Decor for less -- Using Google Image Search

Decor for less -- Using Google Image Search

Thursday, June 8, 2023

This is a post that I think will be helpful to people looking for boutique items at more modest price points. I have a trick that I do every time I find an item at a boutique style store like Pottery Barn, Shades of Light, or Serena and Lily to name a few. I use use my mouse to right click on the item picture and save it to my photos and then use google image search to check the internet for the same item available at other stores, or even under a different product name, for less money. 

 

Does it work every time? No. But it does work more often than you would think! The truth is that higher price point stores will often rename a product from a manufacturer and raise the price, simply because they can and there isn't anything illegal or even uncommon about doing so.

 

Here's an example that I've previously written about; the Pottery Barn Odessa Rug. This rug is available at Wayfair.com as the Rushmore rug -- the SAME EXACT RUG. Guess how much cheaper the Wayfair listing is than the Pottery Barn listing? Almost 50% cheaper for the 8' x 11" size! As of this writing, that's a $900 savings, which is nothing to sneeze at if you ask me.

Another example is a light fixture that I recently fell in love with from Shades of Light, the Boho Carrick Sconce. I almost forgot my rule and bought this without looking for the same light somewhere else, but google image search came in clutch AGAIN. I found the same light from the manufacturer, Mitzi , on sale at Amazon for $80 cheaper as the Tessa Wall Sconce. And to think I'd almost paid 25% more because I was dazzled by the (admittedly) beautiful Shades of Light website!

 

 

One of the best examples I've found to date of a pricey item available at another retailer for less is the Serena and Lily "Tucker" chair. This chair is also available at Design Within Reach (dwr.com) as the "Salt" chair. Same chair, same manufacturer (TON, a European maker), with two different price points. DWR will frequently put the "Salt" chair on sale for 30% off and then you can stack a 20% off coupon on top of that -- which turns out to be a huge savings over the price at Serena and Lily -- and DWR offers free shipping (S&L does not). 

 

 

Give this trick a try anytime you're buying something on the pricier side, besides making economic sense it's sort of like a fun treasure hunt across the internet. It doesn't work every time, but when it does it feels like a win, and we all need more of those!

 

 *Please note this blog post contains affiliate links, and I may receive a commission when you click on a link to purchase. Affiliate links are generally a very small source of blogging income and do not influence any opinion or review stated on the blog.

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