There are about a billion places you can buy funeral caskets online right now. Just a simple Google search of 'where to buy caskets online' will show you a thousand vendors.

But can you trust all these outlets? The answer is a big fat NO.

There are so many unscrupulous casket providers out there, many of whom are looking to exploit the emotional weaknesses of bereaved families.

To ensure you get the best caskets or coffins for your funeral proceedings, check out these five reputable casket purchasing options.

Where to Buy Caskets: 5 Places to look

1. Trustedcasket.com
2. Walmart
3. Amazon
4. Costco
5. Etsy

1) TRUSTED CASKET

Trusted Casket is the only casket provider on the list that's not necessarily an e-commerce marketplace. And the reason it's on the list is because

• v They offer the lowest prices for caskets in the US.
• v They are among the few casket providers who still feel responsible enough to obtain and display a BBB accreditation seal with the standards level 'A+'.

See for yourself.

What's a BBB, someone asks? BBB (Better Business Bureau) is a business accreditation seal that tells customers that a business adheres to the highest business standards.

As a BBB accredited unit, Trusted Casket adheres to the highest imaginable casket provision standards. As such, it strives to provide its clients with affordable, high-quality funeral caskets and coffins.

Trusted Casket: Pros as the casket provider

1. Competitive Pricing:

The first big thing Trusted Casket has going for them is competitive pricing. It's claimed that their casket pricing can help save up to $80% on funeral costs.

Would you believe that? And compared to the average prices of the funeral homes on the same casket models, this is the true.

2. High-quality caskets and coffins

It's not enough to find affordable casket offers. Every bereaved family wants to be assured they're getting the best coffins for their funeral.

And on that front, Trusted Casket offers you the highest possible casket guarantee. As earlier mentioned, they're a reputable casket company backed by a BBB accreditation, which means you really have nothing to worry about.

3. On-time delivery

Nobody wants to sit around waiting for their coffins to arrive. Most families want to get their funeral caskets delivered ASAP so that they can get the funeral proceedings done with.

Again, on this front, Trusted Casket is unmatched. They get your caskets delivered to your doorstep or a funeral home in as little as one or two days. Thanks to their amazing partnerships with most of the cargo companies in the United States, they're able to deliver coffins to local funeral homes as fast as possible.

They offer both same-day deliveries and next-day deliveries, based on the availability in customer's area. The choice is really yours.

4. Funeral home casket acceptance

All funeral homes in the United States are bound by Federal Law to accept any caskets bought from Trusted Casket. That means you don't have to worry about whether a funeral home will accept your caskets or not.

5. Wide variety of options

There isn't any kind of caskets you wouldn't find on the Trusted Casket website. Whether you're looking for solid wood caskets online, veneer wood caskets online, metal caskets online, oversize caskets online, or stainless steel caskets online, you'll find everything here.

6. Excellent shipping options

You can enjoy free shipping deliveries and low-cost casket shipping fees when you order caskets online here.

7. Up-to-date casket inventory

The Trusted Casket website is always up to date, so customers know what is really in stock. Not like some of other casket companies who list 100+ different casket models, but really have only 5 options in stock. And they never tell the customer before the customer pays for something out of stock. This is just a trick to take the money and offer to "replace" the casket they wanted with something in stock. Because people in grief who have just lost their relatives are highly emotional and easily manipulated. So please be aware of this, and always call to check if the burial container you want to buy is in stock.

2) WALMART

Interestingly, you can buy caskets online from the popular multinational retail corporation. They added coffins to their inventory in 2009. So, that means they've been in the business to know a bit about it. So, you're in safe hands.

Walmart: Pros of buying caskets from Walmart

1. High-quality caskets

As with everything at Walmart, you can bet that the quality of your casket will be of the highest possible standard.

2. Flexible purchasing option

As a frequent Walmart shopper, you're entitled to a Walmart credit card. This card allows you to shop for your caskets and pay under certain terms like six- and 12-month periods. In other words, you get to buy caskets online even if you don't have enough cash at hand at the moment.

3. Possibility of discount purchases

Even after death, Walmart wants to keep its customers. You bet. This explains why they sometimes run discount offers on casket sales. If you're buying during a discount sale period, you could be saving a few hundred bucks.

Walmart: Cons of buying caskets from Walmart

1. You always have to pay a shipping fee, although it's not really a big fee.
2. It may take days or even weeks to get your caskets delivered. This is because Walmart is simply a big commerce platform where small companies list their products. They don't have caskets outright. So when you place an order for a casket online, they rely on their third-party manufacturing partners.
3. You cannot ship caskets to a home address; only funeral homes
4. It is possible to order an out-of-stock casket at Walmart. There are many disappointing reviews on the platform where customers claimed they bought caskets and then found out later that the casket wasn't in stock, so the bereaved family ended up with no casket at the funeral. Can you imagine that?
5. Unless it was damaged during shipping, Walmart would not accept returns on caskets, and the process of the return takes a while.
6. Limited casket options: Since Walmart relies on third-party casket companies, they only have IN STOCK what their partners have, so basically Walmart do not sell casket itself, it is just a third-party platform for a smaller casket retailers.

3) AMAZON

Amazon is another multinational e-commerce company that makes provision for the dead. If you'd like to order your caskets online on Amazon, check out the pros and cons of doing so.

PROS

1. Ability to check reviews

Buying a casket on Amazon means you get to see the reviews of casket sellers before proceeding to patronize anyone.

2. A multiplicity of pricing options

The beauty of buying anything on Amazon is the possibility of finding various price offers. Provided you're ready to put in the work; you may be able to find a casket that fits the exact budget you have in mind.

CONS

1. You may not find a seller that's close to you. As such, getting your casket delivered might take many days.
2. You may need to do a lot of searching before you find a casket that interests you.
3. Most of the sellers on the platform are small-scale retailers - companies with a small inventory of caskets. As a result of this, there aren't always too many casket options on show.
4. Dishonest sellers: there's the possibility of buying a low-quality casket at the price of a high-quality one.
5. You may struggle to find sellers offering free shipping. This is mainly because caskets are large merchandise and transportation costs are high.
6. Listings on Amazon are usually photo-only. In most cases, some of the pictures you'll find may not be detailed enough to show you every element of the product you need to see.
7. Unhealthy mix of bad and good seller reviews: You won't even know which seller to believe as a seller could have as many good reviews as there are bad ones.
8. Communication is impossible: You can't communicate with the seller if there are any questions, inquiries, complaints, or even to bargain.

4) COSTCO

Like Amazon and Walmart, COSTCO is another big commerce platform that sells caskets.

Below is a look at their funeral casket service pros and cons.

PROS

1. Like Walmart and Amazon, COSTCO strives to provide its members with high-quality funeral caskets only.
2. You can find wooden and metal casket options here
3. COSTCO offers a guaranty on every casket purchased here

CONS

1. COSTCO doesn't offer much in the way of casket options. And this is because the company doesn't sell the products themselves. They are just the big commerce platforms where small casket companies list their products.
2. COSTCO states on their website that members should contact the company first before proceeding to place an order for a casket. This is because not all caskets on display are available in store.

1. More expensive than regular casket pricing from private casket companies: This is because COSTCO is not the one selling these caskets. They're more like middlemen/wholesalers. What they do is that they get a casket from a casket company, add their own profit percentage, and then sell to you at a spiked rate. Usually, all the big marketplace platforms, including Walmart, or Amazon, have about the same terms. So you would need overpay for the known brand.
2. Delayed delivery: Like Walmart and Amazon, ordering on COSTCO can also cause a delay in your delivery. This is because the company may have to process your order along with thousand others.
3. COSTCO doesn't serve caskets to the entire US, and residential addresses. If your state isn't on the list of addresses they ship to, you may not be able to buy a casket from COSTCO.

5) ETSY

As a global marketplace where people come together to buy and sell unique items, it's expected that Etsy will have caskets for sale.

If you want to shop for your caskets on Etsy, you should know the pros and cons.

PROS

• It is easy to find customizable caskets here. As you already know, Etsy is a space for artists and craftsmen. As such, it is a great place to have your caskets ornamented or personalized.
• There are various casket sellers to explore
• Your purchase will be supporting someone's life work. This is a move the deceased would have been proud of.
• Affordable casket pricing: Since regular craftsmen make the caskets, it's always easy to find budget-friendly ones.

CONS

• There are only a few casket sellers on the platform - a few sellers with not many choices
• Like Amazon vendors, there's no way to contact a casket seller right away on Etsy.
• Buying caskets from Etsy normally takes a while because of the customization needs of most people.

Etsy caskets are sometimes overpriced. This is because they're built by retailers and craftsmen who attach sentimental values to their work.