I am reluctant to buy upholstered goods I can't sit in, or for that matter from an unknown manufacturer, because you can't see the quality from the outside. For mail order, you can't get a sense of the quality of the fabric or leather (although sometimes you can order a swatch).
My sister has a couch from Sam's Club that is nothing to write home about, but it seems reasonably solid. The one thing that's obvious is that it is covered with a really cheap, thick leather with a very thick, glossy finish. She has two kids, her husband has four - frankly, it's probably sensible for her to have cheaper furniture, and the finish on the leather has probably saved it from countless stains. I have to add, though, that some of the stories I hear about Chinese construction materials - contaminated drywall, particle board, leather goods, paint, etc. - make me wary of higher cost "Made in China" goods - see, e.g., "
Is your leather sofa making you sick?"; "
Don’t get burned by your leather furniture". There is some protection in working through a name brand retailer that can replace faulty pieces and can be relied upon to recall items that are determined to be unsafe.
For case goods, I also like to touch and feel - a lot of low- and mid-level furniture is wobbly, even when new. Or odd corners have been cut in construction, such as the plywood "dovetails" discussed
in this thread.
That said, I've purchased high quality furniture from Duane without hands-on experience by virtue of knowing the quality. It's not that you can't find quality furniture made in Asia - it's that most of the companies ordering furniture from Asia are much more concerned with price point than quality, and that plays into material selection, choice of factory and quality of construction.
Take a look at this close-up of a piece of furniture available online:
Attachment 2046
The oak used in that furniture is comprised of narrow strips that have been joined together. That likely does make for a heavy, "solid oak" piece, and based upon that feature alone I don't have any reason to believe that it won't last (although if that impression is wrong I'm prepared to be corrected). But that wood is, in essence, recycled scrap - strips too narrow to be used in more upscale pieces - and was selected to provide "solid oak" at a lower price point. I'm not saying that's a "bad thing", but I am saying that when you're shopping discounters you're likely to find compromises in the furniture, some of which are merely aesthetic (how wide are the oak strips) and some of which are structural (but may not be apparent without disassembling the piece).
There are compromises in higher end furniture as well; everybody has to, at some point, say "It's good enough." But you get the idea.