Ordering a Sofa for Christmas: Lead Times and What to Check
By Alex at SOFGO ·
If you'd like a new sofa in place before Christmas, the most useful thing you can do is start with the calendar, not the catalogue. A sofa that's perfect for the room but can't reach you in time, or can't get through the front door, will only add to the December rush.
This guide explains how to read the lead time on a product page, the difference between in-stock and made-to-order sofas, the ways you can pay, the access checks worth doing before you order, and how to get the room ready for delivery day.
Check the lead time on the product page
Every SOFGO product page shows how long delivery takes, just above the price and the Add to basket button. That line is the one to plan around. You'll see one of three kinds of wording:
- "Delivery in 2–5 weeks" on most of our corner sofa beds with storage, such as the Rosslyn above and the Lindorf below.
- "Made to order — 12–15 weeks" on our Exclusive designer sofas, such as the Aldbury Corner Sofa.
- An in-stock line on items in our In Stock range, which are already in the warehouse.
Read it as a range, and plan for the later end. "2–5 weeks" means your sofa could arrive sooner than five weeks, but it's safer to work back from the longest figure. Count back from the date you need the sofa in place, then add a few days for anything that could slow you down at home, such as clearing the old sofa or fitting delivery around work.
Do the maths for your own date. As a rough guide, five weeks from late October takes you to the end of November. Twelve weeks from late October takes you well into January, so a made-to-order Exclusive sofa ordered now is unlikely to arrive before Christmas. If a sofa has to be in place for guests, choose one with a shorter lead time.
If your date is fixed, ask before you order. If you're planning around a particular day, such as family arriving on the 23rd, message our team with the sofa you're looking at and your postcode before you place the order. It's far easier to adjust your choice now than to chase a date later.
In stock vs made to order
Knowing which type of sofa you're looking at tells you how much flexibility you have.
In stock. These sofas are already built and waiting in the warehouse, so they're the obvious choice when time is short. The trade-off is choice: some in-stock sofas come in one colour or one corner side only. The Mistral M29, for example, is listed as "Right Corner Only", so check the product name and the corner side carefully before you order.
Corner sofa beds with storage. Most of our corner sofa beds show "Delivery in 2–5 weeks" and let you choose a left or right corner and Standard or Easy Clean fabric. Easy Clean is a fixed £199 upgrade. Our FAQ describes it as "a water and pet resistant weave that wipes clean". With Christmas guests, food and drinks on the way, it's worth considering.
Exclusive designer sofas. These are made to order, with the longest lead time. They're a good choice if you're planning for the new year rather than for Christmas itself.
Not sure which corner you need? Stand facing the space where the sofa will go. If the long chaise section will be on your left, it's a left corner; if it's on your right, it's a right corner. Our guide to left or right hand corner sofas explains it with examples.
Paying for your sofa
It's worth knowing your options before you check out. Each product page has a Ways to pay box that lists exactly what's available for that sofa:
- Debit or credit card.
- Klarna, subject to eligibility and status.
- Clearpay on some products, subject to eligibility. The Rosslyn above shows it; the Lindorf doesn't.
- Pay on delivery (cash or bank transfer) on some in-stock items only, such as the Mistral M29 below. You choose it at checkout and pay when your order arrives.
If an option isn't listed in a product's Ways to pay box, it isn't available for that sofa. As the product pages point out, paying with Klarna is borrowing, so only spread the cost if the repayments comfortably fit your budget alongside everything else December brings.
Access checks before you order
The most common delivery-day problem isn't timing. It's a sofa that won't go through the door or up the stairs. Measure before you order, especially if you're short of time, because there's less room to change your mind in December.
Measure the room. Check that the sofa's overall size fits the space with room to walk around it. The Rosslyn, for example, is listed at 295 × 195 × 80 cm, which is a big footprint, while the Mistral M29 is 247 × 214 × 83 cm. Our guide on how to measure a room for a corner sofa shows how to mark it out with tape.
Measure the route. Measure the clear width and height of every door on the way in, plus the hallway, any tight turns and the stairs if the sofa is going upstairs. Our guides on whether a corner sofa will fit through your door and getting a sofa up narrow stairs explain what to measure.
Check the delivery charges for your address. Delivery is free to most of mainland UK, either to your door or with free assembly in the room you choose and the packaging taken away. There are a few exceptions, set out on our delivery page:
- Upper floors without a lift: £49 per order for the 1st to 4th floor, or £199 for the 5th to 12th floor. Free on the ground floor or on any floor with a lift.
- Some postcode areas: a £149 surcharge per order for AB, DD, EX, FK, IV, KY, PH, PL, SA, TQ and TR postcodes.
- Areas 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 and the Isles of Scilly.
Tell us if the route is tight. If your measurements look close, message our team with the sofa name and your door, hallway and stair measurements before you order.
Getting the room ready for delivery day
Once you've ordered, we text you a delivery date and a two-hour window. A little preparation before that day makes everything quicker.
Plan what happens to the old sofa. Decide early whether it's being sold, donated, moved to another room or taken to the tip, and when. A spare sofa in the hallway on delivery day blocks the route in.
Clear the route. Move shoes, coats, bags, loose rugs and anything fragile out of the hallway and away from the door. Lift loose runners on the stairs.
Clear the space. Move side tables, lamps and the coffee table out of the way so the sofa can go straight into position, especially if you've chosen free assembly in the room.
Choose your service. At checkout, pick delivery to your door if you're happy to unpack and build it yourself, or delivery with free assembly in the room you choose. With assembly, the team carries it in, builds it in that room and takes the packaging away.
Check it while the team is there. Look the sofa over before the delivery team leaves and photograph anything that's damaged. If something is wrong, contact us within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll repair, replace or collect it.
Know your return rights. You can cancel at any time before delivery. After delivery, you have 14 days to tell us if you've changed your mind. Our returns page sets out how it works.
If the sofa is for guests, our guides to sofa beds for Christmas guests and hosting Christmas in a small house help with the rest of the planning.
FAQs
How do I know when my sofa will arrive?
Check the delivery line on the product page before you order, for example "Delivery in 2–5 weeks" or "Made to order — 12–15 weeks". Once you've ordered, we text you a delivery date and a two-hour window.
Can I get a made-to-order Exclusive sofa before Christmas?
Our Exclusive designer sofas show "Made to order — 12–15 weeks". Counted from late October, that takes you into the new year. If you need a sofa in place for Christmas, look at in-stock sofas or corner sofa beds with a shorter lead time.
Which sofas are quickest to arrive?
In-stock sofas are already built and in the warehouse. Browse our In Stock range, and check the delivery line and corner side on each product page.
Can I pay on delivery?
Only on in-stock items whose Ways to pay box lists "Pay on delivery (cash or bank transfer)", such as the Mistral M29. Card and Klarna are listed on all three sofas in this guide, and Clearpay on some products, subject to eligibility.
Is delivery free?
Delivery is free to most of mainland UK, to your door or with free assembly in the room you choose. Some postcode areas have a £149 surcharge per order, and upper floors without a lift cost £49 or £199 per order. Our delivery page has the full list, including the areas we don't deliver to.
What if the sofa won't fit through my door?
Measure your doors, hallway and stairs before you order and compare them with the sizes on the product page. If it looks tight, message our team with your measurements and the sofa name before you order.
Planning a new sofa before Christmas? Message our team or email support@sofgo.co.uk with the sofa you're looking at and your postcode. We reply between 8am and 10pm, every day. You can browse our corner sofa beds with storage and in-stock sofas any time, and our FAQ answers common delivery questions.
Alex at SOFGO