold. Wayfair has since expanded internationally and currently offers its merchandise not only in North America (the US and Canada) but also in Europe (the UK and Germany).

Everyone should live in a home that they love. Not many people will disagree with that. Wayfair is an online speciality store that advertises as a store that will help you create that home that you’ll love.

It promises to help you quickly and easily find exactly what you want from “a zillion things home” such as home furnishings, décor, home improvement, housewares, and more.

Yes, Wayfair is legit. It is not a scam because they will never steal your money or credit card details. And you will receive any product you ordered from the store without a problem.

One big question is whether this is just marketing-speak, or whether Wayfair actually holds quality home products that you can use in creating the home you love. Another question will be in the area of services. In this regard, Wayfair says it has a commitment to delighting its customers every step of the way – from product discovery to final delivery. Is this another advert-speak, or does Wayfair provide top-notch services (such as easy ordering, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer support service, and more)? In the first place, is Wayfair genuine, or is one of the many scam stores out there ripping people off?

This Wayfair review will examine Wayfair in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.

Wayfair review at a glance

• A Boston based department store founded in 2011
• Provides a range of home items which includes furniture, décor, lighting, décor, outdoor and more
• Ships to the US (and the US Territories) as well as to Canada, Germany and the UK using different country-specific websites
• Free shipping is offered (albeit for standard items which are over $49)
• Offers a 30 days return window that allows you to return most items within 30 days of delivery
• Offers financing plans
• Customer support is available via email, telephone service, and live chat

Is Wayfair Legit?

Wayfair is a legitimate store. It is not a scam, as of writing this review. Netizens do not need lessons on why not using anything but a legit online store is a must. If you don’t want to be ripped off, you’ll make sure that the online store you enter is legit. However, because the scam stores take the form of the legit stores, knowing legit from a scam is becoming more difficult than ever.

In this case, Wayfair is a genuine site because Wayfair is a limited liability company (LLC), that is duly registered in the United States. As a public company, they have been trading on the Stock Exchange since 2014. Therefore, Wayfair is a 100% legitimate company. Suffice it to say that scam stores do not seek company registrations or get listed on Stock Exchanges.

And also, the company was awarded the most promising company in 2013 by Forbes. No scam company will ever get mentioned by Forbes because they value their reputation more than anything, and will never want to have anything to do with a questionable company.

And finally, Wayfair has been only since 2013. This shows that they are doing something good online. The test of time is one of the main features of a legitimate website.

Is Wayfair Safe?

Wayfair is also safe. A legit Company need also be safe in protecting the sensitive information that customers share with it. If information such as your personal details or credit card details is allowed to leak out to unauthorized third parties, you’ll be left exposed to all the eager cyber fraudsters.

Wayfair comes out as a safe store. The company says in its privacy policy that it has “instituted reasonable safeguards to help ensure that information collected is secure”. One such safeguard is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) which is the industry’s current encryption protocol. With SSL, every data you transmit on the Wayfair website is relayed through a private connection (which shields it from unauthorized third parties) and encrypted (which ensures that it cannot be read even by hackers). With the use of such technology, it is safe to say that Wayfair is a safe online store.

Products

Product Range

When making online purchases, because of the benefits it affords, you’ll want to be able to get related items in one place instead of hopping from one store to another. These benefits include convenience as well as cost savings (resulting from large purchase discounts or shipping only one order from the one store instead of paying to ship multiple orders from multiple stores).

Wayfair does very well in this regard. The company offers a wide variety of products that consist of everything home. The product categories (and the specific items in each category) that you’ll find if you enter Wayfair are as follows:

• Furniture – Living Room Furniture, Bedroom Furniture, Kitchen & dining furniture, Accent furniture, Office furniture, Entry and Mudroom furniture, Patio furniture, Bathroom furniture, Bar Furniture, Baby and Kids, Game tables and game room furniture, Pet and furnished furniture, Mirrored Furniture, Small spaces, Custom furniture
• Outdoor – Patio Furniture, Outdoor décor, Outdoor shades, Lawn and Garden, Outdoor rugs, Hot tub and saunas, Outdoor storage, Outdoor heating, Grills and Outdoor Cooking, Outdoor lighting, Outdoor dining and entertaining, Outdoor games, Backyard play, Camping and Hiking, Exterior flooring and tiles
• Bed & Bath – Bedding, Bedding basics, Mattresses, Bath linens, Bathroom accessories, Bathroom Fixtures, Bathroom Vanities, Bedroom furniture, Beds, Bathroom Storage
• Rugs – Area rugs, Hallway Runners, Outdoor Rugs, Doormats, Bath rugs and mats, Kitchen mats and rugs, Rug pads, Stair tread rugs, Kids Rugs
• Décor & Pillows – Wall décor, Picture frames, Wall and display shelves, Mirrors, Clocks, Decorative pillows, decorative throw blankets, home accents, vases, candles and holders
• Storage – Closet storage, Shoe storage, Shelving, Storage Ottomans, Storage furniture, Storage containers, Trash cans and recycling, Jewelry storage, Vacuum cleaners and floor care, Crafts and sewing, and more
• Lighting – Lamps and lamp shades, Chandelier, Pendants, Ceiling fans, Flush mounts and semi-flush mounts, Island lights, Outdoor lighting, Bathroom Vanity lighting, Wall lights, Track lighting, Recess Lighting, Light Bulbs and Lighting accessories, Under Cabinet Lights, Novelty lights,
• Kitchen – Tableware, Kitchen Storage, Cookware and Bakeware, Small Appliances (coffee makers, mixers and attachments, toasters, blenders, fryers, electric grills, microwaves, juicers, hot plates and burners, etc) Kitchen Appliances (Refrigerators, Hoods, Dishwashers, Wall Ovens, Cooktops, etc) , Kitchen Fixtures, Cooking and Baking tools, Kitchen linens, Bar and Wine (wine glasses, Decanters, etc), Cutlery and Knives
• Baby & Kids – Baby and Toddlers items (Nursery furniture, Baby and toddler beddings and beds, Baby plays, etc), Kids items (Kids bedroom furniture, kids’ décor, etc), Teens items (lodge furniture, teen study furniture, etc)
• Renovations/ Home Improvement – Kitchen fixtures (faucets, kitchen sinks, kitchen carts, lightings, etc), bathroom fixtures, flooring, Bathroom Vanities, Appliances, lighting, doors, Building materials and supply, Heating and Cooling, Wall Paper, Floor Tiles and Wall Tiles
• Appliances – Refrigerators, Range Hoods, Dish Washers, Washers and /dryers, Small Appliances, Air Conditioners and Air treatments, Vacuum cleaners and Floorcare, etc.
• Pets – Dog furniture (Dog beds, Dog Crates, Dog houses and accessories, Pet gates, Dog Ramps and Stairs, Pets Bowls and Feeders, Dog Strollers, Dog Carriers, etc), Cat furniture (Cat Trees and Condos, Litter Boxes, Cat Cages and Play Pens, Cat Beds, Cat Houses, etc), Chicken Coops, and accessories, Bird furniture (Birdcages, Flight cages and aviaries, etc), Fish tanks and Aquarium, Small Animal Cages

With the listed departments and particular product types, it’s clear that there is hardly a home item you won’t find in Wayfair. Reviews in the independent platforms also show that Wayfair not only hold different items but that the company provides some of the best quality home items.

Inventory Size

It is not enough that a retailer provides a variety of products, it is also important that the retailer holds a large inventory of each product type. When a retailer holds good numbers, shoppers will be more likely to find something that appeals to their preferences and tastes.

Wayfair ticks the box in this regard. The tagline of the company is “a zillion things home”. This is in reference to the fact that the company not only provides a wide variety of home items but also holds large numbers of each product. For example, Wayfair did not only provide furniture but offered different categories of furniture – living room furniture, office furniture etc; and in each furniture category, you’ll find different styles and designs.  Thus, at the time of writing this review, the furniture department in Wayfair held about 785,298 sets of furniture sets.

Other departments of Wayfair were also well-stocked. For example, Kitchen furniture numbered 431,644, Bed and Bath items numbered 958,779, Rugs numbered 294,158, lighting items numbered 191,156, and so on. With every department having hundreds of thousands of items, you’re very likely to find not only an item that matches your taste but also items that fit your budget.

Prices, Promotions, and Related Policies

Prices

Finding great items is not enough; you’ll also want the items to be offered at great prices (that is, fair and competitive prices) because it will not be fun to pay what is unreasonable for any item.

Wayfair also ticks the box in this regard. The company promises competitive pricing and delivers that. You’ll find that the prices of items listed in Wayfair are no higher than competing stores (sometimes, even lower).

Promotions

Why pay full prices for items when you can have them at discounted prices? As a result, customers naturally customers seek cost-saving promotions; and the ideal retail store should run a lot of promotions.

Wayfair also ticks the box in this regard. Typical of the promotion-generous stores, the landing page of Wayfair’s website announced a lot of huge cost saving offers (at the time of writing this review). For example, there was a promo that promised “65% off everything Living Room”, and there was another that promised up to “60% off all things Outdoor”.

The promotions were not limited to only these two departments; you’ll find cost slashing promotions and discounts in every product department of Wayfair. In every product section of Wayfair, you’ll find a sales page where various items are discounted by as much as 70%.

Payment Methods

You won’t want to come stuck because the retailer does not support a payment method that is available in your territory. Thus, you’ll want a retailer that supports a wide range of convenient payment methods, so that no matter where you’re resident, paying for your order will be a breeze.

Wayfair does relatively well in this regard. You can pay for your Wayfair order using: Credit or Debit card (American Express, Master Card, Visa, Discover Card, and Wayfair credit card), Wayfair gift cards and store credits, Wayfair rewards, PayPal, Affirm, Checks and Money orders, Purchase Orders, and Wire Transfers.

You’ll find that Wayfair supports more payment methods than many retailers in the market. With the range of options available, paying for your order will not be an issue in Wayfair.

Wayfair Credit Card

Like most retail stores in the market, Wayfair offers a credit card, which provides a rewarding way to shop. First, there is an introductory offer, which gives you $40 off your first order using the credit card if the order is $250 or more.  Apart from that welcome offer, the Wayfair credit card gives customers a choice of two great benefits:

• 3% Back

With the choice of the reward dollars, you’ll get rewarded with 3% of your purchase every time you use the Wayfair Credit Card. The reward can be redeemed in only the retail outlets of Wayfair; and in the only increment of $6.00.

• Special Financing

The special financing allows you to “pay your way”, especially where you need a home item but cannot currently cover its costs. The Wayfair credit card allows you to access 5 different financing plans:

• 6 months – You’ll have up to 6 months to pay up the full amount, and it is available for orders over $259
• 12 months – You’ll have up to 12 months to pay up the full purchase amount, and it’s available for orders over $500
• 18 months – You’ll have up to 18 months to pay the full purchase amount, and it’s available for orders over $1500
• 24 months – You’ll have up to 24 months to pay the full purchase amount. There’s also a minimum purchase requirement (over $699), and it is only available for orders from specific brands
• 36 months – You’ll have up to 36 months to pay the full purchase amount. It is also available only for orders over $1099 and from specific brands.

Shipping

Online purchases cannot be discussed without discussing shipping because your order has to be moved from the fulfilment centre of the online store to your shipping address, where you’ll receive delivery of the items. The most important shipping considerations are shipping destination, shipping times, and shipping costs.

Shipping Destinations

One of the first things to check if you want to make an online purchase is whether the online store you are considering ships merchandise to your location. This is a no-brainer because except a store ships to your location, your order will not process to completion; and if you somehow manage to place the order, it’ll be difficult to receive delivery of the items. That said; you’ll want a store that ships to many worldwide locations so that your location is more likely to be covered.

In this regard, Wayfair ships to all locations in the US and the US Territories, as well as a few other international locations, specifically Canada, the UK, and Germany. However, the Company ships to these international locations using country-specific websites. That is www.wayfair.com ships to only locations in the US and the US Territories. The Wayfair website that process orders shipping to Canada is www.wayfair.ca; the website that processes orders shipping to the UK is www.wayfair.co.uk, and the website that processes orders shipping to Germany is www.wayfair.de.

At the time of writing this review, you’ll be unable to buy from Wayfair except if you are located in these territories (the US and US Territories, Canada, the UK, and Germany).

Shipping Times

Simply put, there is no customer that’ll want to wait and wait and wait before receiving delivery of online order. Thus, the ideal online store should offer fast delivery.

In this regard, Wayfair says on its Shipping Information page that the company is dedicated to providing “fast, safe, and reliable delivery services”. For shipping, items are divided into two categories – small items and large items.

For small items (typically less than 150 lbs/ 68kg), the Wayfair websites state that orders placed early on any working day will ship that same day. A couple of delivery options are available. These include Express shipping which delivers your order within one business day after it ships; Expedited Shipping which delivers your order within two business days after it ships; Ground Shipping which delivers your order within 1 – 7 business days after it ships; and Economy Shipping which delivers your order within 3 – 8 business days after it ships.

For large items, shipment is usually by truck, and delivery can take 1 – 3 weeks. Delivery methods vary by item; you’ll find all available methods at checkout. Wayfair sends a shipping confirmation email when your order leaves their warehouse. Usually, if the order gets to your area, the local delivery agent will contact you to schedule a delivery date (as well as a 4 hours time window on the delivery date).

When the delivery team arrives within the delivery window, delivery methods include curbside (you unload), curbside (Wayfair unload), Outside front door drop-off, Inside Home Entrance Drop-off, Room of Choice delivery, All-Inclusive Delivery (delivery, packaging removal and assembly).

However, it must be said that some of the negative reviews you’ll find about Wayfair has to do with late delivery. Also, there are too many of these complaints that late delivery comes out as a problem plaguing the store.

Shipping Cost

It’s not news that shipping costs add up to purchase cost in determining the total acquisition cost of online purchases, or that when shipping costs are high, an item can easily become too expensive to acquire even if the item itself was acceptably priced. Thus, the ideal online store should offer shipping costs that are as low as possible.

Wayfair does very well in this regard. In the world of retailing, bulkier and heavier items attract higher shipping charges; since furniture and many other items that Wayfair sells are bulky and heavy, we expected to find high figures for shipping costs. However, Wayfair gave us a positive shock with their floored shipping charges.

For orders shipping to locations within the US, Wayfair has a flat shipping rate of $4.99 for all orders under $49, while every order over $49 qualifies for free shipping. However, the free shipping offer does not apply to orders shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, and the US Territories; also non-standard items (such as flooring or large fixtures) may not be eligible.

Without mincing words, in terms of shipping costs, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a furniture and home items company that will trump Wayfair. First, Wayfair’s $4.99 shipping charge for standard items is relatively lower than you’ll find elsewhere; while the company’s shipping charges for non-standard items are also some of the lowest in the industry. Secondly, the company’s minimum order requirement that qualifies standard items for free shipping is relatively low. It’s very common to find online stores requiring customers to spend up to three figures to qualify for free shipping.

Returns

Wayfair’s promise is to deliver home items that’ll make you love your home. For this to be possible, you’ll have to be totally satisfied with the items that the Company delivers. That said; the ideal retailer will allow you to return unwanted items.

Like any serious retailer, Wayfair allows the customer to make certain returns, saying that the Company wants any item that you order to be the perfect match for your home. However, it’s not news that return policies are fraught with booby traps. Thus, what follows is a critical review of the return policy of Wayfair.

Eligible Items

Though we’ll like that all items can be returned, that is not the case. However, some companies are known to have strict policies that seriously limit what items can be returned.

When you shop from Wayfair, all items that are received damaged or defective can be returned. However, when the reason for returning an item is the buyer’s remorse (simply having a change of heart, etc), there are certain items that you cannot be returned. These include Clearance items, gift cards, personalized items, bundled items (e.g. 5 for $25), items marked “Non-refundable” on the sales page, or items that you have already assembled.

It’s understandable that personalized items are not eligible for returns, while bundled items can actually be returned if the entire bundle is returned; but by making clearance items ineligible for return Wayfair comes out as a company with too strict a policy.

Know that this policy to not accept the return of clearance items put customers between the devil and the deep blue sea. That is, you either buy items at full price (which are quite high) to be eligible for returns or buy clearance items (which are discounted) and not be eligible for returns. To get value for money, many shoppers head for the clearance items, so it’s usually frustrating to find out that they are ineligible for returns.

It should be said here that some of the very negative reviews you’ll find about Wayfair has to do with the Company’s return policy, and customer feeling blocked off from making certain returns is one of the numerous complaints.

Granted, retailers generally do not like the idea of clearance items being returned. However, there are retailers that allow the return of clearance items depending on the percentage knocked off purchase prices. For example, allowing returns of items of not more than 30% off the price. Also, there are retailers that accept returns of all clearance items but with a reduced return window. For example, where the normal return window is 30, it’ll be only 14 days for all clearance items.

Return Window

Retailers only accept returned items that get to their warehouses within a time period from the date of purchase or delivery. You will want an extended time period so that when you decide to return items from your order, you’ll have enough time.

Wayfair’s return window is 30 days from the delivery date. However, it is slightly different for some items. For example, mattresses have a “100 nights” trial offer that allows you to return them within 100 days of receiving the delivery.

Return Process

A cumbersome return process will only add to the frustration of receiving an unwanted item. Thus, you’ll want a store that has a hassle-free return process.

In this regard, Wayfair says their “returns are seamless and easy”. You’ll have to visit the Wayfair website; navigate to the “My Orders” and indicate the item you’ll want to return and your refund method. A return confirmation will be sent to your inbox.

For small items, you’ll have to print a return label from the email; after which you can package the item appropriately, attach the printed label to the return package, and ship it to the return shipping address. For large items, you’ll not need to print a return label; the Company will arrange for a courier to pick up the item at your convenience.

Exchanges

Many times, customers return items to retailers, not for a refund, but to get another item as a replacement (maybe another colour, size, or style). Such product exchanges are welcomed because they allow the customer to get the replacement item faster, especially since customers will not wait to get a refund before placing a new order.

Thankfully, Wayfair offers exchanges. What’s more, unlike many retailers that only allow size or colour exchange, in Wayfair, you can exchange an item for a different product altogether.

Return Processing and Refund Method

Wayfair gives you the choice of getting your refund as store credits or as cash transfers via your original payment method. Having refunds as cash transfers is an appealing choice because it allows you to visit another store to use the funds there for your future purchases.

However, you’ll not want to be waiting forever to get the refunds. Thus, you’ll want a store that processes returns and issues refunds quickly. Wayfair advertises as such as a store. According to their website, returns will be processed and the refund issued within 2 weeks of receiving the items in their warehouse. Since your bank can take up to five business days to reflect the funds in your balance; it means you should have the funds ready within 3 weeks of the items getting to Wayfair.

If Wayfair issued refunds as advertised, the store will be one of the better performers out there, because many stores can have you waiting for more than a month. However, the many negative reviews on independent online platforms show that Wayfair issuing refunds as advertised is an exception rather than the norm. There are just too many complaints of customers waiting endlessly to be refunded for late refunds not to come out as a problem in the store.

Customer Support Service

Before deciding on a store, customers will want to find out some things about the store such as its product and service offering. Also, issues with orders are inevitable no matter how effectively the store operates. That said; customers will want a store that has a robust system for handling customers’ questions and complaints.

In this regard, the first place to turn to for answers is usually the FAQ page on a retailer’s website. Unfortunately, we could not find the standard FAQ in the websites of Wayfair. However, the Help Center which can be accessed from a link on their landing page suffices. The Help Center holds a series of articles that’ll provide answers to many of the questions that you may have about Wayfair. The self-help articles are grouped by subjects such as Order Help (returns and exchanges), Shipping and Tracking, Account Help, Billing and Payment, Design Services, and Home Services.

However, if you’ll rather want direct contact with a customer support agent of Wayfair, the company supports e-mail service, telephone service, and live chat. The live chat feature can be accessed by clicking a “Quick service” link on the “Contact Us” page on their website. However, if you click it, depending on the subject of your inquiry, you’ll be prompted to either create an account or log into your account. Thus, you cannot use the live chat except if you have a Wayfair account. For the email service, we also found that you’ll need to have a Wayfair account to use it. We could not find any listed email address to that customers could easily send their submissions.

Thankfully, we found a telephone number that you can call to use the telephone service – 8447774717. As the telephone number was also not listed, finding it was not without some work. That said; if you’re yet to create a Wayfair account, you’ll have to use the instant feedback channel of the telephone service.

However, though the support service is available 7 days a week; it is not available round the clock. You’ll get a Wayfair’s customer support agent only between 8:00 am – 12:00 am (ET) in the weekdays, between 9:00 am – 8:00 pm (ET) on Saturdays, and between 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (ET) on Sundays.

Sites similar to Wayfair:

• NewChic
• LightInTheBox
• Gamiss
• Gearbest

Pros:

• Provides a wide variety of home items
• Offers very competitive pricing
• Provides a good number of huge price-slashing promotions
• Free shipping is offered; and with a low minimum order requirement
• Where free shipping does not apply, shipping charges are relatively low
• Offer the “standard” return window of 30 days from the delivery date
• Offers different financing plans that allow you to get home items now and pay up later
• Supports a range of channels for directly contacting the customer support service (email, telephone, and live chat)

Cons:

• International Shipping is limited (to Germany, Canada, and the UK)
• Clearance items cannot be returned
• Relatively long waiting time to get refunds
• You’ll need an account to use some of the customer support channels (the live chat)

Conclusion

Wayfair is a legitimate store that advertises as having everything home. Check. You’ll find an impressive product category that ranges from indoor furniture, lighting and décor to outdoor furniture lighting and décor; and from Babies & Kids items to Pet items.

Wayfair also advertises as having a zillion things. Check. You’ll find that Wayfair does not just have different items, but that each product section is well stocked with a monstrous amount of styles. Thus, you’re sure to find something that you like and that fits your budget.

Now that budget has been mentioned; Wayfair offers very competitive prices, in addition to offering a host of huge cost-saving promotions. But even if you currently cannot cover the cost of a Wayfair order, the Company offers a couple of “pay later” financing plans. The evidence also shows that if you have questions or issues with your order, you’ll find Wayfair’s customer support service as responsive and helpful.

It does not appear to be smooth sailing all the way. Delivery may not be as fast as Wayfair may make it seem, and the return service has been the reason for some very negative reviews about the company.