Poly & Bark Leather Sofa Review (Are They Good Quality?)

After discovering a Poly & Bark leather sofa on Amazon recently, and including it in our list of the Top Ten Leather Sofas on Amazon for Under $2000, I decided to do a little more digging on Poly & Bark.  I had never heard of the company before, and while the sofas looked quite stylish, I had reservations based on the price-point.

So, are Poly & Bark's leather sofas any good?

Based on our research, we discovered that Poly & Bark offers good quality and overall durability at an affordable price point. Poly & Bark uses full grain leather in the construction of its sofas, while customers appear to have had an overall good experience with the company.

Let's dig in and provide more details on the quality of Poly & Bark's leather furniture. 

What's The Background Of Poly & Bark?

Honestly, the company's website is very vague about their background.  No details on when they started, leaders of the company, or any information regarding their management team. Mostly a lot of boiler plate info about design, quality and sustainability. For a real furniture manufacturer, I'd expect to see a bit more substance.  

After digging a bit, I find that the CEO is a man named Dov Coleman, but really not much more about him. I find it odd that I can't even find one interview for Mr. Coleman surrounding his company. For many consumers, they don't really care about the founders or the leaders of a company, but I just find it odd that there is such a lack of information on the company.

Interestingly enough, I stumbled upon a Reddit post that made me think of this company a bit differently. 

The Reddit user made a guess that Poly and Bark might indeed just be a dropshipper of other manufacturer's product.  They pointed to this one comparison of a sofa on Wayfair and their Napa sofa.  Looks like identical photos, and certainly looks like the same couch being sold under different brand names. 

Who Makes Furniture For Poly & Bark?

Based on my discussions with Poly & Bark, it appears that they are indeed designing their own furniture. They have told me that they have a warehouse in California and their headquarters is in Miami. 

Now if you look closely at the FAQ page of Poly & Bark, you get some more information on furniture sourcing. 

First, there is this--- 'Our products are manufactured in India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia, China, and Taiwan'. 

All of the cheaper Direct to Consumer furniture retailers are sourcing from the same locations in China. 

So, is there an element of dropshipping with Poly & Bark?

This comment from Redditor intheheartoftheheart claims that the majority of all of the furniture online retailers are reselling similar products from the same factories in China. 

"They're just resellers. My wife used to design furniture at corporate for West Elm. She knows the exact factories in China these are made at because they created similar pieces for them (with higher quality leather and slightly different legs but the same thing otherwise). Just about every piece of furniture you see from WestElm, CB2, C+B, any of these silly D2C brands, comes from just two cities and about 7 factories in China. Unless you are serious about investing in heirloom pieces, I just advise clients to buy cheaply and replace every 3 years as the trends recycle."

Still, Poly & Bark denies this, just that they are selling their products to multiple online vendors, so it is quite possible that the aforementioned Redditor has it wrong.

Whatever the case, and if even if they are all selling very similar products, we need to worry about the product itself and determine whether its quality is worthy of purchasing.

What's The Quality Of Poly & Bark's Leather Furniture?

Poly & Bark's leather sofas come in either a choice of Full-grain pure-aniline or semi-aniline dyed Italian leather.  As discussed in our guide to leathers for sofas, pure-aniline leather has less protection, but will develop a beautiful patina over time. 

Poly & Bark does not mention anything about splits on the back of the sofa (a good sign) and they do not that the frame is made from 'rubberwood'.  Note that Poly & Bark has a good guide on leathers here as well. 

Now, Poly & Bark lets you order a free swatch so that could help anyone answer questions at least in regards to the leather used. I did receive my swatch and while still only a small sample, it appeared to be good quality leather.  

Is Poly & Bark Legit?

Poly & Bark is an online only furniture retailer that has been in business since 2016. They specialize in living room, dining room, bedroom and workspace furniture along with various types of modern home decor with sleek designs.  

The company is listed on Trust Pilot, however with only four reviews.  They are also listed on the BBB website, but also with only three reviews and six complaints.  

What Do Customers Say About Poly & Bark?

If you take a look at the reviews of the Poly & Bark Napa leather sofa on their website, the consensus appears to be that consumers love the product.  With hundreds of reviews and a 4.8 star rating, I always get a bit skeptical when a company has control over the reviews.  There are a few one star ratings but that is mostly about delivery and shipping and no complaints I can see about overall quality.  

Thus I stepped outside of their website to see what people say when reviews are not completely under control.

One Yelp reviewer says that "the napa sofa is beautiful, comfortable and affordable" and overall have given Poly & Bark a 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Facebook reviewers also are very fond of the company with 5 out of 5 stars on 87 reviews. Again not a massive amount of reviews, but overall the reviews do seem genuine.  This is one example but seems to be a consensus on happiness regarding quality.

However, it does appear that shipping is the biggest complaint among their customers. Here is one example that complains about the customer service at Poly and Bark. 

Ultimately, I think the consensus is while maybe not the highest quality product (we would still like more clarification into the overall materials used) the products are quite stylish and affordable.  

Poly & Bark is one of many newer online furniture retailers that sources (and potentially dropships) from China, thus we can guarantee that their leather sofas might have some durability issues over time.

Poly and Bark Sofa Reviews

So let's take a closer look at some of Poly & Bark's most popular selling leather sofas. 

1. Napa 88.5" Sofa

The Poly & Bark Napa leather sofa is their most popular seller and for good reason. From a design perspective, this tan leather couch is one of my favorites.

The mid-century modern design offers a sleek look for any living space. The Napa offers full-grain pure aniline or semi-aniline dyed Italian leather, with a plywood frame and Pirelli webbing. So, this isn't exactly what I would call the highest quality of sofa build, but at the price point (currently $1600) it's hard to ignore.

The reviews on Amazon are surprisingly good, however, some of the complaints are consistent in terms of sagging cushions, lack of comfort and easy to stain. I wouldn't expect a couch that is going to last 20+ years, but if you are looking for an eclectic, short term statement piece the Napa cognac colored leather sofa might be a good solution.

2. Essex Sofa

The Poly & Bark Essex sofa offers a differentiated look on a Chesterfield style sofa, with Italian full-grain leather and a diamond tufted back. Like all of Poly & Bark's sofas, the frame is built with plywood and a Pirelli webbing suspension system. It's not the best of quality, but at the price point, it's a decent deal (currently $1895). 

In terms of Poly & Bark Essex sofa reviews, customers overall seem to like the sofa, providing solid marks for looks and comfort, while some complaints about the quality of the leather and issues with customer service. Overall, it's a great statement piece - but temper expectations about longevity. 

3. Sorrento Sofa

The Poly & Bark Sorrento leather sofa offers more in terms of overall comfort level as compared to the Napa, with three seat cushions and three back cushions. One customer called it the perfect 'Netflix and Chill' couch. I haven't sat on a Sorrento but just based on an examination of the build and the reviews, it certainly appears to be more of a traditional TV watching sofa.  

However, given the plywood construction and Pirelli suspension I wouldn't expect more than 10 years. But, the price point, currently at $1799, I think it's a good, cheap solution for those looking for an attractive looking brown leather couch. 

4. Nolita Sofa

The Nolita offers a similar three cushion sofa as the Sorrento, but with a different leg design and higher arms. Customers say the Sorrento has 'average comfort', not too soft and not too firm. A lot of complaints about the bottom cushions sliding all over the place with no velcro to hold them in place. 

5. Calle 90" Sofa

The Poly & Bark Calle sofa offers a mid-century modern twist with angled arms and a two cushion back with one cushion seat. Not exactly my preferred design, however Calle owners seem to like the sofa, although more complaints about the back cushions moving all over the place. I think for many Poly & Bark sofas, it might make sense to purchase velcro strips on Amazon to help secure. 

6. Argan Sofa

The Poly & Bark Argan sofa provides a streamlined mid-century look with arched mahogany legs. Some complaints about the cushions not holding up and sagging over time, which is what I would predict based on the materials used for build.

Care to share a Poly and Bark review? Please comment below to let us know what you think or feel free to email me at tom@bestleathercouches.com.

Article vs Poly And Bark: Which One Is Better?

Based on our reviews, we have Article rated with a total score of 4 out of 5, versus Poly & Bark, which we have scored a 3.5/4.  Both are good options for online retailers, but we give Article the slight overall edge, based on our evaluation of overall sofa quality and customer reviews. Thus, it's a close call, so if you have your heart set on a piece from Poly & Bark, I'd say go for it. 

Note that Burrow is also a close competitor to Article and Poly & Bark.

What's The Warranty On Poly & Bark's Leather Furniture?

Poly & Bark does have a great offer, allowing consumers to try a leather sofa in their home for 100 days. If not happy with the purchase, they can return it to Poly & Bark, no questions asked.  Here is more on their return policy.

100 days is great and all, but the whole point of a warranty is that a company is standing by the longevity of their products.  They do offer a 1-Year Manufacturers Warranty and a 10-Year Limited Warranty on leather sofas. 

This ultimately seems a bit better than a lot of the online leather furniture stores we have reviewed, so this is certainly a positive.

Does Poly & Bark Offer Discounts?

Poly and Bark currently offers first time customers $25 off a $100+ purchase, which you can sign up for on their website.  In addition, I would suggest checking out their sale and clearance section, as occasionally you might find leather sofas at a discount. They do sometimes offer seasonal promotions, so I suggest subscribing to their email list to get updates on any offers.