Cheap furniture is cheap at every turn, wherever a nickle can be squeezed. Low end sofas are going to have "engineered wood" (particleboard) frames, stapled together, thinner materials, cardboard panels, less resilient foam, and poorer fit and finish.

I repair this stuff daily and sometimes just have to shake my head.

Given the expected life-span, cheap furniture is not inexpensive.

Esrade, the trick is to be able to visually identify signs of quality in what you are buying.

Don't go paying Cadillac prices for a Mazda.

If they can't tell you exactly how the furniture is made, go to another store.

hi peeps. new to the forum world and just thought i would say hello

New to this forum, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents, as a total bargain hunter. I like to redecorate. A LOT. With every change comes some new furniture. So I go the cheap route.

In my experience, places like VC Furniture, have the bottom line prices, but also bottom line quality. If you bought something that was never going to be sat in, maybe - but with regular (not abusive) use from two people the last set we had, needed new cushions within about 7 months - they were flattened, and the upholstery appeared loose.

Last sofa I bought from Ashley's was AWESOME. Great quality, beautiful, and super inexpensive, since I found it in their scratch and dent section - Not sure how it held up over the years though since I sold it about a year after.

I am learning what everyone has told me all along - you get what you pay for... :) Happy shopping.

Normally with inexpensive upholstery you have no choice in the cushioning, such as down filled, spring down blend, etc. Inexpensive upholstery will have the cushions made of a foam material which will flatten. You can not regulate (fluff) this material once it flattens. Frames may not hold up as well. Fabrics may wear quicker.