Author Jennifer Litwin - also known as The Shop Cop - has traveled the country telling consumers about the pitfalls of furniture buying. With a largely unregulated furniture industry, it's important to follow careful guidelines and seriously examine furniture and the "fine print" to make sure you're buying something that's good quality. Good example: case goods marked "oak" or "cherry" or "mahogany" may just have a veneer of that finish over particle board that won't wear well over time. Worse yet, there may be no such wood present in the piece and you're really dealing with a finish or stain by that name over lesser-quality wood like pine. Here's a video with a few tips from her book Best Furniture Buying Tips Ever!