Design Shopping: online vs. local

Since I've started working as a designer I've been struggling with the balance between buying in person vs. buying online, as well as, buying old vs. buying new. Two big variables are your client's taste and budget but after that, what factors should you really be taking into consideration?

I made a really big and embarrassing mistake recently. Embarrassing because I totally knew better. I knew what I was supposed to do and I didn't do it...mostly out of laziness. Well that laziness cost me $800. But it also brought me back to this dilemma of shopping local vs. shopping online.

Shopping online is SO convenient! It gives me lots of options and it allows me to do it all from home, which is a big deal when your other full time job is raising a toddler. The downsides: not seeing the pieces in person; dealing with shipping AND shipping damage; returning pieces that don't work for you.

But shopping locally has it advantages too. You can talk to an actual human and have a better chance of resolving any issues with your product after the sale. Seeing something in person is always BETTER than seeing it in a picture. If you go the antiquing route you have the opportunity to get a one of a kind piece with a lot of character and often at a more affordable price. The downsides: TIME and MONEY to drive to each individual store.

The right answer seems to be a balance of both. Some items, like mirrors, are best bought locally. Other items like hardware and accessories are easily suited to online shopping. Sometimes though I really wish I lived in a city with more interior design focused shopping. Chicago, NYC, Dallas, Atlanta, etc. have so many more resources that shopping would be more fun and less frustrating.