Trade Tested

Trade Tested, New Zealand online store for home improvement

Trade Tested is a New Zealand-based online home improvement store that ships nationwide. The company presents itself as New Zealand-owned and operated and claims to have become the country's leading online store in its category. Its model is based on distance selling, without a chain of large stores or a large workforce, which according to its own presentation allows it to offer competitive prices. The company operates under the legal name Trade Tested Limited.

Catalogue: garden, outdoor and home equipment

The range is organised around improving outdoor and home spaces. Among the most popular categories shown by the store are brush cutters and line trimmers, hedge trimmers, blowers, grow bags, rotary tillers, tunnel houses, wall and ceiling racks, garden edging, wine barrels, planters, firepits and fireplaces, and patio covers.

The catalogue also includes outdoor furniture, sheds, pools, tools and hardware. The store sells products from brands such as Keter, Palmako, Karcher and Greenworks, among others appearing in the material analysed.

New arrivals and featured products

The website features a section for newly added products. Among the items shown are a folding camp table with sink, 30 Seconds outdoor cleaner concentrates, Keter outdoor sets from the Atlas Forma and Scandi Linea lines, and a Shark 125cc kids mini off road buggy.

The catalogue also includes prefabricated houses from the Tiny House Johanna range in various sizes, with prices ranging from NZ$29,999 to NZ$49,999 depending on the model, as well as Palmako DIY kitset cabins, which the store presents as suitable for backyard bars, offices, gyms or sleepouts.

Corten steel fireplaces and grills

A standout section of the catalogue is the outdoor fireplaces and grills made from corten steel. The store offers models such as Torra, Vulcan, Karoo, Kindle, Sahara, Kalahari and Caldera, as well as accessories such as tool sets, pizza boxes and cooking plates. Prices for these products range from NZ$189 to NZ$5,999 depending on the model.

Promotions active at the time of analysis

The site showed several active promotions. One of them offered free Keter storage, valued at up to $679, with the purchase of furniture sets, with an indicated validity of three days remaining. Another promotion included free Keter storage with all pool and pump sets, valued at up to $199, with thirteen days remaining and applicable terms and conditions. The store also announced a spring cleaning campaign with Karcher products.

Shipping, payments and warranty

Trade Tested ships throughout New Zealand via CourierPost, Fliway, Team Global Express and Auckland Metro Freight. The company states that it offers same-day delivery in Auckland for smaller items. The shipping price is shown on each product page and at checkout.

All prices are in New Zealand dollars and include GST. Accepted payment methods include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, bank transfer and Farmlands. The store also offers instalment payments with Afterpay and interest-free finance through Gem, Q Card and Q Mastercard.

Every product comes with a minimum 12-month warranty.

Customer reviews

The store shows more than 71,000 customer reviews. The comments visible at the time of analysis correspond to products such as reacher and grabber pick-up tools, telescopic ladders, dog beds, storage boxes, planters, water blasters and attic stairs, with ratings mostly ranging between four and five stars out of five.

Physical presence and customer service

In addition to its online operation, Trade Tested has a store in Auckland, a showroom in Christchurch and a Click & Collect point in the Grafton suburb, also in Auckland. The company states that these spaces are open Monday to Saturday. The contact centre also operates Monday to Saturday.

Locations and premises

Auckland Store: 80 Kahakaha Lane, Māngere, Auckland 2022

Christchurch Showroom: 9 Commerce Crescent, Islington, Christchurch 8042

Auckland Metro Click & Collect: 32 Burleigh Street, Grafton, Auckland 1023