Is There Really a Debate for Pottery Barn vs. Wayfair? Yes, There Is

When you first compare Pottery Barn vs. Wayfair, choosing a true winner feels ... complicated. It may even seem like apples to oranges. Pottery Barn got its start as a physical store. Wayfair, on the other hand, is a largely online operation. Plus, PB is known for being expensive, whereas Wayfair caters to shoppers looking for a deal (ya know, us).

Wayfair deals feel much easier to come by than Pottery Barn markdowns, thanks to a robust Wayfair sales schedule, including the twice-a-year Way Day, plus Open Box options at discounted prices.

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Does Wayfair own Pottery Barn?

I want to get this often-asked question out of the way — nope. I'm not even sure why anyone would think Wayfair owns Pottery Barn, other than the fact that both stores sell furniture. Wayfair's sister stores include online retailers AllModern, Joss & Main, Perigold, and Birch Lane. Pottery Barn is under the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. umbrella with sister companies including Williams-Sonoma (duh), Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, and Mark & Graham.

Wayfair has a bigger selection of items than Pottery Barn.

In terms of sheer number of options for any category of furniture, Wayfair beats Pottery Barn every time. When searching "coffee tables" on each retailer's site, Wayfair produces 33, 424 results whereas Pottery Barn shows a mere 210 options. You'll find a similar differential in every other category. A search for "sofas" on Wayfair offers 45, 532 results, whereas Pottery Barn has just 372 results.

Closeup Comparison

With all of the above in mind, if you see something you love at Pottery Barn, there's a chance they have a look-alike at Wayfair for less. For example, take a look at the PB Folsom 58" Rectangular Coffee Table ($799) above. It's almost indistinguishable from the Casidy 48" Solid Wood Coffee Table ($324.99) at Wayfair. However, the Pottery Barn table is 10 inches longer than the Wayfair version. Keeping measurements in mind, the Pottery Barn coffee table is $13.77 per inch, whereas the Wayfair table is $6.77 per inch.

Wayfair typically has cheaper prices than Pottery Barn.

You can find some really cheap pieces of furniture at Wayfair. The same can't necessarily be said about Pottery Barn proper, though if you head to Pottery Barn outlet stores there are some great buys.

Let's take a look at coffee tables again to compare overall pricing between Pottery Barn vs. Wayfair. Pottery Barn coffee tables start at $299 and top out at (wait for it) $3,610. Wayfair coffee tables start at $39.99 and actually go all the way up to $35,935.20. Because, yes, among those thousands and thousands of furniture pieces Wayfair sells, some of them are really expensive.

Both stores have Open Box deals, but Pottery Barn's have a steeper discount.

Wayfair is notorious for their Open Box deals on everything from furniture to home decor and bedding. Well, guess what? There are Pottery Barn Open Box deals too, and you can shop them online.

On PotteryBarn.com, open box deals are typically between 20% - 50% off armchairs, bedding, closet systems and their components, and curtains.

Over at Wayfair, you have a wider selection of merchandise available at open box deal prices, but the discount typically hovers around 20% - 30%.

Note: If you aren't familiar with Open Box items, this is returned merchandise that was previously opened (but not used) by the original purchaser. Retailers make sure the items are in like-new condition, and then resell them at a discounted price.

Pottery Barn wins when it comes to physical store locations.

If there's one category Pottery Barn can't be beat in its rivalry with Wayfair, it's physical stores. There are 174 Pottery Barn locations in the United States, yet only one Wayfair brick-and-mortar (that's in Wilmette, Illinois) and four physical Wayfair outlets.

If you're the type of person who must touch, feel, sit on, or at least breathe the same air as a piece of furniture before you buy it, then Pottery Barn is likely a more comfortable shopping experience for you.

Neither Pottery Barn or Wayfair have amazing return policies.

The return policies for Pottery Barn and Wayfair are strikingly similar, and that's not a good thing. Wayfair's return policy is notoriously strict, with just 30 days to make a return upon delivery and a very detailed condition in which it must be returned (unopened, unassembled, in its original packaging, etc.). Pottery Barn also has that same 30-day policy, but if it's a Quick Ship Upholstery item, that actually gets slashed to just seven days for a return.

It's also important to point out that you'll have to pay for returns at both Wayfair and Pottery Barn, unless you can prove the item arrived damaged or you received the wrong item. In both cases, the return cost depends on the size and weight of the item. Shipping costs will be deducted from your refund.

Here are the items you can't return at either store:

• Monogrammed items 

• Gift cards 

• Customized items (i.e. anything made to order)

• Final sale items (which include Open Box deals and Clearance)

• Items damaged through normal wear and tear

Note: An exception to the 30-day return window mentioned above, Wayfair gives customers 100 days to return mattresses. However, Pottery Barn doesn't allow the return of a mattress at all.

If you're looking for a wedding registry, Pottery Barn is your store.

If you're getting hitched, this is an important category to factor in our comprehensive Pottery Barn vs. Wayfair debate.

Pottery Barn houses an easy-to-use Wedding Registry option on their site that offers a couple of perks:

• 10% off registry items within six months after your wedding day.

• Free shipping on eligible gifts for both the married couple and their guests.

Wayfair doesn't have a registry option on their site. However, you can use a third-party registry site like Zola and add Wayfair items to that.

Pottery Barn is the only store of the two that has a rewards program.

Not gonna lie — I love a good store loyalty program. But currently neither store is impressing me with their options.

Wayfair

A Wayfair Rewards program doesn't really exist, unless you count the rewards you can earn as a Wayfair credit card holder. If you have their store card, you earn 5% back in rewards on your Wayfair purchases, but there isn't a loyalty program to earn rewards without the card.

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn is a member of The Key Rewards program, which covers all stores under the Williams Sonoma, Inc. umbrella. Through Key Rewards you can earn 2% in rewards when you make eligible purchases at any of the aforementioned stores. But it's a little weird. You can't sign up online; signing up requires either calling 1-844-445-7670 OR signing up with your phone number in store. As someone who's phone averse and favors online shopping, I may never become a Key Rewards member. But you totally should!

Stores using The Key Rewards program:

1. Williams Sonoma

2. Williams Sonoma Home

3. Pottery Barn

4. PBteen

5. Pottery Barn Kids

6. West Elm

7. Mark & Graham

Wayfair offers more free shipping items than Pottery Barn.

During major sales like Way Day and the Wayfair Anniversary Sale, Wayfair does offer free shipping sitewide with no purchase minimum. Otherwise, you have to hit a $35 threshold to get that coveted free shipping, which isn't hard to do on furniture purchases.

Pottery Barn has free shipping on tons of items, but you're not likely to find it on oversized furniture. For example, a queen-sized bed frame has a shipping fee of $279, and the same goes for a dining table. This is considered a shipping and processing fee. Since there's no free ship threshold to meet, free shipping is really dependent on the size of your item. While I appreciate the idea of Pottery Barn's white glove delivery promise, that's an awful lot of cash for shipping.

Who wins: Pottery Barn or Wayfair?

There are no losers here. Wayfair makes furniture buying seriously easy and affordable, so they definitely win for price. But it's hard to replace the in-person shopping experience Pottery Barn offers, so they take the shopping experience trophy. Meandering through a Pottery Barn picturing what furniture will look like in your own home? It's a mood. So really, you have to consider which of the factors above are most important to you: your budget or the experience.