Discount Cremation Urns: Are the Savings Worth the Risks?

Discount cremation urns are available online everywhere, but are they really bargains? The decision whether to choose to buy cheap cremation urns or quality cremation containers is not one to take lightly. While it is always prudent to shop for value, even in our everyday lives we look for products that offer value for money and don't always settle for the cheapest deal we can find. When the occasion is a major life event, like the death of a loved one, we have to consider the emotional value of our purchase as well.

What are Discount Cremation Urns?

The answer to this question is not as simple as it sounds. Literally, "discount cremation urns" means cremation boxes and urns that are sold at a discount. However, advertisers are rarely literal. For some online cremation websites, the phrase is merely a "keyword phrase" - something they know potential customers will type into their search engines. When you reach the site, you are well-advised to take their claim with a grain of salt and do some comparison shopping on other sites before you make your final selection.

Other sites that sell discount cremation urns offer poorer quality urns. Because you can only judge the quality and appearance of these products from photographs and product descriptions, it will be very hard to tell if you will be happy with the product when you see it. Does the company offer an unconditional money back guarantee? Will you have the time or inclination to find a better product and wait for its delivery?

FUNERAL PLANNING GUIDE: What everyone needs to know about funeral arrangements. This complete guide to saving money on funeral expenses is available for instant PDF download with a bonus funeral planning checklist.

Other discount cremation urns included discontinued designs and overstock. If this is the case, you will have limited options to choose from, but they are worth looking into, in case one of these happens to also be one that would be your first choice at any price. While the best selling cremation containers are those that suit most people's tastes and budget the best, we are not all alike. A quirky or unusual design may be perfect for you or the memory of a loved one.

Comparing Discount Cremation Urns Online and Off

Unlike vases or curio boxes, you can't find cremation urns in department stores or boutiques in a shopping center. Your funeral director or crematory will have some in stock, but they won't have the largest selection available. Even if they have the perfect urn for you, it will most likely be quite a bit more expensive than it would be online. Looking at their selection, however, at least gives you some basis of comparison.

Another way to judge the likely difference between quality cremation containers and discount cremation urns is to compare the quality of vases in a discount store versus the quality of those sold in a shop that specializes in fine home accessories. While a cheap vase is fine for displaying flowers in some settings, you always choose a better quality vase as a centerpiece on your dining table or mantel. If this is the case for a vase of flowers, it stands to reason that it would be doubly true for an urn that contains the cremated remains of someone you cherished.

While we all have budgets and must stay within them, we also all have other needs to think about. After you have done your homework and compared the prices and quality of discount cremation urns and the more expensive urns, you will discover that even the most expensive models are not extraordinarily expensive as compared to many other things we purchase that have far less importance in our lives than the vessel that houses the cremains of someone we love.

Whether you purchase a discounted style or one that is exactly what you want, it will cost you money. Instead of making your decision from the price tag alone, compare the cost of discount cremation urns next to the cost of quality urns for ashes. Use the difference in cost as your guide. You will probably be surprised to discover that this difference will not be that great. Then consider the many years you will treasure the memory of your loved one and the fact that the cremation urn you choose may be handed down for generations to come. These considerations will make your decision an easy one.