Would you buy a coffin online ?

What_a_rip_off
What_a_rip_off Posts: 128
First Anniversary Combo Breaker
Forumite
Am I missing a trick or something it seems odd in this day and age that you cannot purchase a regular coffin online.

Yes I can go to the funeral director but they charge an inflated price unless you undertake their services.

The only other option appears to be these 'new age' natural coffins which seem quite hefty in price.

Is there a law against purchasing coffins online? Or do they need to be certified... just seems odd.

Would you purchase a coffin online if the option was available, or is it just me ?

As an addition and before all the FD's get whiff of this thread (and sabotage it) I thought I'd post the results of the poll as seen at 100 votes:

Yes = 69%
No = 10%
Maybe = 21%

So there is nothing scientific here and by the very nature of this forum people are here to save money, this may not reflect the nation as a whole, but in these ever difficult time I would wage a bet that the majority of the public would be grateful for a more affordable and transparent funeral arrangements.

Just thought I'd take this opportunity to update the poll stats as at 200 votes 03/07/2012):

Yes - 73%
No - 9%
Maybe - 18%

The question is, would you buy a coffin online ?

Would you buy a coffin online ? 246 votes

Yes
73% 181 votes
No
9% 23 votes
Maybe
17% 42 votes
«13456725

Comments

  • Jei70
    Jei70 Posts: 281
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    You can buy cardboard coffins online: http://www.funeralsearch.co.uk/cardboard-coffins.php
    I think I've heard of wicker ones being available in the same way.
    Cogito, ergo sum.
  • nottslass_2
    nottslass_2 Posts: 1,765 Forumite
    Am I missing a trick or something it seems odd in this day and age that you cannot purchase a regular coffin online.

    Yes I can go to the funeral director but they charge an inflated price unless you undertake their services.

    The only other option appears to be these 'new age' natural coffins which seem quite hefty in price.

    Is there a law against purchasing coffins online? Or do they need to be certified... just seems odd.

    Would you purchase a coffin online if the option was available, or is it just me ?

    What if it turned out to be the wrong size ? I don't suppose you'd have time to exchange it........

    You do have a good point ,I'm sure a bit of competition would bring the prices down !!

    BTW My Mum has already brought her coffin (a card board one ) and my Niece who is doing an art degree has painted it with a lovely woodland scene - Mind you it was delivered the day the new Neighbours moved in - Mum was introducing herself as it arrived & had to explain that she "had to go now as her coffin was here":eek:

    They must have thought they'd moved in next door to the Adams family.lol
  • scooby088
    scooby088 Posts: 3,385 Forumite
    There is always the chance to make your own, i think i am going to use the blue euro pallets for mine. But i do agree with you that there only seems to be those cardboard and bio degradable ones available online. And there is a weight limit of about 17 stone for those cardboard ones.
  • nottslass wrote: »
    What if it turned out to be the wrong size ? I don't suppose you'd have time to exchange it........

    You do have a good point ,I'm sure a bit of competition would bring the prices down !!

    BTW My Mum has already brought her coffin (a card board one ) and my Niece who is doing an art degree has painted it with a lovely woodland scene - Mind you it was delivered the day the new Neighbours moved in - Mum was introducing herself as it arrived & had to explain that she "had to go now as her coffin was here":eek:

    They must have thought they'd moved in next door to the Adams family.lol

    What a way to greet your new neighbours.. can't get much more of an ice breaker than that. I guess until such time as she needs it you could use it as a coffee table :-)

    From what I can tell they are more or less a standard size, I guess 90% of us will fit in a 'off the shelf' product and for those that don't they're made to measure.

    Nice to see a few votes, glad I'm not the only one thinking about this.
  • Jei70 wrote: »
    You can buy cardboard coffins online:
    I think I've heard of wicker ones being available in the same way.

    I had seen those... but thought it was a lot of money for what is essentially a bit of corrugated cardboard.

    I'm sure if I rooted around in the local super market waste bin I could find something similar :-)
  • escortg3
    escortg3 Posts: 554 Forumite
    We chose a coffin with our local funeral directors and it £160.00 didnt think that was to bad. I dont think i would want to store one until i needed it. ALso rules and regs change as to what you are allowed at crem/burial also depends on the area you live. so wouldnt want to get it wrong and find out the one i had purchased indepentely wasnt acceptable
  • scooby088 wrote: »
    There is always the chance to make your own, i think i am going to use the blue euro pallets for mine. But i do agree with you that there only seems to be those cardboard and bio degradable ones available online. And there is a weight limit of about 17 stone for those cardboard ones.

    Pallets... now theres an idea... could go one step further and create a funeral pyre out of them and cut out the middle man... joke.

    I wonder if there has been any mishaps with those cardboard ones... just not quite substantial enough for my liking....
  • nottslass_2
    nottslass_2 Posts: 1,765 Forumite
    escortg3 wrote: »
    We chose a coffin with our local funeral directors and it £160.00 didnt think that was to bad. I dont think i would want to store one until i needed it. ALso rules and regs change as to what you are allowed at crem/burial also depends on the area you live. so wouldnt want to get it wrong and find out the one i had purchased indepentely wasnt acceptable


    My mum keeps hers in the spare bedroom covered with an old duvet cover.

    I don't think visitors are too bothered by it................
  • escortg3 wrote: »
    We chose a coffin with our local funeral directors and it £160.00 didnt think that was to bad. I dont think i would want to store one until i needed it. ALso rules and regs change as to what you are allowed at crem/burial also depends on the area you live. so wouldnt want to get it wrong and find out the one i had purchased indepentely wasnt acceptable

    Funny its not until you think about this subject that you start to think about the consequences of building your own. Hadn't thought that the crematorium would not accept it.. I guess chemicals and all that.

    On the other end of the scale I guess those natural burial sites could also stop you from using certain coffins on their land.

    Looks like a lot of digging to do... excuse the punn
  • nottslass wrote: »
    My mum keeps hers in the spare bedroom covered with an old duvet cover.

    I don't think visitors are too bothered by it................

    Blimey didn't realise people thought that far in advance....
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