Hands setting cushions on patio furniture outdoors

The Best Time to Buy Patio Furniture: A Month-by-Month Plan

Here’s the trade-off in plain numbers:

  • Deepest discounts: Late August into September, especially around Labor Day, with markdowns commonly in the 30% to 70% range.
  • Best selection: February through May, when new seasonal lines land on showroom floors in every finish and configuration.
  • Middle ground: Memorial Day and early summer sales, typically 15% to 35% off, good if you need furniture before your first summer cookout but don’t want to pay full price.

If you’re hosting this summer, buy now and accept the higher price. If you can wait, or if you have somewhere to store a set through winter, September is your month.

Key Takeaways

The best time to buy patio furniture depends on your priority: shop in spring for full selection, and shop in late August through September for the deepest discounts.

Point Details
Deepest discounts Late August through September brings markdowns commonly reaching 30% to 70% off.
Best selection window Spring, roughly February through May, offers full color and configuration options.
Middle-ground option Memorial Day and Fourth of July sales typically save 15% to 35%, good for pre-summer needs.
Custom orders need lead time Order high-end or made-to-order pieces in late winter to have them ready by summer.
Check materials before buying Cushions often see separate, later markdowns than frames, so inspect fabric and warranty terms.
Where PriceLows™ fits in PriceLows™ keeps prices low year round on patio, yard, and garage products with free shipping and shipping protection.

Table of Contents

Best Time to Buy Patio Furniture by Month

Patio furniture pricing follows a predictable rhythm tied to retail inventory cycles, not random sales. Once you see the pattern, you can time a purchase around your own calendar instead of hoping you stumble into a deal.

Retailers order outdoor furniture months in advance, so new collections show up in late winter, sell through spring and summer at full or near-full price, then get pushed into clearance once the selling season ends. Here’s how that plays out across the year:

Month Discount Depth Selection What’s Happening
January Deep discounts on leftover stock Very limited selection Floor models and last season’s stock get cleared to make room.
February Minimal New arrivals begin Early spring lines start trickling in.
March Minimal Strong Full spring assortment hits stores and sites.
April Minimal to small promos Excellent Peak selection month, prices near full retail.
May Small (Memorial Day) Excellent Memorial Day sales bring 15–35% off, selection still strong.
June Minimal Good Prime buying season, retailers hold prices firm.
July Small (Fourth of July promos) Good Modest holiday discounts, inventory still full.
August Moderate to deep Starts thinning Clearance begins around 30–50% off as fall stock arrives.
September Deep (Labor Day) Thinning fast Labor Day pushes discounts to 40–60% or more.
October Deepest Sparse, mismatched sets Remaining stock can hit 50% off, but options are picked over.
November Deep, online-focused Very limited Black Friday and Cyber Monday bring flash deals on remaining inventory.
December Deep, spotty Minimal Little new stock moves; mostly floor models and online overstock.

Monthly chart of patio furniture discounts and selection

A few windows deserve extra attention. Early spring is when manufacturers ship their newest collections, so if you want a specific color or fabric before it sells out, shop in March or April, not June. Memorial Day and the Fourth of July bring real but modest discounts, usually landing in that 15% to 35% range, which makes them a fine option if you need a set ready for a summer party but can’t wait for fall clearance.

Outdoor Patio Furniture Set 5 Piece All Weather Wicker

Early August is when clearance pricing actually starts, often before Labor Day weekend gets all the attention. By the time Labor Day sales hit, discounts commonly reach 40% to 60%, and shoppers who wait until October can find even steeper cuts, though by then you’re often choosing between one leftover loveseat and a mismatched dining chair.

Pro Tip: The first two weeks of September usually hit the sweet spot. Labor Day markdowns are in effect, but retailers haven’t yet sold through the best sets, so you get both a strong discount and a decent shot at matching pieces.

Choosing Your Buying Window by Goal

The right month depends on what you’re actually trying to accomplish. A homeowner furnishing a backyard for a graduation party in June has different priorities than someone replacing a single faded chair.

If selection matters most: Shop in spring, ideally March through May. This is when full collections arrive with every color and configuration option available, before popular styles start selling out.

If price matters most: Wait for late August through September. You’ll pay 30% to 70% less, but you need to be flexible on color and set configuration.

If you need furniture immediately: Memorial Day weekend or April promotions strike a reasonable balance, offering real savings without the picked-over inventory of October.

If you’re buying high-end or custom pieces: Watch late-summer sales for markdowns, but don’t count on deep discounts applying to premium or made-to-order lines, since those often move on a different cycle. Ordering ahead may serve you better than waiting for clearance.

A few common scenarios illustrate how this plays out:

  1. Furnishing for a summer event. Buy by April or during Memorial Day sales. Don’t gamble on clearance timing when you have a fixed date.
  2. Setting up a new home. Spring gives you the widest range to match your space and style, even at full price.
  3. Replacing one worn piece. Clearance season is ideal since you don’t need a matched set, just a fair price on one item.
  4. Buying a full high-end set. Consider ordering early rather than waiting for a clearance discount that may never apply to premium lines.

One trade-off worth naming honestly: if you buy deep clearance stock in October for next year’s patio season, you’re storing furniture for six months. Cushions need dry, ventilated storage, and metal frames can develop rust spots if left in a damp garage corner.

When Does the Material Change the Timing?

Not every product on your patio follows the same discount calendar. Cushions, umbrellas, and small accessories tend to get marked down harder and later than structural furniture, because retailers treat them as separate inventory lines.

Cushions and outdoor fabric accessories often see their steepest cuts between October and January, sometimes deeper than the frames they belong to. If your frame is still solid but your cushions are sun-faded, that’s a smart off-season purchase. Check our guide on outdoor cushion storage to protect new cushions once you bring them home.

Stack of sun-faded outdoor patio cushions

Aluminum and steel frames hold up well to clearance-season buying since the material itself doesn’t degrade sitting in a warehouse. These are often your safest deep-discount bet.

Resin wicker sets follow the standard seasonal pattern closely, with the best selection in spring and the best pricing in September, though popular neutral tones sell out first in clearance.

Teak and premium hardwood pieces sometimes hold their price better than other materials, since demand and craftsmanship keep resale and retail value more stable across the year. Don’t assume a Labor Day tag automatically applies to teak the way it does to a resin wicker set.

Umbrellas and rugs frequently get marked down on a separate schedule from seating sets, sometimes appearing in a different clearance aisle or online category entirely.

A quick accessory checklist:

  • Check cushion covers for UV-resistant fabric before buying off-season stock.
  • Confirm umbrella pole diameter matches your existing table before assuming it’ll fit.
  • Ask about warranty coverage separately for frames and fabric; they’re often handled differently.

Pro Tip: If you’re mixing new cushions with an older frame, buy the cushions first and bring a fabric swatch or photo when shopping so the color actually matches once you’re home.

Which Sale Events Actually Save You the Most?

Not all sale weekends are created equal, and the retail calendar is built around a few key dates worth planning around.

Memorial Day (late May): Solid entry point for early-season buyers, typically 15% to 35% off. Good for anyone who needs a full patio setup before summer really starts.

Fourth of July: Modest promotional pricing, similar depth to Memorial Day, mostly aimed at last-minute summer shoppers rather than deep clearance.

Labor Day (early September): The heavyweight. This is when discounts commonly jump to 40% to 60%, and it typically beats every other holiday sale for this category because retailers need outdoor inventory gone before fall stock arrives.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Outdoor furniture does show up in these sales, especially online, but the discounts rarely beat what you’d find during Labor Day or October clearance for this specific category.

One detail that surprises a lot of shoppers: online retailers often start their markdowns one to two weeks before physical stores do, since warehousing bulky patio sets is expensive and online sellers want that inventory moving faster.

Add a coupon or loyalty discount on top of a clearance price and your effective savings climb even further. Stacking a store coupon during Labor Day weekend on an item already marked 50% off can push your total discount well past what the sale tag alone shows.

  • Sign up for retailer email lists in July, before clearance starts, so you catch the first markdown notifications.
  • Watch online pricing starting in early August, ahead of in-store tags changing.
  • Check for stackable promo codes before checking out, even on already-discounted clearance items.

Your Pre-Purchase Checklist (and the Mistakes That Waste Your Savings)

Before you check out, run through this list.

  • Measure your patio space twice, including doorways and gates if the set needs to pass through them to reach the backyard.
  • Confirm the exact configuration you’re buying (some “sets” are missing pieces shown in photos).
  • Check cushion and fabric weather resistance ratings, not just the color you like.
  • Ask about warranty length and what it actually covers, frame versus fabric versus hardware.
  • Confirm lead time and shipping cost before assuming an online deal beats an in-store one.
  • Verify what assembly is required and whether you have storage space if you’re buying off-season.

The three mistakes that cost buyers the most: skipping measurements entirely, ignoring how a material handles weather exposure, and not reading the return policy before a big purchase. A deeply discounted clearance set is often final sale, so if it doesn’t fit or arrives damaged, you may be stuck with it. Our weather resistance guide breaks down what actually holds up outdoors versus what just looks good in a showroom.

Pro Tip: If you’re shopping in-store toward the end of a season, ask a manager directly whether the floor model is for sale. Floor models often carry an extra discount beyond the marked clearance price, and staff won’t always volunteer that unless you ask.

Ordering Custom or High-End Pieces: Plan for Lead Time

Custom and high-end outdoor furniture doesn’t follow the clearance calendar the same way mass-market sets do. Lead times can run anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the manufacturer and fabric selection.

If you need a custom set ready for summer, order in late winter or early spring rather than waiting for a sale that may never come for made-to-order items.

  • Confirm the deposit amount and whether it’s refundable before you commit.
  • Ask for a written delivery window, not just an estimated season.
  • Check the return policy specifically for custom orders, since many are non-returnable once production starts.

What the Numbers Say About Timing Your Purchase

The gap between peak-season and clearance pricing is bigger than most shoppers expect. A patio dining set listed at $2,500 in spring can work through a stepwise markdown pattern that lands at 40% to 70% off by the time September or October rolls around, meaning that same set could cost $750 to $1,500 less if you wait.

Compare that to a Memorial Day promotion, which typically nets 15% to 35% off. On that same $2,500 set, you’re looking at savings of roughly $375 to $875, real money, but nowhere near what patience buys you three months later.

Pro Tip: Combine a clearance markdown with a stackable loyalty coupon whenever the retailer allows.

How Inventory Cycles Drive What You Pay

Retailers plan patio furniture inventory around a single selling season, roughly February through August. Everything about pricing traces back to that window.

When a shipment doesn’t sell through by late summer, it becomes a liability sitting in a warehouse instead of an asset on a showroom floor. That’s the entire reason clearance pricing exists: it’s cheaper for a retailer to sell a set at a steep loss in September than to pay for storage until next spring. This is also why popular neutral colors and standard configurations disappear first from clearance racks. Everyone wants the same gray sectional, so it sells out fast, leaving behind odd colors or incomplete sets for the shoppers who wait longest.

Online retailers face this pressure even harder than physical stores, since warehousing bulky furniture costs more per square foot than most other product categories. That’s part of why online clearance often starts before in-store tags change.

The practical takeaway: if you spot a set you genuinely like in August at a moderate discount, don’t assume waiting until October guarantees a better deal. You might get a deeper discount on whatever’s left, or you might find the exact set you wanted is already gone. Inventory risk cuts both ways.

Floor Models and Clearance: How to Buy Smart, Not Just Cheap

Floor models get overlooked by a lot of shoppers who assume “clearance” only applies to boxed inventory. In reality, floor models often carry the steepest discounts in the entire store, since retailers want the display space back for new stock.

The catch: floor models show wear, sun exposure through storefront windows, and sometimes minor assembly issues from repeated customer handling. That’s a fair trade if the discount is deep enough and the wear is cosmetic rather than structural.

Before buying a floor model, inspect the frame joints, check for stability, and ask specifically whether the price reflects the display condition or if it’s simply the standard clearance markdown. Some stores will negotiate further on a floor model, especially near the end of a season when they’re motivated to clear the space entirely.

If you’re buying clearance stock rather than a floor model, ask when the next markdown is scheduled. The risk, of course, is that someone else buys it first.

Stacking Financing Offers and Store Credit on Sale Pricing

A discount is only part of the savings equation. Many retailers offer store credit cards or financing promotions that layer on top of clearance pricing, and the timing of these offers often lines up with the same sale events discussed above.

Store financing during Labor Day or Black Friday promotions sometimes includes deferred interest periods or an extra percentage off your first purchase when you open a store card. If you’re already planning a large purchase, like furnishing an entire patio, that added discount can be worth pursuing, provided you understand the repayment terms and avoid carrying a balance past any promotional period.

Store credit or loyalty points earned on a clearance purchase can also reduce the effective cost of your next purchase, whether that’s cushions, an umbrella, or accessories you didn’t buy the first time around. Reading the fine print matters here more than usual, since deferred-interest financing can erase your entire discount if you miss a payment deadline.

The safest approach: treat financing and store credit as a bonus on top of a sale price you’d already accept, not as the reason to buy something you weren’t otherwise ready to purchase.

A retailer’s view on balancing selection and price

Balancing selection against price is the core tension in this entire category. Retailers plan inventory months ahead, which is exactly why the calendar above holds up year after year. PriceLows™ built its approach around that same cycle, keeping prices low across seasons rather than asking cost-conscious buyers to gamble on a single clearance week.

Where to Buy Patio Furniture and Garage Gear Without Overpaying

PriceLows™ built its entire model around the timing advantage covered above.

Weather-Resistant Wicker Rattan Outdoor Patio Sofa Set

While you’re planning your outdoor refresh, it’s worth checking what’s in stock for the garage side of your home too. PriceLows™ carries a rolling Garage Storage Cabinet with a 3-point locking system, wheels, and locking doors for anyone organizing tools alongside new patio furniture. There’s also a heavy-duty rolling Garage Tool Cabinet with lockable doors and an alloy steel epoxy finish, plus a rolling Garage Tool Cabinet with a powder-coated, rust-resistant steel storage chest if you need lockable storage for anything from patio hardware to seasonal tools.

If you’re planning your outdoor layout before you buy, our guide on designing a patio pairs well with the timing advice above. Check current seasonal deals and coupon codes at PriceLows™ before your next patio or garage purchase.

Sources

Back to blog