Direct Buy????

[DisneyForLife]

Hi, does anyone have any information on Direct Buy? (a wholesale type store for remodeling for members only) I have only seen it advertised on TV and of course they make it look great. I would love to hear from someone who has actually used them.
Thank you

 

[MUFFYCAT]

My friend has it and doesn't like it. I don't remember the exact price but she said it cost at least $3000.00 for maybe 2 years then $400.00 per year.
You can only buy from certain suppliers/companies.
When we bought our bathroom at Home Depot, it was still cheaper than hers at a similiar quality. I bought furniture that was cheaper at the stores when they had big sales and was able to spread it out over 36 months.

 

[DisneyForLife]

Thank you, that's what I figured. Just wanted to be sure before we wasted our time on the tour with the "sales pitch"

 

[bdb7607]

It depends on exactly your situation, we bought into the sales pitch 3 years ago, paid $3k, this year was the first to "renew" @ $300. We thought about not renewing, but decided to give it one more year as we were planning on some major purchases. Bottom line:

bought a Stanley Furniture dining set, compared that price vs. the store prices and saved $5k ($12k at store, $7k at Direct Buy - including shipping). Bought a bedroom set for $2k, store was $3k. Bought snowblower for $750, store cost was $755 - yippee. Bought earrings for $150, with store cost around $250. Bought a couple of bookcases - actually ended up more expensive through Direct Buy - we didn't "shop" that one previously.

So we felt better about our "ripoff" as we had previously termed Direct Buy. If you're building a home or remodeling or major purchases then yes, you'll save money. We found electronics are a wash from purchases, the major savings are in furniture & jewelry.

Since we're probably not planning on purchasing anything major like that again, we'll probably drop it this year.

The negatives are most people want to feel / touch before buying - which you can do at stores and then purchase at Direct Buy. Rarely does the shipping go directly to your home, you have to go to Direct Buy to pick up, which means getting some guys to help, then the boxes...

We'd do it again, only because of the big purchases we knew were going to happen. We'd also love to have it if we ever built, but we're not going to, so there goes that!

 

[harleyquinn]

DH and I got "ripped off" by Direct Buy. Paid the $3000, and then never bought anything. We went back a few times to try and find something, but we couldn't. Yes you could buy things for less, but only if you want the highest-end thing possible. If you were willing to get a less flashy item (even from the same company) you'd end up paying a lot less.

I think it's perfect for people who are wealthy and spend big bucks for the finer things. They can save money--how nice for them

It makes me sick that we fell for the--you must buy today thing. If we had gone home and talked to DH's parents we would of found out that they were taken in by the same thing when they got married. Don't do it!

 

[cats mom]

I think it really depends on your situation.

Our friends LOVE their membership there... but they bought it while they were building their dream home and they DO tend to go high end on everything.
She did say if you're just making an occasional purchase it's probably not worth it. But for them, furnishing a whole house, they saved a bundle and their home is beautiful!

 

[MinnieFan]

DH and I just went to one of their open houses this past weekend. We thought it might be a good idea to join because we're thinking of remodeling the kitchen in 2-3 years. Well, the initial fee to join was $4,300 which covers years 1-3, then $200 per year years 4-10, then $600 or more per year after year 10 ! This seemed like a lot since we don't have definite remodeling plans at this time. We were then told that we had to decide to join or not before we left the open house, or "we could never ever be invited back." We don't like high-pressure sales tactics like that so we walked out. I guess we've been banned for life from Direct Buy!

 

[ksoehrlein]

We bought into it shortly after buying our first house. We needed a lot of furniture, and the cost savings really helped. We were able to complete our bedroom suite, buy a guest bed, and get a really nice entertainment unit for much less than retail. We had hoped to buy baby furniture there, but weren't impressed with their offerings and prices, so we bought that retail. We never sat down to see if we broke even on our membership; I hope we did but I can't be sure.

But after we renewed for one additional year, we started to use the membership less and less. We were done with acquiring "big" furniture. DH sold his truck, which made picking up at their warehouse a huge hassle. There are also a lot of hidden costs. Like the percentage fee that gets tacked on. A credit card fee, if you decide to purchase using one. Shipping charges if home delivery is available. And we prefer to buy something we can see in person and take home same-day or relatively soon; much better than catalog shopping IMHO. Plus the local furniture stores were always offering extended same-as-cash financing; it felt much better to let that money accrue interest as we paid it off than to drop the whole sum at once.