Every time I buy something in Nitori I feel dissappointed and end up regretting
Recently I got a seat cushion and to my surprise it was really crappy so I wanted to return it but I thought I threw out the receipt so I didnt bother until I found it today and called the customer support (Of couse they use navi-dial so I cant take advantage of my unlimited calling plan). Product with tags, brand new, all is good except that their return policy is 14days which I have passed by like a week so no return possible even tho I got the bill and its unused. IKEA has 365days return policy. I did eventually end up buying another seat cushion in IKEA and it not only fits perfectly, sits comfortable but was also much cheaper!
Membership benefits are practically nonexistent unless youre buying a lot of furniture and get points while in IKEA I can get small but actual discounts on furniture plus bonuses like free coffee etc.
I find the IKEA design to be overall better, nitori feels very basic sometimes to the point of being crude and unrefined. Nitoris build and quality is shite for the price especially considering that Nitori tends to be more expensive than IKEA. Its visible even in small items like a cutlery organizer. The nitori one looks like 5 small wooden planks slaped together while the IKEA one looks like something someone has actually designed or put a little thought into.
Big furniture items are almost always out of stock/order only in Nitori while IKEA generally has most of their stuff in stock. And most of the nitori furniture is small while IKEA offers a wider range of sizes.
The only thing from Nitori I liked so far were curtains and the hotel style pillows but even then according to their never have anything in stock policy I had to resort to getting a white pillow cover that doesnt match the rest of the bedding and quickly got dirty.
Did anyone else have a similar thoughts or is it just me?
28 comments
When we bought our house almost all of our new furtniture (and kitchen cabinet) came from Nittori.
Honestly I love it. It is by no means high end, but it is all quite sturdy and very usable. The customizable kitchen cabinet was also a great purchase.
And the one thing that makes it even better is that they will assemble everything for you. Definitely would choose them over Ikea for most things.
My current office chair is from IKEA and honestly at the same price I far prefer Nitori’s. It’s just that the model was out of stock that I bought Ikea’s.
For furniture I think the opposite, I feel like nitori Furniture is designed more for Japanese apartments in terms of size and aesthetic, I replaced most of my ikea stuff with nitori stuff a few years ago (dining table and chairs, dresser etc.). Actually almost everything in my apartment now is nitori or Zara home and I’m really happy with the end result! We get quite a lot of compliments on the decor now (didn’t before the remodel). Can’t comment on customer service though as never had any product issues tbh
You’re comparing a Japanese company to a global corporation. Nitori’s return policy is pretty in line with Japan’s normal policies. Online experience and furniture sizes… Japan.
I think some of the higher priced stuff from Nitori is fine. I find their cheaper stuff is pretty much whatever assortment of Chinese made stuff they get. Some of it just feels like up-charged 100yen store products. You can see this especially in the wide variety of random styles and such with very little uniformity. But then their specific Nitori stuff like kitchen cabinets, mid/high range beds, and other stuff can be good quality and have a decent price tag.
We’ve had various things from both stores, and I’d say they’re pretty similar, but Nitori has the edge here and there. Our mattresses from Nitori cost about 40,000 each and are top notch. The cool pads/sheets for the beds are great in the summer too.
I’d say its 50/50 but Nitori is pretty decent. I usually go there for curtains since they match the Japanese window frame sizes.
Nitori has generally better general stuff for me.
I go to IKEA for more specific things like kitchen counter tops and some plant-based meals (and I’m not even vegan).
But cheap shit, get cheap shit. Nitori’s high end stuff is good quality, same as IKEA.
No I really love Nitori lol.
Ikea has better kitchen tables and chairs and in my opinion better styles, but 8 times out of 10 I’d say Nitori is considerably better quality.
I agree Ikea is overall better, but Nitori has a few things that feel better than Ikea. Some Japanese-specific things are only found in Nitori, too. I prefer Ikea like you OP.
Most of my furnitures here are Nitori and I’m happy with them. Except for an armrest of an office chair (which I emailed them and got a replacement in a couple of days), nothing has broken so far.
I have a few things from Nittori and others from IKEA. I don’t see much of a difference. In both shops, I want to see and touch the stuff, before I buy.
Nittori’s in my neck of the woods has basically nothing in stock, so you can’t just go, pick what you want and go home with it. It always takes the dreadful 15 minutes’ sit down with a sales person, fill in forms, and of course pay extra for delivery. In that respect, IKEA is better IMO.
I definitely agree. Nitori’s lower end fiberboard furniture are a lot flimsier than Ikea’s and their higher end, solid wood pieces are so overworked they look like molded plastic.
Nitori furniture is small to fit Japanese homes and apartment. A lot of things in Ikea is too big or bulky for single living in a shoebox 1R. If you have a big house or big body I understand it might feel too small but they’re designed for the average Japanese people. It’s fine to have preferences but I don’t think they are objectively worse than Ikea. Both have their stronger points and you have to know where to shop for which items. Personally I like Nitori because the stores aren’t as overwhelming as Ikea – Ikea stores drive me mad but Nitori shopping is actually calming lol.
Nitori’s furniture are out of stock because they need to order it from China, that’s why it takes 2-3 weeks. Honestly ikea and nitori are decent for the price, you get what you pay for basically. When I first moved to Japan I bought everything from there because it was dirt cheap. I feel my ikea stuff have held up better than Nitori but now I have my own house and more money I only try to put quality furniture and high end items in my house.
It really depends on the item. Some are great, some are crap.
I feel like Nitori used to be really bad about 10 years ago. I made sure that I didn’t get anything from them. But their quality has really improved and now I got a lot of stuff.
With regards to their membership, there’s a Shimachu Home’s near my house, which is part of Nitori, where I get a lot of household goods so I get/use quite a lot of points.
We use both companies. I agree with you.
We use IKEA for furniture.
Where Nitori is good is things like plates, mats, trinkets, pillows, etc. They also have better-located stores which helps with the smaller stuff. I wouldn’t buy furniture there though and I don’t even know how good of a selection they have.
IKEA stuff is actually pretty good. Tables, chairs, shelf-racks, etc. We’ve had them over 10 years. Very sturdy and functional. Not the sleekest design but that’s fine for us.
Yep, I’d choose ikea over niitori every time. Nittori stiff looks good in the store but it’s cheap shit. I started buying furniture through Rakuten and you get way better value . Prices are higher but stuff looks and feels good.
You are on the money. They are a shit, expensive, blander version of IKEA
Some of their storage options and tableware are okay, but most of their furniture is low quality, even for chipboard, with really, really bad paper like veneer that rips and tears easily. Colours are variations of the standard three kinds of fake Japanese wooden panelling that permeates the country. White, weird pinky beige, fake dark brown. Fittings, bolts etc are also very low quality and easily snap or strip.
I wish to god there was an IKEA near me.
Ikea has better food
I feel the opposite – that Nitori is what I expected IKEA to be, with IKEA Japan being a crappy version of the IKEA I’m used to.
If you want long term furniture then forget both. Go to places like IDC Otsuka or Actus
I bought a big desk and one of the semi-double beds from Nitori a few years ago. Both are pretty good. Especially the big desk. I don’t know the specific model of the desk, my girlfriend helped me find it and ordered it online from the Nitori website.
Nitori has a short return policy but then again, in Japan is the norm and some stores don’t even accept returns unless there’s something wrong with the product in the first place.
The nice thing about Nitori is that they offer long warranties, 5 years in some cases.
I had to use it for a sofa I bought three years prior and they sent a crew with a truck to my home pronto.
I was impressed with the speedy and professional service.
Most of the furniture in this house came from Nitori and Ikea. We’ve been satisfied with most of the stuff we’ve bought from Nitori, although we buy from the local Nitori store and not online, so we always know what we we’re getting without any surprises.
Its decent quality stuff but doesn’t feel carefully designed. Unfortunately before coming to Japan my employer picked most of my furniture from nitori. Had I known the options before arriving I would have picked Muji over IKEA.