What "ex-Bhiwandi" means
Bhiwandi, on Mumbai's north-eastern edge, is the region's main warehousing hub, and many importers and wholesalers store furniture there. A price quoted "ex-Bhiwandi" is the price at the warehouse. Transport to your home, loading and unloading, handling, installation, and sometimes GST are extra. For a large sofa going to a Mumbai high-rise, those extras can include a closed truck, a helper crew, society permission and a lift or staircase carry. Before comparing an ex-Bhiwandi quote with a delivered price elsewhere, ask for a written delivered price to your address, with GST shown separately and installation stated as included or excluded. Also ask whether the piece is in the warehouse today or still arriving on a container. If you arrange your own transport, check who is liable for damage between the warehouse and your home.
BIS status for covered categories
As of September 2026, the Furniture Quality Control Order covers work chairs, general-purpose chairs and stools, tables and desks, storage units, beds and bunk beds. Each needs a BIS licence held by the manufacturer and the ISI mark. For any of these, ask for the manufacturer's name and licence number and verify it on the BIS website. If the seller says the piece is pre-deadline stock, ask when it was imported: under S.O. 774(E), according to consultants, such stock can be sold for 12 months only by makers who are certified or have applied. Static sofas and reclining seats are reportedly outside IS 17632. Power recliners come under IS 302 (Part 1):2024 from 1 October 2026. Check the current notification on egazette.gov.in or bis.gov.in.
Invoice, GST and warranty in writing
Ask for a GST invoice that names the item, its material and its dimensions, not just "sofa set". A clear invoice is what you rely on if there is a dispute, and it is evidence the goods came through a traceable channel. Ask for the warranty in writing: what it covers (frame, foam, mechanism, motor, fabric), for how long, and what it excludes. A verbal "one year guarantee" at the counter is hard to enforce. Check the material description carefully. "Leather" can mean real leather, PU or a composite material; ask which, and have it written on the invoice. If the seller will not write something down, assume it is not promised. Keep the invoice and warranty together with photographs of the piece on delivery.
Who services it after you pay
This is the question most buyers skip. Ask who will come if the recliner motor stops, the mechanism jams, a seam opens or a cushion sags: the seller's own team, a contractor, or nobody. Ask how quickly they typically respond and whether spare parts for that model are held in India. For imported mechanisms and motors, parts may need to be shipped from abroad, with duty paid again. Ask whether the importer will still be stocking that model in a year. Slow warranty repairs are among the most common complaints Indian furniture buyers make, and they are more likely when the seller has no workshop or technicians. Get the service contact written on your invoice. A seller with its own technicians is usually easier to hold to a written warranty.
Red flags
Walk away, or at least pause, if you see any of these. A seller who offers a lower price for cash without an invoice. A claim that BIS "does not apply" to a bed, dining table, chair or wardrobe, with no written reason. No manufacturer name, or a vague answer about where the piece was made. A demand for full payment in advance for stock "arriving on the next container", with no written date. A warranty that exists only verbally. Pressure to decide today because the stock is "the last piece". None of these proves a problem on its own, but each shifts risk from the seller to you. Ask for the answers in writing and compare how different sellers respond.