Funeral Caskets














 
 

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Things to consider when buying a Funeral Casket

. The Funeral Casket is in most cases the most expensive item you will buy when planning a so-called modern day funeral service. Funeral Caskets are generally sold on their visual appeal, however, the prices charged for funeral Caskets varies enormously.  Caskets are generally made from materials like: woods, metals or plastics.  The average casket sold in America today costs just over $2,000, however, some of the Bronze and Copper funeral Caskets can cost well over $10,000.

Upon visiting your local funeral home or casket showroom, it is important to note the "Federal Trade Commisions Funeral Rule" which says that the funeral home must show you a list of the all the funeral Caskets that the funeral home sells including Prices and Descriptions before actually showing you their Funeral Caskets.  Surveys done about the buying habits of Casket Shopers have shown that people generally order 1 of the first 3 funeral Caskets that they are shown and in most cases this is usually the 1 priced in the middle.

 
The average price of a
Funeral Casket sold today is just over $2000.
Funeral Homes often begin by showing people the more expensive funeral Caskets first.  Look at the price list given to you by the funeral home for an idea of the difference's in prices as these do vary enormousley.  Do not allow the funeral home to convince you to spend more than want on your funeral casket.  Ask to see some of their lower priced models, even if they do not appear on their list of funeral Caskets for sale.  Funeral homes make a good profit when selling you a funeral casket, some research suggests that some Name Brand Caskets can be marked up by as much as 600%.
Until very recently funeral Caskets have only been sold through Funeral Homes, however, over the last few years, many new companies have started up and are offering funeral Caskets over the internet and with showrooms in local areas.  "Federal Trade Commisions Funeral Rule" says that funeral homes must use a funeral casket that you have bought from elsewhere and says that the funeral home cannot charge you extra money for this. 
Where ever you decide to purchase a funeral casket, try and think about what the funeral casket is for, it is to give the deceased a Dignified means of being transported before a funeral service, be it a burial or a funeral cremation.  It is also important to note that no funeral casket can preserve the deceased body for ever.  "Federal Trade Commisions Funeral Rule" forbids any claims that special extras with descritions like "seals", "protective" and "gasketed" Caskets help to preserve the body, they only make the funeral casket cost more.
When members of a deceased person’s family shop for funeral Caskets, it is obviously a time of great emotion.  Someone near and dear to them has just passed away and there are many arrangements to be made.  They do not want to spend a great deal of money but they do want to bury their loved one in a funeral casket that they feel is appropriate and dignified.

Prices of Caskets vary greatly based upon their composition and hardware. What should you know before making a qualified decision?   The cost of a casket may vary from a minimal amount for a fiberboard item to many thousands of dollars for a more soundly constructed casket.  Wooden Caskets can be constructed from a variety of woods such as pine, walnut, cherry, mahogany or oak.  Pine is usually the least expensive but rarely on display in funeral homes for this reason. 

Caskets can also be constructed from such hardwoods as ash, maple, elm, poplar and cottonwood.  Many of these wooden Caskets are hand sculpted and meticulously polished to a high gloss or satin finish which adds greatly to the visual appeal of the object. 

For those who opt for cremation, the cost of a casket is not a consideration since the remains will be placed in a simple cardboard, canvas, pressboard or inexpensive, unfinished wooden box at a nominal cost. 

Metal Caskets can be made of bronze, copper or stainless steel construction.  Bronze and copper constructed Caskets are priced by weight per square foot.  Stainless steel Caskets are categorized by their thickness (gauge). 

Before making a trip to a funeral home or casket showroom, you should be aware of the Federal Trade Commissions Funeral Rule.  Central to the Funeral Rule is the General Price List (GPL).  Directors of funeral homes are required - by this law - to provide a copy of the GPL to anyone who makes a request in person for information about goods and/or services of the establishment.   This information is not merely shown to the individual in a bound folder in the office of the funeral home but a GPL copy must be given to the consumer to take home. 

Additionally, the funeral home may not refuse to use a casket purchased elsewhere.  Nor are they allowed to add a “handling fee” if you order a casket on your own.  By Federal Law, you have the right to purchase your casket anywhere you choose.  However, it is possible that you will meet with resentment at the funeral home since they will be losing a large percentage of profit on this transaction.  .

 The terms “protected”, “gasketed” or “sealed” are often used to make the purchaser believe that adding these extras to the casket will keep the body preserved for a longer period of time.  All that can be expected from these additions is to keep water out of the casket to prevent rust.  An important factor of which you should be aware is the fact that no casket, no matter how expensive, will preserve the body forever.  All that these extra additions will do is drive up the price of the casket. 
It is also important to remember that the expense of the casket does nothing to prove your love and respect for the deceased. 

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Dear US Funerals Online,

I am writing to thank you and your representative for the incredibly courteous, sensitive and efficient manner in which our order for my father's casket was handled. It arrived less than 24 hours after the order was placed.  We especially appreciated the personal delivery.

We ordered the Fairfield and it is absolutely exquisite.  It far exceed our expections.  The lowest price our local funeral home offerred on a wooden casket was $3620 + tax for a total of $3910.  Your price for this beautiful casket was less that half of that.

We intend to tell everyone we know about your company.  Please feel free to print this email on your site.

Thank you so much.

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Dear US Funerals Online,

 I just wanted to send a note to thank you for the excellent service that you offered me and my family, during our time of bereavement.  We were very pleased with the timeliness of your delivery, the quality of the casket and the affordability of your service (your price was $1,600 less than what we were looking at to pay).  Your service representative was very professional, polite and understanding.  I will definitely recommend your company to all of my family and friends.  Thank you so very much. 

Sincerely Yours

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Dear Sir/s, 

I would like to thank you for seeing that my husbands casket came on time.  My husband saw this casket on line and loved it.  He showed everyone the picture and gave everyone your web address.  I was hesitant on ordering the casket on line but after talking to you I felt comfortable that the casket would be as described and would arrive in time. 

The funeral parlor was even impressed with the casket and the guaranteed delivery.  My husband's funeral was a hit just what he wanted.  And I was honored that all the people that attended loved the casket (The Race Is Over) and gave them your site address with pleasure.  Thank you for making his funeral exactly what he wanted.  And if anyone out there is on the fence about ordering feel confident satisfaction is guaranteed. 

THANK YOU 

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To Us Funerals Online

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you.  I ordered the holy cross casket for my Mother.  I was able to show it to her just days before she passed away.  My Mother has always liked being different, so having an art casket was very appealing to her.  My Mother had chosen to be cremated, the only problem was, she couldn't be cremated in a metal casket.  So the funeral home was going to charge me $300-$400 dollars to dispose of the casket after the services.  When I contacted US Funerals Online about my situation, they offered to pick up the casket and dispose of it, for free!  I really was surprised that he would do that for us.  But this company is based on helping people in their time of need, not just making a profit.  I also priced the same caskets on about 6 other websites and this was the cheapest by far!  There was a few that wanted twice as much as I paid here!  I strongly recommend this company to anyone who is need of a affordable, quality casket, and appreciates helpful, caring staff!  Thanks again.

Sincerely,

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Dear US Funerals Online

Thank you for the wonderful way you handled my purchase of the Hanover casket for my fathers funeral.  Several members of my family were very skeptical of this way of making funeral arrangements.  You were very professional, pleasant, and truthful! My family and I appreciate it. The casket was everything I expected, and more.  We had many, many positive comments about it.  Some friends even guessed it cost $10,000.00.  The wood finish was very nice. 

It arrived well before the body was to be embalmed.  The entire matter was handled very well and everything promised was delivered.  I would encourage anyone needing your products to give careful consideration to US Funerals Online, before shelling out thousands of unnecessary dollars.  I am lucky to have had the funeral director I had.  He had been a friend for 40 years and they said quite a few people are getting their caskets off the Internet and was quite gracious when I told him the casket would be shipped in.  Even he said my casket was very elegant and nice!

Again, thanks for your assistance in a moment of desperation.  I have already recommended you to a number of friends and highly endorsed your methods! 

Thanking You

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Our family was very sceptical about ordering a casket on-line.  After researching several on-line companies, we decided to place our order for a casket with your company.  We were nervous about delivery to the funeral home, the timeliness and condition of the purchase.  We are contacting you to thank you for being honorable in all that you said to us.  The casket arrived as you said it would:  on time and in perfect condition.  Thank you for your service. We are sharing with others our very positive experience with your company.  As all know, it is a very difficult time for families and you really helped us when we needed consideration and care.  Again, many thanks. 

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 Like many people, my not wanting to believe my mother would ever pass away kept me from learning what I needed to know before that fateful day two weeks ago. So when the time came, I was way behind the learning curve and had to get smart in a hurry.  I jumped on the net to learn what I needed to know to prepare myself for the unsavory prospect of dealing with a funeral director.  While searching for a list of actions associated with internment, I fortuitously stumbled onto your web page.  After perusing your page, its FAQs, and key links, I called you with some remaining questions which you answered to my satisfaction.   I was especially satisfied to learn that the casket and vault I purchased from you would come from the same local facility the funeral director would get it from, and we were literally eliminating the middle man and attendant expenses.  I then went back to your page and chose the casket and vault that were right for my mother.  As you promised, they were delivered in a timely matter following your coordination with the funeral director.  In addition, your recommendation that I rent a tent and synthetic turf for the grave site enhanced the dignity of the proceedings and protected the casket and congregation from the rain. 
The entire transaction was flawlessly executed and all the services were professionally rendered.  On behalf of my siblings, thank you and your associates for caring.  Your professionalism helped make a very traumatic event less so.  For not only did we save a considerable amount of money, but I personally was spared the anguish of being escorted through a showroom full of caskets and vaults by a funeral director.  Instead I was able to make a very difficult and personal decision in the comfort of my own home. 

Fortunately, notwithstanding the federal law which prohibits funeral directors from refusing or charging more to use caskets and vaults procured from a third party source, the director we used was very professional and graciously accepted my choices.  Your professionalism, and that of our funeral director and his staff, combined to ensure a dignified internment for a very deserving woman and helped ease the burden for her grieving family. 

Thanks to everyone at US Funerals Online

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World of Thanks to you and your staff,

I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate all of your assistance in a very difficult time in my life.  My Mother went home to Glory on March 2, 2002.  She was in Louisiana and I was in California.  It seems that the entire transportation and funeral industry will "play on your sympathy" and take advantage of the situation when something of this nature happens.  To make a long story short, I knew that I wanted her homecoming services to be on Saturday, March 9, 2002.  I was still in California and could not get a flight out (at a reasonable price) until Thursday, March 7, 2002.  I was concerned about getting there and choosing a high quality casket that would be up to my high expectations, as well as the short time frame I was dealing with.  I went online and found exactly what I wanted for My Angel. I called US Funerals Online and explained the situation. They took care of me and My Angel in the most caring and professional manner possible. This has been the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, but thanks to US Funerals Online everything went very smooth. Truly words cannot express my thanks and appreciation. Thank You.

Sincerely yours,
 

Dear US Funerals

     I have told many people about your site and wish you the very best of luck with your business.  Yours was a much needed service.  Thank you for helping to make my husband's funeral services so memorable to everyone who participated.  Everything went just as smoothly as you had indicated it would.  

Joe was retired from the Navy.  When I stumbled upon your site and decided to check out prices (I had never had to do this before and I knew that I would need to purchase a casket soon), I was amazed to see the Navy casket.  It is absolutely beautiful.  Many people at the Visitation told me how much they liked it.  There was an audible intake of breath when the flag was removed at the gravesite services and all could see the magnificent coffin.  This being a Navy town, everyone wanted to know where I purchased it.  No one had ever seen anything like it (nor had I). 

I returned to work last week and was still getting compliments and questions about it.  Why on earth would a casket need to be plain?  The Art caskets allow people to express something about the recently deceased's personality.   

Thank you for everything.  I will continue to be one of your best supporters by telling anyone who will listen about your site. 
 

Dear everyone at US Funerals Online

I just wanted to thank you for the great prices and expedient delivery on your caskets and vaults. Before I found US Funerals Online  on the Internet, the cemetery of my choice would have sold me a lesser quality casket and vault for a much higher price. However it didn't stop there, The lady we spoke to is the most understanding and helpful person I ever had the pleasure of speaking with. Her attention to all my needs was incredible. The beautiful Wilbert Bronze Triune vault has associated with it a method of lowering the vault gently into the ground at the final resting-place with family and friends called "The Wilbert Way".  The cemetery should have been, but was unaware of this and was going to do the interment the regular way.  She patiently stayed on the phone until I was on cemetery grounds to confirm that I wanted "The Wilbert Way". Once I did confirm that, he made sure it was done.  The cemetery also charged me a $215.00 dollar charge for not buying the casket and vault from them.  I asked US Funerals about this and they  quickly responded by notifying the cemetery that this was against the federal trade commission guidelines.  My money was quickly refunded, and I did not have to do or say anything.  I cannot thank US Funerals Online enough for making a sorrowful time in my life a comfortable task. 

 Sincerely, 

 Daniel 
 

TO US FUNERALS ON LINE

Thank you for being so prompt with the mailing of the Air Force urn that we ordered from you. The urn was lovely, it was an Air Force funeral and many of the retirees asked us where we got it. 

Thanks for everything
 

Dear US Funerals and all the Staff,

I just wanted to write to say thank you for the excellent service we received from you.  We were apprehensive about ordering and phoned twice for information before placing our order.  We were made to feel guilty about not purchasing from our own funeral home, but the information on your website and over the phone gave us the confidence we needed to order from you.

We were pleased that you were right on with your 24-hour delivery promise. The casket we selected for my father's funeral was beautiful and in perfect condition.  Please know that you will be highly recommended to our family and friends.

Thanks Again

  

Dear US Funerals 

I was fortunate to have discovered your website on the internet. I wanted my father to have a decent burial but could not afford it. My family suggested a wooden casket which I was totally against it because it cost too much in the funeral home.  Well, to make a long story short, everyone was pleased with the purchase I made. I told all of my relatives about my internet purchase and they could not believe that such a transaction could take place. Of course, I explained the process and they all promised to look on the internet for US Funerals Online for their lost loved ones.

Sincerely
 

 Funeral Flowers


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


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