Shopping online is much easier than making a trip to the store in person; however, there are more risks involved when you can't see and touch an item you're interested in buying. Nonetheless, you can successfully fab up your home without ever having to leave the comfort of it. Here are four helpful tips to buy home decor online:

1. Measure, Measure, Measure!

One of the most perplexing challenges of shopping online is not being able to judge the size and shape of an item, even though you have its dimensions. Always measure the area you're going to place an item in, to make sure it's the right fit. Also, seeing the words "standard size" doesn't necessarily mean a match, depending on the origin of manufacture and other possible variables; thus, it's important that you know the size of what you're buying and the dimensions of the area you want to place it.

2. Upload Images Of Your Home

One of the most fun things about shopping online for home decor is being able to virtually mix and match, without ever doing more than uploading an image of the room you're transforming. There are different places to do it on the web, and most are free, even if you're not going to make any purchase on the site. Upload your images and see how different color schemes look, or try a completely new style, such as going from modern to country and vice versa. Send the new images you create to friends and family for additional input on your intended purchases.

3. Buy From The Same Manufacturer

Especially when you want your colors to coordinate, sticking with the same manufacturer for carpeting, curtains, and other items should ensure an exact match. Although "Olive Green" may be fairly consistent across different brands and manufacturers, subtle variances in color could ruin your entire ensemble. Even basic black can come with different intensities, textures, and shines, meaning two black items still may not go well together.

If you're mixing and matching colors, textures, and patterns, you'll definitely have more breathing room when it comes to buying from multiple sources, so if that's your intended route, you shouldn't encounter any complications.

4. Look For A Good Return Or Exchange Policy

No matter how thoroughly you do your homework, sometimes a new item or group of items still won't jive with your existing setup or color scheme. This unfortunate situation is encountered in approximately one-third of all online purchases, meaning you must see that you're protected, in the event you're not happy with something you buy. Beyond the advertised "money back guarantee," look for specific details, such as how long you have to decide if you want to keep something, if there will be costs incurred in the process of return shipping, and whether or not you can exchange one item for another of a different color or size.

These arrangements can be complicated, so you need to know before making a purchase how the retailer will look out for you.

There's nothing like the thrill of packages arriving at your home, especially when they're full of beautiful items you've selected to add to or change up the decor of your living areas. Look forward to it even more, by keeping these four shopping rules in mind.