Furniture Buyers Beware...

caribeman

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Dec 26, 2011
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Enjoy meeting new people/cultures
My latest excursion to the capital gave me a sticker shock. I got off of Metro Bus and BAM - there was ASHLEY Furniture.. recently inaugurated(literally by the First Lady). So next day I peroused every floor.

I found great things - AT 4 X the price I had paid for some in US. Yes. Not 10, 30, 50% more. Or even double. 4X

A Seafoam green couch. Online $481. Free shipping to a freight forwarder, free and then transfer at 2.50lb x 150lbs...Even with shipping it is still 1/2 price.

On the showroom floor. $68,000RD - $1577 US Plus ITBIS @ 18%.

HASTA LUEGO. Be forwarned. Shop wisely.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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caribemike, keep this in mind whenever you go shopping and there will fewer surprises:

Dom-Expense.jpg
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i do not know what ashley furniture is. i googled, went to their sites and they did not list any prices.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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My latest excursion to the capital gave me a sticker shock. I got off of Metro Bus and BAM - there was ASHLEY Furniture.. recently inaugurated(literally by the First Lady). So next day I peroused every floor.

I found great things - AT 4 X the price I had paid for some in US. Yes. Not 10, 30, 50% more. Or even double. 4X

A Seafoam green couch. Online $481. Free shipping to a freight forwarder, free and then transfer at 2.50lb x 150lbs...Even with shipping it is still 1/2 price.

On the showroom floor. $68,000RD - $1577 US Plus ITBIS @ 18%.

HASTA LUEGO. Be forwarned. Shop wisely.

You can almost always import 1 of an item cheaper yourself than you can buy it here. You have another great example of this. Why would anyone not do that instead of paying such a ridiculously high price for buying it off the floor of a place that is literally raping you?
 
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Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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I can only surmise that "Ashley" uses pine in their furniture.
"PINO" is NOT a good choice for furniture here in the DR.
"Termites" are "Cheering"!!!!
AND, if "She" uses "Pressed Fiber Wood", you have a 3 to 5 year life span!
"Maids are "Cheering"!
"Caoba" O Nada"!!!!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
 

Jaime809

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Aug 23, 2012
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Ashley Furniture is fairly cheap, even by US standards. There's no doubt in my mind that the wood they use for frames would not stand the test of time in the DR humidity.
 

JohnnyBoy

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Jun 17, 2012
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I think Ashley is one of those places that will finance anyone under the sun. They sell crap and charge an astronomical price for it and then they charge usurious interest rates. If memory serves they are owned by RAC or some other ghetto gouging company.
 

jimmythegreek

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Dec 4, 2008
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I can only surmise that "Ashley" uses pine in their furniture.
"PINO" is NOT a good choice for furniture here in the DR.
"Termites" are "Cheering"!!!!
AND, if "She" uses "Pressed Fiber Wood", you have a 3 to 5 year life span!
"Maids are "Cheering"!
"Caoba" O Nada"!!!!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Even Caoba can get chewed by termites as well-so imagine these other woods! Vaporized!
 

tommeyers

On Vacation!
Jan 2, 2012
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I live in Santiago
I think Ashley is one of those places that will finance anyone under the sun. They sell crap and charge an astronomical price for it and then they charge usurious interest rates. If memory serves they are owned by RAC or some other ghetto gouging company.
RAC performs a needed service: making it possible for poor people to have a 72" flat screen TV.
 

franco1111

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May 29, 2013
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Ashley Furniture is fairly cheap, even by US standards. There's no doubt in my mind that the wood they use for frames would not stand the test of time in the DR humidity.

It makes sense that the humidity would have a bad effect on pine (as CC says) or those other pressed sawdust and glue products. Ashley very likely uses this product in some of their furniture (I have seen it). But, IKEA seems to be more popular now. And, the same has been said about their furniture - it won't last long here. Does anybody have real experience with the IKEA furniture melting in the humidity, or is this a myth? Maybe this needs its own discussion someday. I am not buying now, so could wait. May never buy. I have teak now.
 

franco1111

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May 29, 2013
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Actually, I guess CC says the bugs will eat pine. The stuff with sawdust and glue has the problem with humidity. So complicated...
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i have ikea sofas, sofa-cama and coffee tables. the tables are metal and glass (ha!), sofas are fabric with pine legs and sofa-cama is fabric, metal and pine. so far so good. no damage due to humidity but sofas are close to the window and totally sun bleached. no problemo, tapiceria is cheap here, we'll have new covers made. or we buy a new set as idea sells those covers separately.
 

TropicalPaul

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Sep 3, 2013
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I bought quite a lot of IKEA and most of it has survived only a year or two. I was just thinking this morning that most of what I bought there has been dumped - not sure if it's the Caribbean climate or if it's just that IKEA is sh*t quality, but I for one will not be going back there.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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I do not think that Dominican termites can "EAT" Caoba.
They haven't eaten any of mine in 20 years.
"Sometimes" here,you will be sold wood that is NOT Caoba, at Caoba prices.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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oh, i need to add that ikea furniture we bought has about 2 years. as i said, no damage apart from sun bleaching of the fabric. so i guess it depends on what you buy.