"An Insider's Guide To Buying A Mattress -- How To Avoid The Common Mattress Industry Scams To Get The Best Possible Deal On A Mattress"

I've been in the mattress industry since 1994. And I was sad to see, but not surprised, a recent survey that likened buying a mattress to buying a used car. People are just put off by the mattress buying experience and rightly so. The mattresses all have different names at different stores, the range of choices can be overwhelming, a money back guarantee often isn't really a money back guarantee, and all the jargon and hype thrown around by salesmen just really puts people off.

We hear all the time from people that one reason they shop online is to get away from this high pressure, used car type of experience.

This guide is our attempt to change things. I hope by throwing back the curtain and exposing the common scams used in the mattress industry that you can find the right kind of mattress for you -- at the best possible price.

Step 1: Finding The Right Mattress For You - How Not To Be Overwhelmed By All The Choices Out There

Most people we talk with are looking for a mattress to help with sleep problems, pain issues, or just to get a better night's sleep and wake feeling more refreshed.

But one thing we hear all the time is that people walk into a mattress retail store, or do some initial browsing on line, and are just overwhelmed by the different options. While in the good old days there was just a few innerspring bed choices -- a standard model and perhaps an upgraded one with a few more springs or a bit more cushiony feel -- today there are literally dozens of choices of different innerspring configurations as well as all the new specialty bedding choices that are the fastest growing part of the mattress market - memory foam mattresses, air beds, and latex mattresses.

It is literally enough to make you crazy. A good example is the industry leader in the mattress niche we specialize in, memory foam mattresses. While Tempur-Pedic started with just one model years ago and offered just this one model for many years, today it offers 11 different models. I've gone into their showrooms at the industry shows and, even though I'm in the industry, it is enough to make my head swim. I really sympathize with consumers trying to wade through this sea of mattress possibilities. The whole thing is a bit overwhelming.

I have to say my bias is towards the specialty mattresses. Even before I was in the business, I had slept on foam since college. I just don't find metal coils comfortable, and no matter how you dress them up with "comfort" layers of cotton, wool and foam I still feel the coils (the princess and the pea have nothing on me). But comfort is a very individual thing, and you may well feel that coils are the most comfortable or yet a different type of mattress surface (latex or air, for example).

So my general advice to people is to find a basic mattress "core" that they find comfortable -- whether that "core" (the basic support structure of a mattress, usually 6+" or so thick) is made out of springs, foam, latex or air. All of these different "core" options have their distinctive feels and properties, so start by testing out basic models of each to see what feels comfortable. Then once you know what type of "core" you like, try out these type of mattresses with different comfort layer options. So after the basic option, try one with high density foam or latex foam (a more expensive comfort layer option), then perhaps one with memory foam (often on top of one or more layers of a more basic foam), etc. This way, you can get an idea for what feels comfortable to you, and hopefully avoid paying for all the frills -- just for the comfort layers that really make a difference for you.

The key to making sure you get what you want at the best possible price is to come into the mattress buying experience armed with the facts. If you go in blind, chances are you will either be overwhelmed by the whole thing or end up at the mercy of the salesperson (and while many are knowledgeable, don't kid yourself that they are trained to sell the mattresses with the highest profit margins -- especially since most, if not all, work on sales commission).

So here's what I've done. In my areas of specialty I've put together buying guides to give you the essential information you need to see if these kind of mattresses might make sense for you and what to look for when buying them. And for those outside my area of expertise, I've looked across the net to find guides that really seem to know their stuff and are very informative.

Arm Yourself With These Essential Guides --

• Innerspring Mattresses

  Innerspring mattresses remain the biggest sellers in the mattress industry, although the specialty mattress area (memory foam, air beds, latex mattresses) are growing rapidly. In fact, if you look at the type of materials used in many innerspring mattresses these days, you will see that memory foam and latex are increasingly used in innersprings.

  Innerspring mattresses have become progressively thicker over the years, and now commonly run 11" high and many are 13 - 15" and up. I recently went on vacation and the innerspring bed was so thick that they provided a footstool to be able to climb into bed.

  What is responsible for this blowing up of the innerspring mattress? I think the basic issue is that metal isn't comfortable. And while a metal spring does compress and give, it still isn't something you would want to sleep directly on. So as consumers have looked for a more comfortable mattress, manufacturers have added increasingly thick layers of "comfort" material (as it is known in the industry). So these days it is common for innersprings to have multiple layers of foam and other cushioning materials. And in the better innersprings, these layers often include the more comfortable and dense comfort layers that have come into the industry over the last few years -- memory foam and now latex.

  So what should you look for when shopping for an innerspring mattress? Again, this isn't my area of expertise, but I found a good, common sense article "Going to The Mattresses". I couldn't agree more with the writer's assessment that pillow tops are a waste of money and a ripoff. Honestly, if you want a pillow top feel it is better to just buy a good quality, comfortable innerspring mattress and then buy a quality topper to put on it (not like the low quality foams they use in a typical pillow top that break down after a few years). To find a good quality foam topper, you might try Foam Order.com, or if you are interested in memory foam we offer 4 lb density memory foam pads (2" and 3"). And to make sure you don't get burned, we do offer our 365 day money back guarantee on all our pads (and mattresses also for that matter).

• Memory Foam Mattresses

  I've been sleeping on memory foam for 14 years now -- it was the first thing that really helped ease my severe back pain (from a snow skiing accident). This was back when memory foam first started to become available to consumers (before that it was just used in the medical industry), and it was so new and "cool" that I had all sorts of people coming over to lie on my bed. When a few got so comfy they didn't want to get off, I knew this was something big and contacted the company to see if I could be a reseller.

  The memory foam business has come a long way since then, and now every major manufacturer has their brand -- and we hear from people all the time that are so confused about the varying brand's options and claims. That is why I put together my Buyer's Guide To Memory Foam, and in it I put all the answers to the frequently asked questions we get about memory foam.

  One other thing we spent a lot of time on was sorting through all the different memory foam options to pick just the best of the lot -- so you didn't have to. And believe me it wasn't easy. We spent over two years looking and tested 29 different memory foam mattresses before we found one we wanted to carry. Similarly with our toppers, we've looked at samples from all the major manufactures before deciding on our topper foam. Our goal was to do the leg work for you and just present you with what we feel are the best of the best. We offer in-depth information on each and a 365 day money back as well, so if you are interested in a memory foam mattress I hope you check out our Healthy Foundations Memory Foam Mattress. Or if your current mattress is basically ok and you just want more comfort and pressure point relief, we find our Memory Foam Topper Pads often can bring a bed back to life and really improve the quality of your sleep (and save you a bunch by not having to buy a new mattress).

• Latex Mattresses

  Latex mattresses have been around since the 40's and 50's -- there was a popular Sears model that people still talk about. It has become a hot trend as of late since latex has a very firm, resilient feel that makes a terrific sleep surface. Latex mattresses have become very big in Europe over the last 10 -15 years, and now are the latex hot trend in the U.S. The reason is their comfort and also that they are seen as an all-natural product. So latex appeals to not only those looking for comfort, but also those concerned about getting a "green", sustainable mattress or one that is all natural for allergy or other health reasons. The downside of latex is that it is expensive to make and latex mattresses sell at a fair premium over standard innersprings or even the more moderate memory foam mattresses (such as the one we carry).

  But beware, not all latex is created equal. Strangely, while latex mattresses started off being made of natural latex, they now are often made primarily of synthetic "latex" (chemically similar to natural latex, but made from petrochemicals rather than natural latex (which is made from the sap of the rubber tree)). Synthetic latex and natural latex feel a bit different, so it is important to ask what type of latex a particular "latex mattress" is made of so that you can compare apples to apples.

  Personally, I like natural latex. All-natural latex can be difficult to find, though, and for those wanting latex for eco or allergy reasons you really need to make sure that the latex you are looking at is really all-natural.

  For a lot more in-depth information on latex mattresses, I've put together a Latex Buyer's Guide to help you arm yourself in shopping for a latex mattress.

  Another great resource on latex, especially all-natural latex, is Habitat Furnishings. They offer in-depth videos on latex and offer only an all-natural line of latex mattresses. I feel comfortable recommending them because they have a 5 Star Shopping.com Trusted Store rating and offer a 180 day money back trial. And they answer their phones (something you find all too often these days of endless voicemail), so if you have any additional questions they are available to answer them.

• Air Beds

  The nice thing about an air bed is its adjustability. With a touch of a button you can change the softness/firmness of your bed. This flexibility has made air beds very popular, although we often see that all the different options and configurations of air beds can make your head spin.

  That is why I put together our Air Bed Buyer's Guide. It offers 9 key points to consider when buying an air bed. Hopefully, after reading this you will have a much better idea what to shop for in an air bed and get the best possible deal.

  I would also again refer you to the folks over at Habitat Furnishings for more information on Air Beds. The owner of Habitat, Marc Anderson, spent over a year researching all the different components when putting together his Habitat Air Bed System. The site also offers videos on the "innards" of the air bed and on assembling an air bed (air beds often come unassembled, and this is one of the few videos I've seen online that shows how to assemble an air bed -- so you can see for yourself if this is something you want to undertake). Again, I recommend them because of their stellar reputation and also the 180 day money back trial -- so that if you don't like it you won't get stuck.

Step 2: Shop For Substance, Not Form

What do I mean by this. Its about avoiding the oldest trick in the industry. Comparison shop by comparing the actual "innards" used to make a mattress rather than the name or look of the mattress. Why? Because mattress retailers don't want you to be easily able to comparison shop, they have the manufacturers produce their "line" of mattresses with different names or slightly different tickings (the outside covering of a mattress) than identical mattresses made for the other local mattress shops. In all internal aspects (the coils, foams, and other materials used to make the mattress) these mattresses will be identical. But by changing the name and ticking they try to make it almost impossible for you to comparison shop. So look past the name and outside covering of a mattress - compare mattresses based on the "innards" and you will be able to still effectively shop between different retailers.

Step 3: If You Are Shopping In A Brick and Mortar Store, Lie On The Mattress At Least 10 -15 Minutes

This is a big mistake. People often just lie on a mattress for a few seconds or maybe a minute before buying. To really get a good idea whether a mattress will be comfortable to you, it is important to spend 10 -15 minutes on the mattress. This way, you'll see if you start feeling any pressure points on the mattress after being on it awhile.

Of course, if you are shopping online, you may not have this chance to try out the mattress first (many, like ours, are just offered online and so you can't try them out at a local store). So what to do? First, read any reviews carefully -- other people may have similar sleep issues to yours, and their stories may help you understand if a particular mattress might help you as well. If you are interested, since you don't have the chance to try out the bed, make sure that the online retailer gives you a good money back trial period (ours, as we've said, is 365 days). And make sure that they really back this up. It is good to see if they are a BBB member and, if so, whether they have had any complaints. Also, whether they participate in any independent 3rd party review sites (like Shopping.com that we participate in). This way you can see if the merchant has had any problems and what type of customer service they offer. It is really important that the online merchant be transparent -- so you know exactly who you are dealing with and what type of service and money back trial to expect.

One last thing -- before buying online make sure you understand all the specific charges you may end up paying on a return. Unfortunately, some online sellers hide in their small print that you may pay a return shipping fee on a mattress return (which can be $350 and up), a restocking fee, or other return fees. We hear about this type of thing often, so don't get stuck by not knowing the return fees up front (for the record, we have just a $75 return fee on a mattress -- and no other surprise fees).

Step 4: Make Sure You Understand The Return Policy

This is a huge trap. People often mistake mattress store's comfort return policies as being money back policies. And they for the most part are not. Ask very direct questions about what the retailers return policy is and exactly what this means. Some retailers just don't offer a return policy, something very important to know. But a fair amount offer comfort policies which do allow you to return a mattress within a certain period of time if you find it uncomfortable. Most of these policies don't give you your money back (even less a return fee). They just give you some sort of store credit (and this may be reduced by a return fee). And if there is no other mattress in the store you want, or if the return fee is unreasonably high (sometimes these have very high restocking fees), you are stuck.

Best case is finding a store that offers you a money back trial, but these are few and far between. If you do find one, make sure you get all the costs associated with returning a mattress under the money back period (again restocking fees, etc. can be very high, so make sure you get them on the front side).

Step 5: Understand Your Warranty

Ever read a mattress warranty? They can be so dense that they are practically unreadable. The key thing to look for is whether the warranty period is pro-rated or non-prorated. The best is non-prorated. This means that during the replacement period the mattress will be replaced without you having to pay (although the warranty may specify a shipping fee, etc.). In contrast, with a pro-rated warranty you will pay an ever increasing portion of the cost of the mattress to replace it if you run into a warranty issue.

Also, look to see how a warranty issue is resolved. Again, you should buy a mattress based on comfort. But it is nice to know how the company will determine if a warranty issue will be honored and the mattress replaced. I've seen some warranties that seem to require an inordinate amount of compression before replacing a mattress (requiring over an inch compression, for example), and this is something you may want to consider when purchasing if there are two different types of mattresses that you are deciding between.

Conclusion

I hope this guide has been helpful and arms you in finding the mattress you want with the best possible deal. Again, if you end up being interested in the mattress we carry, we offer 365 day money back trials on our Memory Foam Mattress and Memory Foam Topper Pads. And for those interested in latex or air beds, check out the Habitat Air Beds and Habitat Latex Mattresses -- Habitat's owner, Marc Anderson, is very knowledgeable and offers 180 day money back trials on all his mattresses.