• Get to Know Bedding Basics

• Set the Look of Your Bedroom

• Select the Right Bed Sheets

• Choose Quality Down Comforters and Duvets

• Pick Out Bed Pillows and Mattress Pads

• Find Bedding on eBay

• Buy Bedding With Confidence

Get to Know Bedding Basics

Get to Know Bedding Basics

Every bed needs basic bedding, such as bed linens, including sheets, pillows, blankets, a decorative cover such as a bedspread, comforter, quilt, or duvet cover, and a mattress pad. Before you buy, determine what size bed linens fit your mattress. Standard mattress sizes include:

Discover all-in-one bedding solutions

At the bare minimum you need to dress your bed with sheets. Standard sheet sets include a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, and two standard- or king-sized pillowcases. Bedding designers, from Martha Stewart to IKEA, also provide full bed-in-a-bag bedding sets. The bed-in-a-bag generally includes a sheet set, matching comforter or duvet cover, bed skirt, and pillow shams. With the bed-in-a-bag, your bed linen shopping trip can be over in one fell swoop.

Choose your bed cover

The comforter, bedspread, quilt, or duvet cover you choose for your bed will likely become the focal point of your bedroom décor. Good quality bedspreads and comforters are made with matelasse, cotton chintz, chenille, or even velvet. These fabrics tend to have a tight weave and thick threads that increase the durability and opulence of the cover.

A duvet cover, which can be used to give new life to an old and faded comforter, is like a big pillowcase for your comforter. Secured at the top with ties, Velcro, or button closures, duvet covers are easy to remove and launder.

Buy extra blankets

Blankets can add an extra layer of warmth and style to your bedding set. For the cold winter months, place a fleece blanket, cotton blanket, chenille blanket, down blanket, or vellux blanket between your sheets. Or, spice things up in the bedroom by throwing a cashmere blanket or afghan across your bed and raise your style quotient any time of year.

Add pizzazz with pillows

Pile pillows on your bed and cover them with decorative pillow shams and complementary pillowcases to create interest. Add additional standard-size pillows, king-size pillows, 26" square Euro pillows, decorative pillows, and accent pillows, such as bolsters or neck roll pillows, to instantly make your bed and bedroom look more luxurious and inviting. You can stick with a bedding color scheme while mixing different fabrics and textures or introduce a new color or pattern. Stripes, polka dots, and florals can all help you achieve a cohesive look.

Hide your box spring

Bed skirts or dust ruffles hide a bed’s box spring and can bring another degree of color and texture to your bedding set. To get the right fit, know your mattress length, width, and drop measurement. The drop measurement, distance from the floor to the top of the box spring, determines the length of the skirt. A standard drop measurement is about 15 inches.

Look for bed skirts with higher thread counts that will better conceal your box springs. Bed skirts come in both gathered and box, or tailored styles and have two basic designs. One design places the bed skirt between the mattress and box spring and the other design uses snap strips or hook and loop fasteners (Velcro).

Set the Look of Your Bedroom

Set the Look of Your Bedroom

Whether you favor the homey look of a quilt, rustic elegance defined by Ralph Lauren, the clean, simple look of Calvin Klein, or demure Laura Ashley florals, the bed covering you choose should fit your style and also be warm, cozy, and washable. Make the bedroom the most stylish room in your home with today's hottest bedding trends.

Make bedtime fun

Children’s bedding brings your kids' favorite cartoon and TV characters into the bedroom. You'll find children’s bed sheets, comforters, canopies, sleeping bags, and pillow shams adorned with beloved characters such as SpongeBob, Hello Kitty, and Dora the Explorer on eBay.

Easy-to-install canopies and netting can also add an air of whimsy or the feel of the tropics to your child's bedroom. They come in a range of colors and feature a variety of characters. If your little one is begging to have a princess themed room, then a canopy or decorative netting is the way to go.

Create a bedroom getaway

Transform your bedroom into a place to get away from it all. Make the bedroom a bit more luxurious by perfuming your bed linens or tucking a lavender sachet between the sheets in your linen closet. You can also infuse your bedding with scented linen water. Pour a drop into the final rinse cycle when laundering your sheets or mist it directly onto your linens before hopping into bed.

Dream in designer bedding

Nearly every major clothes designer has a bedding line featuring colors, patterns, and textures straight from the runway. Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica provide a trendy, more casual look popular with teens. Calvin Klein offers a look true to the clothes line, and both Ralph Lauren and Laura Ashley have long been staples in the bedroom with their range of bedding designs.

The latest designer sheets, a must-have bedding accessory, feature fine touches, including antique detail and rich, textured fabrics. Bright, pristine whites provide a backdrop to blocks of subtle colors, including lavenders, sea greens, and neutral tones. Try mixing a crisp, white duvet cover with some beige linen shams and Asian-inspired silk throw pillows for a fresh, updated look. Stay away from busy, bold patterns.

Select the Right Bed Sheets

Select the Right Bed Sheets

High-quality bed sheets can last up to 15 years. Whether you need king size sheets, queen size sheets, or twin sheets, look at thread count and fabric when you buy.

Judge thread count

Thread count, the number of threads per square inch, determines the quality of a sheet. Generally, sheets with high thread counts in the 300-and-above range have a durable, lustrous, and soft fabric that gets softer over time. They are also less prone to shrinkage than lower thread count sheets in the 80- to 120-thread count range. Low thread count sheets, though less expensive, have a rougher feel and are more likely to wear through.

Select sheet fabric

Each fabric commonly used to make sheets has its own merits.

• Combed cotton sheets: Combed cotton sheets undergo a cleaning process to eliminate impurities and short, less desirable fibers. The process results in a soft, smooth fabric.     

• Muslin sheets: Muslin sheets, commonly used in children's character-themed bedding, have a rough and tough feel and are at the low end of the cotton spectrum. The thread count for muslin sheets is usually between 128 and 140.  

• Percale sheets: Percale sheets offer a smooth, flat, and closely-woven fabric, finer than muslin and usually found in sheets with a thread count of 180 to 200. Percale sheets can be found in 100-percent cotton or 50/50 cotton/poly blends.    

• Pima sheets and Supima sheets: Pima sheets and Supima sheets, high-quality cotton, are soft and found in bed sheets in the 200 to 300 thread count range. Pima cotton is made of long fiber staples grown in the southwestern part of the U.S. Supima comes from extra-long staple Pima.    

• Egyptian cotton sheets: Highly durable, lustrous, and silky Egyptian cotton sheets usually have a thread count above 200. The most desired of all bedding fabrics, Egyptian cotton is made of extra-long fiber staples grown along the Nile River.    

• Flannel sheets: Warm and insulating flannel sheets, a wool textile, may be blended with either a synthetic fabric or cotton. Instead of describing thread count, manufacturers measure flannel per square yard in ounces. Good quality flannel sheets typically measure 4 oz. of flannel per square yard or more.    

• Synthetic fabric sheets: Synthetic fibers such as Modal, Lyocell and polyester are known for their strength and durability, but are not the most “breathable” fabrics. They can simulate silk or suede, resist wrinkles, and they wash and dry easily.

The extra-thick dye used for printed sheets makes any fabric feel a bit rough at first. Rest assured, however, they will soften up after only a few washings. To keep your sheets looking as nice as possible, take them out of the dryer immediately to avoid wrinkling. Store them in sets and according to bed size.

Get snug-fitting sheets

When shopping for fitted sheets, look at pocket depth and elasticity. To find pocket depth, measure from the highest point on the mattress, including the mattress pad and any additional bedding you may use under your sheets, to the bottom edge of the mattress.

Fitted sheets should also have elastic all the way around the sheet. Sheets with elastic just at the head and foot are more likely to slip off the bed.

Choose Quality Down Comforters and Duvets

Choose Quality Down Comforters and Duvets

Quality down comforters provide maximum warmth with minimal weight. Fill power refers to the space one ounce of down occupies in cubic inches. Down comforters with higher fill power measurements are fluffier, will last longer, and will provide more warmth at lighter weights.

The purity of the contents of your down comforter determines its price, comfort, ease of care, and lifespan. Comforters with purer fills have a higher price, but have fewer odors, greater comfort, easier care instructions, and will last longer.

The most common types of comforter fills, in order of purity from most pure to least pure, are Siberian down, Hungarian down, goose down, goose feather and down, duck feather and down, and duck feathers.

Know the truth behind 100-percent down

Down comforters labeled 100-percent goose down usually have about 95-percent actual goose down as well as tiny feathers and other impurities. Even comforters that have between 75- and 85-percent goose down can be labeled 100-percent.

To get the highest quality down comforter, look for comforter casings with higher thread counts. Down comforters with higher thread counts have greater loft (ability to fluff) and can better contain the contents of the down comforter, allowing fewer feathers to poke through the fabric.

Pick Out Bed Pillows and Mattress Pads

Pick Out Bed Pillows and Mattress Pads

Increase your comfort with the right bed pillows and a mattress pad.

Pillow talk

Bed pillows help you get a sound night’s sleep so that you can wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go in the morning. Bed pillows used for sleeping come in three sizes: standard pillows, queen size pillows, and king size pillows.

Decorative bed pillows used on top of the bed come in two main sizes: standard and Euro. A Euro pillow generally measures 26-inches squared, which provides a more structured, boxy look for your bed.

Many bedding sets provide pillowcases and pillow shams to fit standard and king-size pillows. Buy Euro pillow shams separately. You'll want to buy pillow covers to help keep your pillows clean as well.

Go for comfort when purchasing your bed pillows.

• Pillows for back sleepers: Back sleepers need flatter pillows that provide firm support.    

• Pillows for stomach sleepers: Stomach sleepers should choose pillows with a gently sloping surface and tapered ends.    

• Pillows for side sleepers: Side sleepers need pillows that have a raised and even sleeping surface, which provides improved neck alignment.

Filling determines the firmness of your pillow. Firmer pillows that keep their shape throughout the night are made of foam. Foam pillows tend to break down after two years or so.

Down pillows offer a good degree of firmness, remain flexible, and can last up to 10 years. You can also mold these pliable pillows to fit your mood.

Consult the manufacturer's cleaning instructions before washing or dry cleaning your pillows.

Sleep better with a quality mattress pad

Place a mattress pad on your bed to protect your mattress, improve comfort and back support, and get a better night's sleep. Mattress pads often offer a degree of allergy relief because they use hypo-allergenic materials that naturally resist dust mites and bacteria.

• Cotton mattress pads: Cotton mattress protectors are thin, quilted, naturally hypoallergenic, and washable.    

• Lambs wool mattress pads: Lambs wool mattress pads offer a little taste of luxury, adding just the right amount of softness to your mattress. A good lamb's wool mattress pad will remain springy and will always bounce back to life quickly. To clean this material, use a vapor steam cleaner to avoid shedding.    

• Latex mattress pads: Highly durable latex mattress pads have a long life span. Latex can either be synthetic or natural and is naturally hypoallergenic. Because latex mattress pads provide high-quality support, they may cost as much as some lower end mattresses.    

• Wool/Alpaca mattress pads: A good wool mattress pad will keep you cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Soft and light alpaca mattress pads also include wool for durability.    

• Memory foam mattress pads: Memory foam mattress pads tend to be lightweight but are not breathable, so they may raise your body temperature at night. A common memory foam pad is the “egg-crate” model, which is relatively inexpensive.   

• Down or feather mattress pads: Feather mattress pads, sometimes called Feather Beds, have greater resiliency than down mattress pads.

When it comes time to rotate your mattress, simply rotate your mattress pad instead.

Find Bedding on eBay

Find Bedding on eBay

Now that you know what to buy, narrowing down item listings to the bedding you want shouldn't take much time. From the Home & Garden category page, click Bedding, and start searching for items on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Bed-in-a-Bag, Comforters, Sheets, and more. As you dig deeper into the site you'll also be able to further narrow down your choice by type and size.    

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a new Ralph Lauren comforter, type "new Ralph Lauren comforter" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.    

• Let sellers help: If you want to know about information not included in a listing, email the seller your question by clicking Ask seller a question under the seller's profile.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Bedding With Confidence

Buy Bedding With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.