How to buy blinds online: a step-by-step guide

To buy blinds online with confidence, follow five steps: decide what the window needs, order free samples, measure with the product's guide, order through the configurator and install. Each step removes a specific risk, from a colour that looks different at home to a blind that is a few millimetres out. This guide walks through what to do at each stage and what to check before you click order.

The five steps at a glance

Step 1: decide what each window needs

Start with what the room needs, not the product. Ask three questions for every window.

1. What is the main job? Night privacy, cutting glare, keeping the view, or a mix.
2. What is the room? Kitchens and bathrooms have rules of their own.
3. Who uses it? Chains and cords need extra thought in children's rooms.

For roller blinds, the fabric type answers the first question:

• Blockout stops light passing through the cloth and gives night privacy. A little light can still show around the edges of a conventional blind, which a face fit or cassette reduces.
• Light filter diffuses daylight and obscures the view. Silhouettes can show at night when the room is lit.
• SunScreen is a woven fabric that cuts glare and keeps the view. It gives daytime privacy only when it is brighter outside, so it is not a night-privacy fabric.

Some pointers by room:

In a children's room, choose cordless or motorised controls where you can. If you choose a chain, use the chain safety device supplied and keep the chain out of reach.

Sheer curtains give some privacy by day, but at night with the lights on people outside can see in. For night privacy, add a blockout curtain on a second track or choose lined curtains. If you are torn between blinds and curtains, read our guide to made-to-measure vs off-the-shelf first.

Step 2: order free samples

Samples are the simplest way to avoid a common online-buying regret, which is colour. Fabric shows colour by reflecting the light in your room, and that light changes through the day and depends on which way the window faces.

To sample well:

• Place samples against your own walls, floor and window frames.
• Look at them in the morning and in the evening.
• Compare texture as well as colour, since texture changes how light sits on the fabric.
• Order a few colours per room, then narrow down.

You place one sample order with one checkout, and a fabric used across several products is one sample, sent once. Sample packs give four hand-picked colours per click. For double roller blinds or double curtains, order both fabrics and hold them together. Start at the free samples page.

Step 3: measure with the product's guide

Made-to-measure products are only as good as the measurements behind them, so measure once, carefully, using the guide for the product you are ordering. The habits are the same for all of them: millimetres, a metal tape, width then drop, every window separately, and a label for each one.

Three rules save the most trouble:

• Decide the fit first. Recess fit and face fit need different measurements. Our guide to recess fit or face fit helps you choose.
• Do not make your own deductions. For roller blinds, shutters and most blinds, the factory does that.
• Check depth and obstructions. A handle or winder can rule out a recess fit.

Our article on how to measure windows for blinds lists the most common mistakes and links to the right guide for each product.

Extra protection for measuring

• SureFit is measurement protection. Follow the product-specific guide and meet the eligibility requirements, and a covered measuring error goes through a defined remake pathway. It is separate from the product-defect warranty and has its own conditions on the warranty and SureFit page.
• Expert Review is a paid check for plantation shutters. Ordering runs through a quote and Expert Review. You share window photos and measurements, and the team checks fit, clearances and panel layout before production and discusses any changes. The shutter guide explains how it differs from checking your own figures.

Step 4: order through the configurator

Every product has its own configurator, and the button says Build & Order. You enter your measurements, choose the fabric and controls, and see the price before you order.

Before you confirm, check each line of the order against your notes.

• Window names match your labels, so you can tell the blinds apart when they arrive
• Width and drop are the right way round
• Recess or face fit is right for that window
• Roll direction suits the depth and any handles
• Chain side (left or right) is chosen where it applies
• Control type (chain, cordless or motorised) suits the room and the people using it
• Bracket, chain and base rail colours are chosen
• For motorised blinds, battery or hardwired is chosen, remotes suit the number of blinds, and a licensed electrician is booked for hardwired motors

Delivery is Australia-wide and direct. Shutters arrive as bulky, separately packaged frames and panels, and their delivery amount is the one shown for your actual order. For the current fee and any exceptions, check the delivery page.

Spend & Save discounts apply automatically on eligible orders, with no coupon, so look at the Spend & Save page for current offers. When you compare suppliers, compare the final delivered price on like-for-like products. Our Price Beat Guarantee applies to a lower final delivered price from an eligible Australian competitor on a like-for-like product.

Step 5: install

Our model is that you measure and install. Most blinds go up with basic tools and the product's installation guide, and the installation guides cover each product. For roller blinds, use the roller blind installation guide, and see our DIY blinds guide for the whole measure, order and fit routine.

A few practical points:

• Unpack the order and check each item against the window label before you start.
• Take the old blinds down first and clean the fixing area.
• Battery motors need no mains wiring, but hardwired motors need a licensed electrician.
• A battery motor drives one blind, so linked battery blinds need a motor each.

Warranty and protection are separate things. The roller blind warranty covers materials, mechanisms and components, and hardwired motors carry 5 years and battery motors 3 years. Shutters have a warranty covering qualifying defects under its terms. SureFit is a different protection for measuring, with its own conditions.

What to look for in an online supplier

Use this list to compare any supplier:

• The price appears before you order, for your size.
• There is a measuring guide for each product, not one general page.
• Free samples are available, and you can order several fabrics at once.
• Measuring protection is explained clearly, including its conditions.
• The product warranty is explained separately.
• Delivery costs and exceptions are shown before checkout.

Common mistakes when you buy blinds online

• Skipping samples. A screen shows colour differently from a fabric in your room.
• Measuring before choosing the fit. You may have to measure again.
• Comparing headline prices instead of final delivered prices. Add delivery and check like-for-like products.
• Ignoring depth. A blind that fits the width can still fail on depth.
• Mixing up windows. Label each window and check the labels against the order.

Questions

Can I buy blinds online without seeing them first?

Yes, if you use free samples to check colour and texture at home, follow the product's measuring guide and see the price in the configurator before you order. Samples cover the look, and the guides cover the fit.

Do I need a professional to measure or install?

Not usually. Our model is that you measure and install, and we deliver the product, practical guidance and support. Hardwired motors are the exception, because they need a licensed electrician.

What if I measure wrong?

SureFit is a measurement protection that provides a defined remake pathway for covered measuring errors. You must follow the product-specific measuring guide and meet the eligibility requirements, and it has its own conditions.

How do I know the price before I order?

Each product has a Build & Order configurator where you enter your measurements, choose fabric and controls and see the price before you order.

Are the fabric samples really free?

Yes. Samples are free, and you place one sample order with one checkout. A fabric used across several products is one sample, sent once.