By John Willman,Business Editor
While consumers are becoming increasingly

confident about going online to buy mass-produced products such as books and DVDs, buying designer furniture over the internet may require a certain leap of faith. The product is far from standardised – there is usually a variety of finishes and fabrics, and shoppers will want to see samples. Meanwhile, it costs much more to deliver bulky and fragile furniture than smaller items.

Yet Julie Edwards, a former investment banker, has created a thriving internet business selling upmarket Italian furniture. The reason, she says, is that “rip-off Britain” allows her Europe by Net business to sell expensive designer products online at prices consumers cannot resist.

The rest of this article is for FT.com subscribers only