Black Friday Sofa Checklist: What to Check Beyond the Price
By Alex at SOFGO ·
A headline price is the easiest thing to compare and the least useful thing to compare on its own. Two sofas that look the same price on a busy Black Friday page can cost quite different amounts once they're in your living room, and arrive weeks apart. One might also be much harder to send back if it doesn't work out.
This checklist covers what to look at before you buy, whatever the price says. It works for any retailer, and we've shown where to find each answer on SOFGO. We're not quoting any Black Friday prices here: the price that counts is the one on the product page on the day you order.
Total cost: delivery, assembly, removal
Start by working out what you'll actually pay, not what the sofa costs.
- Delivery. Is it free, and to where? At SOFGO, delivery is free to most of mainland UK. Some postcode areas (AB, DD, EX, FK, IV, KY, PH, PL, SA, TQ and TR) carry a £149 charge per order. We don't deliver to Northern Ireland, the Scottish islands, Caithness and the far north of Scotland (KW postcodes), the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands or the Isles of Scilly. The delivery page has the full list.
- Stairs. Check whether upstairs rooms cost extra. At SOFGO, rooms on the 1st to 4th floor without a lift add £49 per order, and the 5th to 12th floor add £199. This applies to upstairs rooms in houses as well as flats. The ground floor, or any floor with a lift, is free.
- Per order or per item? Some retailers charge delivery per piece. SOFGO's delivery charges are per order, so a sofa and a coffee table in one order carry one charge.
- Assembly. Find out whether someone will build it for you, and in which room. With SOFGO you can choose doorstep delivery, or free assembly in the room of your choice, where we carry it in, build it and take the packaging away.
- Your old sofa. Taking the packaging away isn't the same as taking your old sofa away. If you need the old one gone, plan that before the new one arrives. Many councils run a bulky waste collection, and a charity may collect furniture in good condition.
- Fabric upgrades. Check what the price includes. At SOFGO, the listed price is for our standard soft-touch fabric, and Easy Clean (a water and pet resistant weave) is a fixed £199 upgrade. Our guide to Easy Clean fabric explains when it's worth it.
Add these up for each sofa on your shortlist. The cheaper-looking one isn't always the cheaper one.
Lead times and cut-offs
Black Friday is close enough to the holidays that timing matters. Before you pay, find out when the sofa will actually arrive.
- Read the delivery window on the product page itself. In-stock and made-to-order pieces can have very different windows, even within the same range.
- Check it again at checkout. Make sure the window you saw is the one confirmed for your order.
- If you have a deadline, ask first. Hosting family, moving house or clearing out an old sofa on a fixed day? Message the retailer before you order and get a clear answer.
- Know how you'll be told. SOFGO texts you a delivery date and a two-hour window, so you can plan who will be in.
If you're buying with the holidays in mind, our guide to ordering a sofa for Christmas goes through the timing in more detail, and what to expect on delivery day covers the visit itself.
Returns and cancellations
A good price is only good if you're happy with what arrives. Read the returns policy before you order, not after.
- How long do you have? At SOFGO you have 14 days to change your mind, starting the day after your sofa is delivered.
- Can you cancel before delivery? At SOFGO, yes, at any time before delivery.
- Does "made to order" mean no returns? Not on its own. Our returns page explains that standard colours, fabrics and sizes from our range aren't personalised goods, even when an item is made to order. Only a genuinely bespoke item made to your own specification may be exempt, and we'll tell you clearly before you order if that applies.
- Who pays to send it back? Faulty, damaged or incorrect items are collected free. For a change-of-mind return, SOFGO confirms any collection cost with you before the collection is booked.
- What condition must it be in? Keep it in resaleable condition, with its packaging, legs, fittings and instructions where possible. If it has been used or damaged in a way that reduces what it can be resold for, the refund may be lower, and we'll tell you the amount before we collect.
- How quickly is the money returned? SOFGO refunds to the original payment method within 14 days of receiving the item back, with no restocking fee.
On delivery day, check the sofa while the team is still there and photograph anything damaged. Report it promptly with your order number. Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply whether or not you bought in a sale.
Size and access checks
The most expensive mistake is a sofa that doesn't fit. A sale doesn't change the size of your doorway.
- Measure the room, including where the chaise will go and how much floor you need in front of it. If it's a sofa bed, measure for the open bed too, not just the sofa.
- Choose the corner side. Stand facing where the sofa will go: if the long chaise section should be on your left, it's a left-hand corner. Our guide to left or right hand corner sofas explains how to choose.
- Measure the way in. Check the width and height of every door, hallway turn and staircase on the route. Our guides to whether a corner sofa will fit through your door and getting a sofa up narrow stairs walk you through it.
- Read the listed dimensions, not the photo. The Fairhaven K13 page, for example, lists an overall width of 275 cm, a depth of 205 cm, a height of 87 cm and a sleeping area of 123 × 193 cm. If a page doesn't list dimensions, as with the Nessvale, ask for them before you order.
For a step-by-step method, see how to measure a room for a corner sofa.
Payment options
How you pay can matter as much as what you pay. Check the "Ways to pay" section on each product page, because the options aren't the same for every product.
- Debit or credit card. The simplest option, listed under Ways to pay on SOFGO product pages.
- Klarna or Clearpay let you spread the cost at checkout, subject to eligibility and status. Paying with Klarna or Clearpay is borrowing, so read the terms and make sure the repayments suit your budget. Some products offer Klarna but not Clearpay.
- Pay on delivery (cash or bank transfer when your order arrives) is shown on some in-stock products, such as the Nessvale. If you want this option, check that the page lists it before you order.
Whichever you choose, keep your order confirmation and note the delivery date: SOFGO's 14-day change-of-mind period starts the day after delivery.
FAQs
Is it worth buying a sofa on Black Friday?
It can be, as long as you compare the full cost rather than the headline price. Add any delivery charges for your postcode or floor, any fabric upgrade, and the cost of removing your old sofa. Check the delivery window, the returns policy and the dimensions too. A sofa that fits, arrives when you need it and can be returned if it isn't right is a better buy than a cheaper one that does none of those things.
What should I check before buying a sofa in a sale?
The total cost including delivery and assembly, the delivery window on the product page, the returns and cancellation terms, the dimensions against your room and doorways, and the ways to pay. Use the checklist above for each sofa on your shortlist.
Do delivery charges change in a sale?
At SOFGO, delivery is free to most of mainland UK, whether you order one sofa or a full set. Where a charge applies (some postcode areas, and upstairs rooms without a lift), it's per order, not per item, and the delivery page lists every charge.
Can I return a sofa bed I bought on Black Friday?
At SOFGO the same returns terms apply all year: you have 14 days to change your mind, starting the day after delivery, and you can cancel at any time before delivery. Standard colours, fabrics and sizes aren't treated as personalised goods. See the returns page for the full terms.
How far ahead should I order?
Check the delivery window on the product page before you order, because in-stock and made-to-order pieces differ. If you need the sofa by a particular date, message us before you buy.
Can I pay on delivery?
On some in-stock products, yes. Look for "Pay on delivery" under Ways to pay on the product page. Other products can be paid for by card, Klarna or Clearpay, subject to eligibility.
Comparing sofas this Black Friday? Browse our in-stock range and our corner sofa beds with storage. Delivery is free to most of mainland UK, and assembly in the room of your choice is free, with the packaging taken away. The delivery page lists the postcode areas that carry a charge, the areas we don't deliver to, and the charge for upstairs rooms without a lift (£49 for the 1st to 4th floor, in flats and houses alike). If you're working to a budget, our round-up of corner sofa beds with storage under £1,000 is a good place to start.
Got a question we haven't covered? Message our team or email support@sofgo.co.uk. We reply between 8am and 10pm, every day. Our FAQ and returns page answer the most common questions about fabrics, delivery and returns.
Alex at SOFGO