How can you be sure it is a good deal?

As I posted before, we just bought a new bed set for our girls' room. I have had people express an interest in how I decided what to purchase as well as how I decided where to make the purchase. I deleted my saved bed research bookmarks, but I do remember that this is one site I visited in my quest for a kids bed. As I remember, their prices were reasonable, and they had a good selection of furniture. This would probably be a good starting point for your search, too.

Here are some things for which I looked.

1. Was it suited to my purpose? We knew we needed some kind of bunk or loft bed in order to fit all 3 girls into one small bedroom. We ended up purchasing a twin-over-full bunk because it took up the least floor space while offering the most mattress space. (The picture is the catalog photo for the exact bed we purchased.)
2. What deals were being offered? Let me tell you, I did my research on this one! I looked at the furniture flyers that come to our home on a regular basis, and I also searched the Internet. It was rather confusing trying to compare different options because some places offered free shipping, some places included multiple pieces in the package, and some offered a same as cash option for "x" number of months. I ended up printing out the information for the beds I was interested in comparing and manually listing all the options available at each place.
3. Was it good quality? You should always purchase the best quality you can afford - better quality means longer service. We ended up with furniture made out of solid wood that should last for many years.