Sorption experiments are often conducted in gravimetric sorption columns where several deviations from ideal conditions could potentially occur. For example, heat effects due to solvent sorption, a finite time before solvent reaches the desired activity in the column, errors introduced due to concentration dependent diffusion coefficients and swelling are unavoidable. In this study, we develop a model to study importance of the combination of these effects in obtaining diffusion coefficients from sorption experiments. The model is used to explore a wide range of operating conditions and physical parameters. The dimensionless groups that result from the analysis are used to quantify the importance of these factors under various operating conditions. Further, approximate analysis techniques are proposed to obtain correct diffusion coefficients in the presence of the effects discussed.