Boston Globe

By 2000, Edwards had launched the EbN website (europebynet.com). Today the website features more than 5,000 items; you can also request quotes for items not featured on the website.
Edwards acquires the products in two ways. Sometimes she buys furniture from small European manufacturers eager for the sales; in the case of larger manufacturers, she buys from one of their authorized dealers, then brings the savings to her customers. Although EbN initially targeted the UK market, it now serves American, Japanese, and Hong Kong customers. Almost half of its sales are in the United States, Edwards says.
The median sale at an upscale furniture store such as Showroom is $9,000-$12,000, says Gates. Customers for this furniture in the Boston area tend to be successful businesspeople, celebrities. or empty nesters moving to city loft spaces.
EbN, says Edwards, puts these items into the hands of people who once thought they were unattainable because of their high prices or the lack of local dealers.
"We sell 60 percent to men," says Edwards, "which I put down to the fact that it's a much more accessible way for men to buy furniture." She adds, "If you go to most furniture shops, they'll tell you 80 percent of shoppers are women; they're the ones who decide about the [decorations in the] home."
Caroline Morson, co-owner of the Morson Collection on St. James Place, first heard of EbN about four or five years ago when a client came in and told her that he had seen a piece of furniture offered at her store for a lower price on EbN. As a result, the manufacturer, the Italian company Giorgetti, placed an order for a piece of its own furniture through EbN, says Morson. "Once [Giorgetti] received the goods," says Morson, "they were able to track by the [brass plate] number on the piece exactly where it came from. It turned out to be from some European dealer who was immediately taken off as an authorized Giorgetti furniture dealer."
Edwards has heard negative stories similar to the one told by Morson. "We're having an interesting time these days," says Edwards, "with people saying these things to journalists and also to customers, which we find completely libelous. ... Giorgetti did not cut off dealers who dealt with us."
As for concerns about damage, EbN has a 10-day return policy on products that aren't custom made. To prevent potential problems, shipments are repackaged at EbN's warehouse before being sent to their final destinations, says Edwards. A bricks-and-mortar store such as the Morson Collection offers a lifetime guarantee for any damages, excluding those involving fabric or leather, which suffer from wear over the years. In both cases, custom-made upholstered furniture can't be returned if a customer doesn't like it.