Budget Blinds and 3 Day Blinds vs Ordering Online (2026)

Is it cheaper or safer to have Budget Blinds or 3 Day Blinds come to your home than to order custom blinds online? This page compares the two in-home sellers with ordering online from SelectBlinds, read from the sellers' own pages on October 15, 2026 and re-read on October 20, 2026; nothing here comes from first-hand use. SelectBlinds is this site's affiliate merchant: we may earn a commission if you buy through a link on this page. Only SelectBlinds pays this site; Budget Blinds and 3 Day Blinds do not. Home Depot and Lowe's are not compared here: their own pages could not be read by our tools.

The short answer. Neither Budget Blinds nor 3 Day Blinds showed a price on the pages read: both quote at a free in-home consultation, where a consultant measures, and both install. Ordering online means you measure and install yourself, and SelectBlinds publishes its prices and offers measuring cover free at checkout. The only way to know which is cheaper for your windows is to get a written quote and price the same sizes online.

How the three were compared

Each seller's own pages, re-read on 2026-10-20, on nine points: who measures; who installs; whether prices are published; samples; how long production takes; what happens if a measurement is wrong; the warranty; returns; and how to make a claim. Where a seller's pages say nothing, the table says "not published". Prices quoted at a consultation could not be checked, so no verdict here rests on price.

Side by side

Budget Blinds and 3 Day Blinds publish no prices; SelectBlinds prints one on each product page:

Who measures and installs: the real difference

Budget Blinds says: "In our free consultation, we expertly measure your space and help you choose the right custom blinds for your window and door sizes, shapes and styles." It then installs, it says, "backed with the best warranty in the business", which is its own claim. Each franchise "is independently owned and operated and may not offer all products represented on this website", so what you can buy depends on your local owner, and "Virtual consultations are not available at all locations."

3 Day Blinds' consultant "will provide expert advice, show samples, measure your windows, and give you a same-day quote at no cost", and "our professional installation team can do it for you." When you buy installation, an installation warranty covers "up to one year after the completion of the installation".

SelectBlinds does neither: "We're a fully online DIY company, so we don't offer in-home services like measuring or installation." Its products "are designed for easy DIY installation" and it provides "guides and videos". It does offer a free design consultant by phone: "You'll be connected with a design consultant that you can work with exclusively, at your own pace". Phone hours on 2026-10-05 were 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific on weekdays and 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM at weekends. If installing is the part you dread, our guide to doing it yourself versus hiring it out sets out the trade.

Price: what can and cannot be compared

Neither in-home seller showed a price on its pages read for this article. Budget Blinds: "Our design consultants will be happy to discuss pricing and other details during your FREE in-home consultation", and its woven wood page says "See your payment options during your free consultation". 3 Day Blinds: "Pricing is provided during your FREE in-home consultation." Both consultations are free; Budget Blinds adds "No hidden fees or upfront commitment required".

SelectBlinds shows a price on each product page before you order, such as its Cordless Light Filtering Cellular Shades or its 2-inch faux wood blinds. So the fair test is simple: ask for a written, itemised quote at the consultation, then price the same product types and sizes online, remembering that the online price includes no measuring or installing.

Samples and timing

Both in-home sellers bring samples: Budget Blinds will "bring swatches, sample books and more directly to you", and 3 Day Blinds' consultants "meet you in your home so you can see samples where they matter most". Online, SelectBlinds' samples page says "You may order up to 30 samples at one time at no cost, and standard shipping is also free", and that sample orders "usually arrive within 3–5 business days". Its samples page also says it "can honor the applicable promotional offer available when you ordered the sample" on a qualifying order within 30 days, so order SelectBlinds' free samples while a sale you want is running; our free-sample strategy explains how to compare them.

On production, 3 Day Blinds says "Most custom blinds and shades are manufactured and shipped within 3 business days", with shutters, drapery and specialty shapes taking longer, and its consultant reviews timelines at the appointment. Budget Blinds' pages read for this article give no production or delivery time. SelectBlinds' two product pages read on October 16 said "Orders typically ship within 2-3 business days" and "Please allow 1 to 7 additional business days for shipping", with "Free shipping on all orders inside the contiguous United States."

If a measurement is wrong

With an in-home seller, the seller measures: 3 Day Blinds promises "Precise measurements to ensure a flawless fit every time". Neither seller's pages read for this article say what happens if its own measurement is wrong, so ask before you sign.

Online, the measurement is yours. SelectBlinds' FIT Protection "can be selected at the time you order for free" (October 20, 2026; it was $9.99 per unit on October 15). Its terms, re-read on October 20, allow claims within 90 days of the original order, a corrected size within 2 inches per side, one remake per covered product and at most four per household. Separately, for 90 days it resolves defects or wrong specifications "at no cost", and if you are unhappy "for any other reason within the first 90 days" it remakes the same product in the same size at the price you paid less 10%: a paid remake, not a free one.

Warranties, returns and claims

Budget Blinds includes a free No-Questions-Asked warranty on most products: "If, for any reason, within five years from the date of purchase, your product should be damaged after the point of installation, the manufacturer will provide a 'no questions asked', one-time repair or replacement, free of charge." It "covers the product only, and a minimal trip charge may apply", it is lifetime for Enlightened Style products, and "Exceptions apply for some manufacturers, motorized, automated and exterior products." Service warranties "are offered at the discretion of each franchise owner", repairs go through the franchise you bought from, and an evaluation service charge may apply. For warranty questions it gives (866) 590-6341.

3 Day Blinds covers "Operating mechanisms (other than motors and remote controls) and components" for the lifetime of the product, cords and ladders for seven years, and fabrics, motors and remotes for five, but not normal wear and tear, which includes "pet damage". Damage visible at delivery or installation must be reported "within 30 days", whether a product is repaired or replaced is "at the sole discretion of a 3 Day Blinds representative", and its terms say "we are unable to issue any refunds for products and services unless specifically indicated on a Site or in a Return Policy". Warranty service: 800-800-3329.

SelectBlinds gives a free 3-Year Limited Warranty, sells 5-year upgrades, and says "Because our blinds and shades are custom made, we cannot offer a refund or exchange unless a product is defective." It takes warranty claims by phone, at (888) 257-1840. Our review of returns and warranties compares more sellers.

Budget Blinds or 3 Day Blinds?

Both measure, install and quote at a free visit. 3 Day Blinds publishes a production time and makes most of its products in its own US facility; Budget Blinds' pages read here give neither, and what it sells varies by franchise. On warranty, Budget Blinds' free No-Questions-Asked cover repairs damage once, for any reason, within five years, with its exceptions; 3 Day Blinds covers mechanisms for life but excludes pet damage. If a pet is the risk, Budget Blinds' terms are the better fit, since 3 Day Blinds excludes pet damage; if longevity of the mechanism is, 3 Day Blinds'.

Where the in-home sellers are better, and where ordering online is

The in-home sellers are better if you want someone else to measure and install, want to see samples in your own light without ordering them, or want a same-day quote, which 3 Day Blinds' FAQ promises. Budget Blinds' one-time damage cover and 3 Day Blinds' lifetime mechanism cover are both longer than SelectBlinds' free 3-year term.

Ordering online is better if you want to see prices before anyone visits, want samples by mail without an appointment, and want written terms for a wrong measurement: neither in-home seller's pages read here publish one, and SelectBlinds' FIT Protection is free at checkout (October 20, 2026).

Verdict

If you would rather not measure or install, Budget Blinds or 3 Day Blinds is the honest choice: get a written, itemised quote from the free consultation. If you are comfortable measuring and installing, ordering online from SelectBlinds lets you compare published prices first, order free samples, and add FIT Protection for a measuring mistake. Price the same sizes both ways before you decide.