Why are mattresses so expensive? Find out how sellers arrive at the selling price and other crucial facts of mattresses.

The mattress. Such an underrated fixture in our lives. Much like roads or the weather, when a mattress works as it should, we pay no attention to it. Yet it is the focal point of the bedroom. We look at it every day and sleep on it every night. We're able to recognize our mattresses solely through the sense of touch; that's how familiar we are with it. A mattress may seem like an object that's simple to make, distribute or buy. It isn't. As an experienced mattress seller, I'm going to share an insider's perspective on mattresses, taking memory foam mattresses as an example.

We will expose memory foam mattresses information in terms of

MaterialsFirmnessBreathabilityLifespanPrice

• 1.Polyols:
• 2.Blowing agent:
• 3.Diisocyanate:

• 1. Original price
• 2. Amazon Referral Fee
• 3. Advertising Fee
• 3.1 Amazon & Google Ads
• 3.2 Social media

 Materials

To make sure we sleeping on safe materials, most people want to know materials of mattresses before a purchase, especially when buying a memory foam mattress. It’s known that memory foam is a product of petrochemical industry.

Materials used to make memory foam mattresses serve three purposes

1. Flame retardant coating to prevent fires from breaking out or spreading
2. Memory activation material (memory foam) that allows the mattress to adjust to the form of a body and offer support.
3. Heat activation material that spreads body heat all through the mattress for a comfortable sleep experience

Three components are combined to create memory foam

1. Polyols:

They form the bulk of the mattress and bind all three components together. They're made from petrochemicals or plant-based sources like castor beans and soy beans.

2. Blowing agent:

Adds the carbon needed to make memory foam. Originally, the chemical used was Chlorofluorocarbon or CFC, nemesis of the O-Zone. Today, safer compounds (like water and HFC) are used.

3. Diisocyanate:

This final ingredient interracts with the polyol and blowing agent to create the memory foam. The two most common types are TDI (Toulene Diisocyanate) and the much safer MDI (methylene bisphenyl isocyanate). In their raw forms, TDI is dangerous when inhaled. Once the memory foam is processed, though, TDI become inert, except for some limited off gassing. Most memory foam mattresses still have petrochemicals as the bulking/binding component, but manufacturers claim to have phased out the use of harmful chemicals. Research and improved production techniques have also given us safer mattresses for humans and the environment. HFC or water are now used in stead of the toxic CFC while TDI has been replaced by the more eco-friendly MDI. In contrast, plant based foam mattresses is the most bio-green and healthy option for both the earth and people.But the production process of such mattresses is more complex, which makes them more expensive than those made with petrochemicals.

Firmness

Whether a particular mattress firm or soft is a matter of opinion.When reading user reviews, you will notice differing views about the firmness of a given mattress.Some people tends to believe the judgment of Amazon customers while others will go to a mattress review sites to find out the true firmness of a certain mattress.Whatever, they are not accurate than your own experience.  That is because each person's experience of a mattress is unique and depends on the individual's body type, sleeping position and personal preference. So the best way to know the firmness is to buy and try it yourself at home. To find out how, Check the post How to Buy a Mattress In 3 Steps? Get The Ultimate Proven Guide’ for the ultimate guidance.

Breathability

For those who live in hot areas and those who are overweight, excessive heat from memory foam mattresses is a real concern.
Numerous customer complaints have given rise to the stereotype that memory foam mattresses are uncomfortably hot.
Mattress makers are forever working to improve breathability.

Three solutions are used to avoid hot sleep on memory foam

1. The first measure manufacturers took was to increase air flow.
They achieved this by modifying the foam to allow air circulation, by punching holes in the foam layers or molding the foam in a channel pattern. These kinds of mattresses are breezy or air-flow mattresses.

2. Next, some manufacturers started to add gel to the foam.
Gel is quick to absorb heat and slow to release it. The result was gel-infused foam that remains cool even with sustained exposure to body heat.

3. Recently, manufacturers started to produce plant-based foam made from soy bean or castor bean oil. Natural materials are porous, so plant-based foam has millions of microscopic holes which allow air circulation and the dissipation of heat.

Lifespan

We expect our mattresses to last at least five years.
We would prefer to be weary of our mattresses rather than have them give out on us. Generally speaking, how long a mattress lasts depends on its density. The more dense the memory foam is, the longer lifespan the mattress will serve us. The following form is density of Amazon best sellers for memory foam mattress for your reference. According to it, you will get a basic idea of what a decent mattress density should be and whether a mattress is worth its price.

Price

While we would like to pay as little as possible for the best quality, we need to have realistic expectations. A good deal gives us the best quality for a reasonable price.
It's true that there's a huge markup on mattresses.
The cost of manufacture is actually less than half of the sale price.
Even it’s not fresh that a $4000 mattress includes $3000 profit!
Why are mattresses so expensive?
Six factors drive up the price.
They are original price, shipping & storage, Amazon referral fee(for Amazon sellers), salesman's salary, advertising fee, and profit.

In this article, we'll talk about three of these factors

1. Original Price

The price is set After negotiations between the supplier and the vendor. In order to get the best price possible, vendors can bypass suppliers and buy directly from the manufacturer. Cutting out the middle man reduces the cost.

2. Amazon Referral Fee

Having products on Amazon dramatically increases their visibility on the web.
For home and garden products (including mattresses), Amazon charges a fee of 15% of the sale price for each item ordered.
The fee can be considered as rent for space occupied on the Amazon site.

3. Advertising Fee

Amazon is just one of the many advertisers that mattress sellers can use. Some of these are quite expensive. To advertise on the net, a seller can use Amazon/Google Ads or social media. Let's take a look at the cost of each of them.

3.1 Amazon & Google Ads

Both of these companies use the Pay Per Click (PPC) model to bill their clients.
How does the model work?
Take the keyword “memory foam mattress”.
It's a hot keyword that can be searched millions of times each month. Sellers will place competing bids for this keyword, and the price can go as high as $9 per click. The seller who wins the bidding war will have their Ads displayed each time the keyword is clicked. The seller will then pay $9 for every click, whether or not the click results in a sale.

3.2 Social media

Considering that sales are not guaranteed, Pay Per Click is an expensive way to get the word out in the long term.
Enter mainstream social media.
How do vendors make social media work for them?
They recruit personalities with large numbers of followers on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other major platforms. Each Ad these celebrities post is seen by their numerous followers. The celebrities charge a couple thousand U.S. dollars every time they post an Ad. It may be expensive, but social media is still a cheaper advertising model than Pay Per Click. It also has a higher success rate when it comes to converting traffic into sales.

More disclosures to be continued. And so we conclude this article about the basic information we should think about when shopping for a mattress. Our next article will explain this information in more detail. Many sales people give vague answers when asked about aspects like safety, quality and pricing. Because the salesman's goal is to move the products he has in stock, he may not always be transparent. That's why shoppers prefer Amazon reviews and professional review sites to a salesman's pitch. Someone said looking at all sides of an issue brings enlightenment. Also, someone said looking at an issue from only one point of view leaves us in the dark. To show you all the aspects of the mattress business, I will share my experiences in an open manner, hoping it will be of some help to you.