There are some good reasons for buying a mattress in a box, but before you do there are some things you should know.

Pencil and paper. Fish and chips. Peanut butter and jelly. You’ve probably heard of these things that go together, but for mattress makers, there’s one pair in particular that goes hand-in-hand: foam and mattresses.

Foam is the key comfort ingredient used in all mattresses. Still, that doesn’t mean that all mattress manufacturers are using top-notch foam in their mattresses. Unfortunately, the onus is still on the consumer to educate themselves so that they get the best quality at the right price.

How does one go about doing that? Well for starters you have to look past the social media marketing, the influence peddling, and the advertising. There is no better place to get a good education than by visiting a foam and mattress factory.

Last week a few of my younger poker buddies asked me if I had heard about the “new” mattress in a box technology? “Oh, grasshopper…” I said, “although it may be new to you because you just saw it on social media, it wasn’t new at all.”

This technology has been around since 1985 when I first saw it at Woodbridge Foam. As long as 35 years ago, they were compressing and rolling low-density foam mattresses for IKEA. The compressed mattresses, then sat in a warehouse, for a prolonged period of time before they were sold.

Fair warning: If you want to buy a good mattress and sleep better, you’re going to have to do some work. This includes going back a second time and changing the core if you didn’t get it right the first time around. Very few companies offer this service, but we do.

Instead of letting others sell you the firmness and grades that they think are best for you, why not educate yourself and buy the right mattress for your size, back condition, and preference at a great factory direct price.

Here are 11 reasons why you shouldn’t buy a mattress in a box, sight unseen:

1) They are not made with the best quality foam

The picture on the right shows the inside of one of the most popular online mattresses sold today. The bottom layers are usually filler grades and nowhere near as good as the thinner top layers.

We carry 45 different grades of foam and they are not all the same. If you want to buy a good mattress, get to know your foam first. Mattress in box sellers, go to a foam manufacturer and have them make a layered foam mattress for them. 

2) They do not make the foam or their own mattresses

Mattress in a box marketers say that their mattresses are made in Canada, but you shouldn’t assume that they are the ones that are making them. They are not! We make the foam and the mattresses.

Over the past 5 years, we have been approached by a number of internet mattress marketers that have asked us to make their mattresses for them. We declined because we prefer the quality approach to business at the lowest factory direct price.

3) The Price is NOT Right!

Since they don’t make their own foam or mattresses, the only way they can beat a Factory Direct manufacturer is by using lower quality grades and materials.

Most of their mattress covers are one-sided. The bottom is usually finished with a liner and not the same material that is used on the top. If you want to buy a mattress like that we can make you one for much less.

4) They are not made with firm edges

When you sit on the side of the mattress it squishes all the way down to the base. It is not made with firm edges because you cannot compress them to fit in a box.

5) You can’t compress and roll-pack the firmer grades

If you are a bigger person or if you have back pain, you may need a firmer mattress core for better support and back pain relief. You cannot order one in a box because the compression and the roll-packing machine has its limitations. It cannot compress the firmer options.

6) The mattress softens up (prematurely) when they crush the foam

When you compress a 10″ mattress down to 1″, and leave it like that for an extended period of time, this will crush the cells in the foam and make the mattress softer than it was before you put it through the crushing process.

This means a medium firmness will feel like a medium soft after you crush and roll it. Once you start using that polyurethane foam mattress it will continue to soften with use. Within a few months you will be sagging into your mattress. This is not good because you need a firmer core to maintain your spine in its natural alignment.

7) What happens after the 100 day free trial period?

You’re on your own. Many mattress in a box customers have come to see us for repairs and alterations after the free trial period. Consumers that have already had a bad mattress experience turn out to be some of our best customers.

If you have bought a mattress in a box and it didn’t turn out like you thought it would bring it to us and we will help you find a solution to your problem. We do this all the time.

8) If you live in the GTA there is a better way

You may have to buy a mattress in a box if you live in a rural community far away from everything, but if you live in the Greater Toronto Area there is a better way to buy a good mattress.

Go directly to a foam and mattress manufacturer where you can go back and change the core of your mattress, as many times as you want, for as long as you own your mattress.

9) Don’t buy what they’re selling

Instead, buy what we can make for you and in a manner that makes good economic sense. Shop Factory Direct and get better quality for less.

10) One mattress firmness does not fit all

They want you do believe that one mattress construction is good for everybody, but it’s not. If it was we wouldn’t need 45 different grades of foam and countless combinations.

Instead, we would be carrying only 3 grades: soft, medium and firm. Hey, what about super soft and extra firm and medium firm and lighter-weight less expensive firm and more natural green foam and long-lasting high resiliency foam and so on. Do you see what I mean?

11) Fake versus Real Comfort

“They’re promoting fake comfort”, says John who came into our showroom to replace their mattress that came rolled up in a box. “The gimmick and convenience of buying a mattress in a box draws you in. However, it’s not like you see in their advertising. We replaced our mattress after 10 months of trying to sleep on it with no success.” John L – Woodbridge, ON

Final Note

I would like to end with one of the pairings, that I started with. That would be the one about “youth and inexperience”. I often tell my son, “you don’t know, what you don’t know… until you know it.” It’s unfortunate but true.

Remember, if you want to buy a good mattress, get to know your foam first! The key comfort ingredient that is used in all mattresses is foam. The type of foam that you choose will improve the quality of your sleep and the longevity of your mattress, in terms of comfort, support, and durability.

Sincerely,
FOAMITE INDUSTRIES INC.

R.C. (Bob) Dimas

Be the best that you can be by doing whatever is necessary to improve the quality of your sleep!