Lots of times, people get choosy when they are buying a new computer, a cell phone, a refrigerator, or a flat screen TV. They try to learn everything they could about the item by reading product reviews in magazines and on the Internet; they ask friends who have tried it, and even go out to comparison shop. It's understandable, because people want to get value for their money. But oftentimes, furniture shopping doesn't get the same amount of research and preparation that a new appliance or electronic equipment does.

I don't understand this. People should be giving even more effort and time into furniture shopping that they do with TVs and mobile phones and digital cameras. Quality furniture usually costs more than household appliances, after all, and they last longer too. A good dining table, for instance, will last for years with proper use and care, while your digital camera will probably become obsolete six months after you bought it. Experts in the furniture business have provided us with some helpful hints on how to shop for furniture and avoid making critical mistakes.

Bring home a sample. A sample of fabric, that is. Keep in mind that fabric patterns and colors appear differently under different lighting conditions. That lounge chair with the beautiful shade of blue might look great under the bright lights of a showroom, but it might not look the same when sitting in your living room. Before you buy any upholstered furniture, be sure to ask for a swatch and take it home. Consider also the area in which you'll be putting the furniture, and try to see how it looks in daylight and during the evening. You might also want to test how the pattern and color matches up with the wall and the rest of your furnishings.

Test it out. This is very, very important. A lot of people still buy chairs, couches, and other seating furniture without trying them out first. The result is a lifetime of painful experiences. Sit down or lie down on it. If it's a couch, you might even want to stretch out on it for a while. If you're buying a piece at an online furniture store, try to find a similar item at your local retailer and try that out.

Size does matter. Your sense of proportion can play tricks on you, especially in a store. Like I mentioned before, furniture that looks good inside a store is not guaranteed to fit in when placed in your home. This time I'm talking about size. When you're buying furniture at a large showroom with 20-foot ceilings, that king-sized bed may look like it could fit inside your office cubicle. You may think differently when you take it home and try to fit it into your 10-foot bedroom. Measure everything before you start buying; the room or area it's going to be put in, and the piece itself.

This brings us to doors and elevators. Sometimes it still boggles my mind how many people forget to take into account the size of the furniture they're buying and the actual size of the doors, windows, and the elevator they're going to have to go through when they get home. Lots of stories abound about people who buy a sofa, and then arrive home only to discover that he couldn't even get it through his front door or fit it into the elevator. Again, I have to stress this major point: Measure everything before buying.

Never buy on impulse. Oh sure, it's tough resisting the itch to go in and buy that grandfather clock at a 50% discount. But think twice before you do. Do you really need it? You may think that you just saved $200 on that purchase, but if it doesn't match with the colors, scale, and style of your room, that's $200 you've just wasted. This is a common habit of people that's being taken advantage of by shops and stores everywhere.