Futon Blog

Well, at least when you’re trying to use the green hype to drive business to your store! Now, I’m not at all opposed to organic futons and mattresses, in fact I sell a few on my website. But when I saw this ad, and know for a fact that one of the owners of this company dislikes dealing with people with chemical sensitivities, I had to laugh. What the ad doesn’t mention is that this company sells a multitude of “poisonous” futons and mattresses, and that they would never take all those “toxic” models off the showroom floor.

So, if you’re shopping for a new mattress and see an ad like that, don’t buy into the hype. Get a natural futon because you want one, not because you were scared into it by those who just want a sale. To me this falls into the same advertising category as “seven minute abs” or “the best diet supplement“, all just hype.

Happy shopping!

Quite a few of the futon shoppers I encounter today don’t see the majority of futon furniture as permanent, fine furniture.l It’s understandable, unfinished futon frames and thin under stuffed futon mattresses fit in a sentence with “fine” about as well as Tuxedo and MacDonalds (prom nights excepted).

Most people with the “Futons can’t be fine furniture” opinion are about 10 years behind the times. Futon frames, mattresses, and covers have come a long way in terms of quality. Futon mattresses now have high quality foam that lasts for 10-12 years, futon frames are made from solid hardwoods in a variety of styles, and futon covers are made from upholstery grade fabrics with improved zippers.

So, if you think futons can’t fall into the “Fine Furniture” grade, you need to do a little research. Like some reading on the futon blog!

Often I see visitors show up on Goodnight Moon Futon who search for Cheap Futons. And just as often, I think to myself, sometimes a cheap futon can cost more in the long run. Now, I don’t really think there’s anything wrong with being frugal, especially in this economy. But, there are times when spending a bit more on a futon to get a longer lasting, higher quality piece of furniture can be more economically sound.

Just think about it, does it make sense to spend any amount of cash on a cheap futon that will need to be replaced in a year or less? I’d didn’t think so. Take that into account when you’re shopping for a new futon, and maybe save up a litle so you can get a futon you’ll be happy with for more than a month.

When I first started browsing through all the categories of the Craigslist universe, I was amazed at the diversity categories, job listings, and various items for sale. Craigslist is a supposedly free market place, that is regulated, in part, by it’s users whom I must say are the most trigger happy bunch of internet users I have ever had the experience of coexisting with.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the way Craigslist works from a selling stand point, here’s how it goes down. First, a seller lists their item or service on Craigslist. Users visit Craigslist and check out all the services and items listed. If a user doesn’t like what they see, they get to flag a post for removal. If a post gets enough flags the post gets removed by Craigslist.

Sounds simple right? Maybe not. One thing that Craigslist does not do is check up on all the excessive “flaggers”, there is no verification to flag a post and in the end honest sellers can get the short end of the stick when selling on Craigslist. This can really lead to competitors flagging posts they don’t like, sellers getting banned because of too many flags, and in the end switching to sites like Backpage & an overall decline in the quality of listings. (At least in the furniture for sale listings anyhow, who want’s to buy a used mattress, that’s probably stained, could have fleas and bed bugs, and a host of other unpleasant squatters? Yuck!)

So, here’s the post that got me banned from Craigslist :

Futons and Sofas

Visit Goodnight Moon Futon if you’re searching for a new sofa or futon. Oh yeah, we mean brand new! You might pay a little more for a brand new futon or sofa, but it sure beats a stained mattress or scary used couch. So, visit our website if you’d like to see our entire selection of fine futon furniture.

I guess the users of Craigslist didn’t like my post and prefer bed bugs (I’m looking at you Boston Craigslist) to new, safe futon mattresses that aren’t the modern day equivalent to the Trojan Horse.

What do you do if you are banned from Craigslist?

In a sense Craigslist is helping to grow the economy, with a host of services now available to those legitimate sellers who’s IP’s have been flagged by Craigslist. You can sign up with a posting service and have them post for you from various IP addresses, or just go down to your local coffee shop for a while and post your ads on their IP! If you link to a site, eventually they’ll find your ads, but it will probably take some time before they catch up to you. So, Craigslsit is really helping to spread the wealth around (by purchasing coffee at your local coffee house), grow competing sites, and making sellers get more and more creative in finding ways around there system.

Kudos Craigslist!

You might be asking yourself if the title of this post “Affordable Chemical Free Futons” is a joke? Well, at many retailers it is. Some retailers seem to think, and get away with extremely abusive margins on their chemical free and organic futons. Futons made from organic materials can be a bit more expensive, organic materials are being produced in smaller numbers and with less subsidies.

But, does that justify the prices some retailers are charging for a chemical free futon mattress? One that’s made from non-organic cotton? I sell my chemical free futon mattresses at a reasonable $439, shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states. When you’re shopping, try to consider whether the mattress you’re seeing is priced fairly or whipped up by the green hype sweeping the country.

Selecting the futon mattress and cover that’s just right can be a challenging task with the variety of futon furniture on the market today. So, here are a few tips to finding futon mattresses and covers.

• When choosing a futon mattress, materials can sometimes play an important part in your choice. Cotton futon mattresses have a shorter lifespan when compared to foam futons, but they are also more natural. A common happy medium is a foam and cotton combo mattress.
• Determine what type of mattress you need, different styles of futon mattress are designed for specific styles of futon frame. Mixing the styles might throw the entire futon set off.
• Price. Figuring out a budget before you shop can be helpful, but make sure you look at the total cost of a futon mattress vs. it’s life span. Futon mattresses that cost more should last longer, that’s a good rule of thumb.

• Futon covers are a bit easier. The number one rule to follow is to choose fabrics that are upholstery grade. They last longer and are designed to be used
• Get a swatch first. Many retailers offer futon cover swatches, and they are extremely helpful in evaluating the color and feel of any given fabric.
• Futon covers need quality zippers. Good futon covers have YKK zippers that span three sides of the futon cover. Three sided zippers make putting on and removing your futon cover easier.

Spring is definitely in the air in Western Massachusetts, the snow’s almost entirely melted and the sun is actually warming people up during the day. With our spring thaw upon us a flurry of spring cleaning, lawn care and hauling out the patio furniture has ensued. So, all you New Englander’s should be getting ready to get outside today! I know I can’t wait to spend more time outside this spring and summer.

With the recent addition of the Jazz convert a couch our line of sleeper sofas is now approaching ten strong. The Jazz convert a couch has full, flared arms and is available in three varieties of micro fiber fabrics. Much like the other sofas in the convert-a-couch line, the Jazz can fit in any space and thru any doorway.

In the evolution of the futon frame, mattress, and cover set the convert a couch has become the next step. The Convert a Couch collection is a one piece set that eliminates the need to purchase a separate futon frame, futon mattress, and futon cover to complete a set. Also nice is the fact that convert a couches can fit into the spaces that traditional sofas can’t. Narrow doorways and tight stairwells are no obstacle for a convert a couch.

With the economic meltdown still underway, the life insurance industry seems like it should be doing fairly well. I found a site dedicated to term insurance quotes here, and there are many options to choose from. So, if you’ve been concerned about the future, and want to explore your options, check it out.