The first step to buying a pellet stove on line is to research which corn or wood pellet stove is appropriate for your home heating needs. Take into account the size of your home, its floor plan and the existing heating system. Also, measure door openings to make sure your new stove will make it into the house.
A bigger stove (40,000 + BTUs) is better than a small stove. Dont worry about the room getting too hot with a large stove. All the new pellet stoves have thermostats.
Now go online and type in buy wood pellet stove or buy corn stove.
Youll get 344,000 pages of results from Google. You only need 2 pages worth. Basically there are only three online sellers of corn and wood pellet stoves: Homeclick, MoreHome and NorthernTool.
Check out the over all reputation of the online store youre considering for your purchase. I like BizRate shopping search for this.
Once youve decided which stove to buy and from whom, there are a few more factors to consider:
Discounts and Credit Sales
Some on line retailers will offer a 10% discount. Most offer free shipping, zero down or extended payments. Some will offer all of the above.
Sales tax
With the exception of a few states, buying on line will save you sales tax of 5% or more.
Delivery
Most on line stores offer free shipping on a number of stoves. Due to their weight, your stove will be delivered by truck. Dont count on the truck driver for any help offloading. Unless you have forklift in your garage, youll have to recruit some help.
Hopefully, the trucking company will be able to accommodate your schedule. Also, most on line stove retailers will not deliver to a Post Office box or APO address.
Installation
Dont bother ordering vent pipes, elbows, etc. from the on line store where you purchased your stove. Let your installer order the parts that conform to local building codes. Estimated installation costs will run $400 – $700+. If you dont know an approved installer, companies such as Service Magic can help you locate one in your area.
Support
On line support can be trying at times. No matter how knowledgeable the person on the other end of your emails is, the information you get is only as good as the information you give.
Substantial savings can be had by buying a wood pellet or corn stove online. It also requires substantial planning, preparation and patience.