Buying Online Cabinets
Demystifying The Process

The world of online cabinets is really no different than the more conventional way of designing, ordering and buying cabinets -- it's just done over the internet instead. And while it's not new, it's something you may not have thought of when it comes to buying new cabinets.

To be clear, the term "online cabinets" refers to the process of buying cabinets through the internet from a fabricator that could be located just about anywhere. The process is similar to the offline process as far as the design and fabrication process goes but there are some unique traits to buying kitchen cabinets online.

That's why we asked the people at TheCabinetFolks.com to answer some questions about the process. Craig Parker is a cabinet designer in addition to the company's webmaster. Craig answers questions about the online cabinet experience and what you might expect should you choose to take this route.

1. What's different about buying cabinets online vs. the more conventional way of buying them from a local cabinet maker or big-box store?

   Accessibility. The Cabinet Folks answer phones and emails during regular business hours of course, but we're also available AFTER hours by email. If you have a question, you'll probably get an answer in a couple of hours at the most, unless it's the middle of the night. Since most correspondence is via email anyway, this works well for our customers.



2. What is the primary advantage of buying online cabinets?

   The biggest advantage is convenience. Customers can shop from wherever there is internet access. Quite a few people have corresponded with us almost entirely from their cell phone, using computers just to look at 3D renderings of kitchen plans we create with our design software. We post those pictures online so that not only can customers see them, but their friends and family can too, whenever they like. This helps when other people who will be in the kitchen can see what it will look like and offer input. "My mother thinks I should have a cabinets for cookie sheets in X space instead of Y space" is a common type of comment we get.




Photo Courtesy of TheCabinetFolks.com

3. What is the responsibility of the customer in this process?

   It's not a whole lot different than with a brick and mortar cabinet store. Mostly they are responsible for understanding what they are buying, like door styles and colors, and what "inside-the-cabinet" options they'll be getting. A lot of this is information we as the designers have to get across, so it's really everyone's responsibility.

   There is one thing that is wholly the customer's responsibility; and that is providing accurate measurements. I can't stress that enough. Very bad things can happen when the room is a different size in reality than what we thought it was during the design process. If the room is bigger, we can use filler strips to eat up the extra space. It's when the room is smaller that that problems arise.



4. What's the best way for the client to get a good understanding of the quality and general "look" of a particular cabinet line when buying online cabinets (i.e. remotely)?

   Getting samples is the best way to know what your cabinets will look like. What happens a lot is that a customer will go to their local dealer and find out which samples they want us to send them. We can send color chips (5"x 5" piece of wood) or a whole door sample. Often though, they can see a door or display locally and just get the color chip from us so they can have it in their house a while. This helps customers when choosing wall colors and counter tops.



5. What kind of cost difference is there between buying online cabinets vs. offline (all things being equal - same cabinets, options, etc.)?

   We have yet to compare our prices to another identical design in an identical brand and line. So far, every price we've been compared to is a different brand of cabinets. It's still apples-to-apples, but rather like comparing Macintosh apples to Red Delicious. A lot of the options are the same, but the prices in the manufacturer's catalog are different. It's hard to say. I know we have beat popular competitor prices (both online and offline) by thousands before, and still wonder sometimes why the others' cabinets were so expensive.



6. How long has The Cabinet Folks been in operation?

   We went online as a cabinet retailer in June of '08. The parent company, Moulton Lumber Co. Inc., has been around since the mid 1800's. It's been a family owned and operated retail lumber yard since then. In reality we've just taken our kitchen department and all we've been doing locally, to the web. In addition to being a kitchen designer here, I'm also the web designer. I ask customers about their kitchens AND about the site experience, and make changes based on their input.



7. What are some considerations a potential buyer should think about before taking the steps to buy cabinets online?

   The biggest consideration is customer support. What happens if there's trouble? Are you comfortable dealing with people that you will probably never see? These are questions we asked ourselves before going online. For designers who are used to sitting down with customers during the planning stage, it's strange to correspond by email and phone only. It was an adjustment on our end too.



8. How do shipping charges affect the overall price? Is there free shipping for orders over a certain amount?

   Currently, we mark cabinets down from our regular retail price, then pass on whatever shipping charges we pay. You might call it "probably" free shipping, as the price so far tends to be around the same. Some customers only a state or two away will come and pick up the cabinets themselves so quoting the cost of cabinets and shipping separately is necessary for the most part. This process is under constant consideration. We may nail down a concrete shipping policy and pricing schedule, or we may continue just treating each kitchen differently; in the end we want to avoid charging anything to our customers needlessly.

   We've had experience with a customer only a few hundred miles away who hadn't located an installer for the cabinets. We offered to send a contractor we know and trust who would take the cabinets with him. His only charges would be for labor and travel.




Photo Courtesy of TheCabinetFolks.com

9. What happens if the customer is dissatisfied with the end product? What are the steps for resolution? Is there any warranty and if so, how is it administered?

   It's difficult to say, as every situation is different. We do our best to educate customers so that they completely understand what is going to arrive at their house. We can't help with things like "I didn't know the glaze was going to look this way-it didn't on the sample" after the fact, and that's why we tell people up front about variations like that.

   A cabinet that won't fit is a result of inaccurate measurements. We can't be responsible for that either. The customer will have to order a smaller cabinet. What we CAN do is have the customer store the cabinet, and we'll try to sell it for them in another set or on our online yard sale. We have not yet encountered such a problem; customers so far have been giving accurate measurements.

   If there is an actual defect, obviously the cabinet manufacturer would stand behind their product. We deal with this, getting either pictures from the customer or arranging for a local representative to come out and look at the cabinet.



10. What's usually the most challenging part of the 'buying online' process for the customer?

    A lot of customers complain that their friends and family give them a hard time about buying online rather than locally. It's a difficult concept to grasp for some people, as these are very large purchases. It will get better in time I think.



11. What brands of cabinets do you provide and/or does The Cabinet Folks make any of their own custom cabinets?

    Currently we carry Bertch, Diamond, Armstrong and Kabinart. There are two local companies we carry as well, Just Cabinets and Young Furniture Mfg. Just Cabinets is a semi-custom brand although they have made some unique and totally custom pieces before. Young Furniture Mfg. in an unfinished cabinet manufacturer. They have very sturdy (3/4" solid wood boxes) construction and are reasonably priced.

    We are talking with other manufacturers as well, looking for the best quality and dealer support, coupled with favorable shipping arrangements. While we initially tried to steer clear of RTA (ready-to-assemble) cabinets, more people have been asking for them and we may bring in a couple of lines to accommodate them.



12. Where do you/can you ship to - all of the US including Alaska & Hawaii? Can you ship to Canada?

    I think Hawaii would be tough, as well as Alaska. I know there have been people browsing our website from both places, but we have yet to get an inquiry. We'll cross that bridge, perhaps literally, when we get to it.

    We did sell a cabinet set to a customer in Canada. It was near enough to deliver ourselves. The customer had a Customs broker, so we had no problems transiting the border. We're not sure that shipping cabinets to Canada through another carrier will be worthwhile for anyone involved but we are constantly looking for solutions to this problem.



13. Do the cabinets come with any installation instructions since the people that made them won't be installing them?

    They do not, but we are more than happy to guide people through the process. In fact, after this interview, there may be a new "How to Install Cabinets" page at our website, with pictures, for our Do-It-Yourself customers.

You can find The Cabinet Folks here:
728 South Hiram Road
Cornish, ME 04020
207-625-8045

If you're looking for more information about online cabinets or additional sources for buying cabinets online, you can find them here.

Robert Levesque
Publisher/Editor

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