There are tons of reasons why many of us rely on Wayfair to furnish and decorate our homes. The retailer is fast and affordable, and covers a range of categories, from lamps and bath mats to appliances and bedroom sets. If you need to get items in your space quickly, it's a simple, one-stop-shop way to do it. However, the company has come under fire in recent years—and those complaints show no signs of slowing. Recently, a delivery driver took to social media to warn shoppers against purchasing Wayfair furniture. Read on to find out why he advises against it.
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A delivery driver says Wayfair frequently resells returns.
iStockThese days, if you want insights into the inner workings of corporations, TikTok is a good place to start. A FedEx delivery driver, @ce88maine, responded to TikTok user @tacoreacts, who posed the question: "What’s a company secret that we shouldn’t know?"
"Don’t buy furniture from Wayfair," said @ce88maine, per the DailyDot (the video has since been removed from TikTok). "Because the chances are you are getting something that someone already received and returned."
He then explained that when a shopper returns a damaged item, "there’s a reason why they want it in the original box ... They resell it." He continued, "Even though they will send you a replacement, you still have to pay shipping on that item." Furniture or not, he offered a broader warning: "Stop buying from Wayfair."
Wayfair is fairly upfront about its returns policy—even the parts that may seem unfair to customers. If you return an item, it explains that the return shipping costs will be deducted from your refund. Those charges will vary "depending on the location of the return, size and weight of the item and the selected return method," it writes on its website. Additionally, it will not refund your original shipping fee or service charges (although the retailer offers free shipping on orders over $35).
It's also clear about its practice of reselling: "Whether through an Open Box deal online or one of our returns outlet stores, any items that are resold are meticulously inspected so they meet our high standards for quality and safety," a Wayfair representative told Best Life.
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Other shoppers agreed with the creator.
Shutterstock / monticelloOther TikTok users took to @ce88maine's comment section to share their views on the subject. Many of them agreed. "Lesson learned! I had to pay back the shipping for returning it. I will never buy from them again!" wrote one person.
A few said the information wasn't true in every case. "Unless it’s soft goods like a couch. Wayfair sent the wrong color but told me to keep it and sent another. They told me they could not receive it back," one person commented.
"Not true. I ordered a bathroom cabinet and box was damaged and they sent a new one and let me keep old one so i have 2 now," wrote another.
The original poster commented back, "The amount of times I have delivered and then picked up furniture from Wayfair is too many to count."
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The practice of reselling returns is fairly common.
iStockReselling returned items is fairly common. According to CNN, retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart all resell a portion of returned products. In many cases, they'll sell these items at a discount.
For example, Walmart sells returned items in its clearance section and offers refurbished electronics on its website. Other items are sold to resellers, like 888 Lots, Direct Liquidation, and BlueLots, which sell them to stores like the Outlets at Bloomingdales and Macy's Backstage, per CNN.
This is not the first time Wayfair has been the subject of criticism.
Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.comWayfair isn't new to pushback. In 2022, it was hit with a lawsuit in which the plaintiff said that Wayfair's warranty policy—which doesn't allow customers to use third-party companies for repairs lest their warranty be voided—is put in place to "maintain a monopoly on repairing the goods they sell." The matter hasn't been settled.
Some backlash, however, has been debunked. In 2020, a conspiracy theory circulated that Wayfair was involved in human trafficking, shuttling children in pricey storage cabinets it sold on its site. The rumor was quickly shown to be false, with Wayfair saying, "There is of course no truth to these claims."
