Garden furniture tips please!

[Redkite11]

I am looking to get a teak dining table set and also a rattan sofa set. However, I am not sure if there is anything I need to be weary of. For example, several websites sell the same teak dining set and are fairy inexpensive compared to, for example, John Lewis. The same is true for rattan. It’s about 2-3x price on JL. Does it actually matter? Has anyone bought from teakgardenfurnitureoutlet, Luxus or Laura James?

I haven't ordered from the websites mentioned, however I did see something on Laura James that caught my eye and was considering placing an order. I have found that sometimes JL can be more expensive than other smaller businesses, have you tried checking local garden centres?

It is really difficult to tell online however I have a couple of my own rules that I tend to follow:

1. Check reviews - I noticed that the teak garden outlet only has 8 5* reviews on trustpilot which seems a bit odd IMO
2. Check social media - I have found Instagram useful to get more of a feel for the company. Obviously you can't believe everything you see online but it's interesting to see if any customers have left negative comments on their posts, if they are followed by any larger more well-known companies and if items have been tagged by other genuine looking accounts
3. Do a google image search of the item to find out if there are similar versions (if not the same) being sold for cheaper
4. Ask if another shop that you know and trust are willing to price match an online quote
5. Always pay with credit card for added protection - probably the best "security" in my view

Perhaps not needed for garden furniture, but you can always double check companies house to see if the company is who they say they are and if there are any red flags.

Thank you