Hello everyone,
As we are currently looking into buying a kitchen, we are interested in the fairness of the asking prices. Our experience so far has been that price reductions of 25-50% off the initial prices have sometimes been offered.
To get a better idea of what constitutes a reasonable price for a kitchen, rather than focusing on "how much of a discount can I negotiate," I would like to see a list of your kitchen purchases:
Manufacturer:
Kitchen studio:
Initial price:
Final price:
I hope this discussion will help readers by sharing real experiences, leading to a fair interaction at the kitchen showroom, without either party feeling like they have been taken advantage of.
Best regards,
Sascha aus H
As we are currently looking into buying a kitchen, we are interested in the fairness of the asking prices. Our experience so far has been that price reductions of 25-50% off the initial prices have sometimes been offered.
To get a better idea of what constitutes a reasonable price for a kitchen, rather than focusing on "how much of a discount can I negotiate," I would like to see a list of your kitchen purchases:
Manufacturer:
Kitchen studio:
Initial price:
Final price:
I hope this discussion will help readers by sharing real experiences, leading to a fair interaction at the kitchen showroom, without either party feeling like they have been taken advantage of.
Best regards,
Sascha aus H
@Sascha aus H: Absolute agreement.
This isn’t about some abstract values; it’s about clearly defined values plus a margin. Everyone is entitled to a margin, but there’s a reason why other industries have rules against “price gouging,” and that’s illegal.
I’m not looking for a bargain; I just want to buy a kitchen without being overcharged. The retailer is certainly allowed to make a profit! But here we’re talking about huge price differences for EXACTLY the same kitchen. The comparison with Ikea doesn’t hold at all, since it’s a different manufacturer. Of course, kitchens from different manufacturers can vary in price—and rightfully so. But when we’re talking about an identical product, the price should be within a reasonable range. Anything else is deliberate lack of transparency and basically cheating the customer.
If I configure a VW Golf at one VW dealer for €30,000 (about $32,000), I won’t find the exact same Golf offered for €70,000 (about $75,000) at another VW dealer. And these are exactly the kinds of differences we’re seeing with kitchens.
This isn’t about some abstract values; it’s about clearly defined values plus a margin. Everyone is entitled to a margin, but there’s a reason why other industries have rules against “price gouging,” and that’s illegal.
I’m not looking for a bargain; I just want to buy a kitchen without being overcharged. The retailer is certainly allowed to make a profit! But here we’re talking about huge price differences for EXACTLY the same kitchen. The comparison with Ikea doesn’t hold at all, since it’s a different manufacturer. Of course, kitchens from different manufacturers can vary in price—and rightfully so. But when we’re talking about an identical product, the price should be within a reasonable range. Anything else is deliberate lack of transparency and basically cheating the customer.
If I configure a VW Golf at one VW dealer for €30,000 (about $32,000), I won’t find the exact same Golf offered for €70,000 (about $75,000) at another VW dealer. And these are exactly the kinds of differences we’re seeing with kitchens.
Sascha aus H13 Mar 2017 16:09Tego12 schrieb:
I’m not looking for a bargain; I just want to buy a kitchen without being ripped off.Tego12 schrieb:
But when we’re talking about the exact same product, the price should stay within a reasonably narrow range. Anything else is deliberate lack of transparency and cheating the customer. And that’s exactly my point – 100% agree!
That’s why I started this thread.
The same applies to plumbing. When you visit a showroom here, you can take note of what you like, but you don’t even get a price indication. Whether you’re interested in an expensive tile or something within your budget, there’s absolutely no way to find out. You have to name a professional tradesperson who can then obtain the price list, add their own markup, and afterwards you’re shocked by the final total.
Ultimately, it’s a total waste of time for everyone involved, because price is obviously important, but you get no guidance at all in this regard.
We wanted to buy a mirrored cabinet for the rental property—this really doesn’t require a tradesperson—but it was simply impossible. They didn’t even want to give me a brochure for the desired item—at all costs, they didn’t want me to know the manufacturer or item name! After some discussion, I just went over to the item, opened the door, and took a photo of the rating plate. I said goodbye with the words that I would now buy it online. I was then called after with a ban from the store (!!) and told how rude it was to look here and then buy somewhere else... I had to hold back my laughter because they never actually intended to sell me anything anyway. (The mirrored cabinet was listed online for over 2,000 euros—what would it have cost there including a tradesperson’s markup… no thanks.)
These are business models I hope to see disappear. They resist the “new” world with all their might. In the end, their collapse is the only option because they missed the boat.
Ultimately, it’s a total waste of time for everyone involved, because price is obviously important, but you get no guidance at all in this regard.
We wanted to buy a mirrored cabinet for the rental property—this really doesn’t require a tradesperson—but it was simply impossible. They didn’t even want to give me a brochure for the desired item—at all costs, they didn’t want me to know the manufacturer or item name! After some discussion, I just went over to the item, opened the door, and took a photo of the rating plate. I said goodbye with the words that I would now buy it online. I was then called after with a ban from the store (!!) and told how rude it was to look here and then buy somewhere else... I had to hold back my laughter because they never actually intended to sell me anything anyway. (The mirrored cabinet was listed online for over 2,000 euros—what would it have cost there including a tradesperson’s markup… no thanks.)
These are business models I hope to see disappear. They resist the “new” world with all their might. In the end, their collapse is the only option because they missed the boat.
Tego12 schrieb:
@Sascha aus H. Everyone deserves a fair margin, but that’s exactly why in other industries there are rules against “usury,” which is illegal.
Usury is a legal term describing a transaction where someone takes advantage of another’s distress, inexperience, lack of judgment, or significant weakness of will to obtain or promise assets for a service that are grossly disproportionate to the value of that service.
So this definitely does not apply here. And what exactly is a fair margin? Is it what appears at the top on discount comparison sites like billiger.de, which is often based on wages that others might call unfair?
Again, the only difference between kitchens and all other consumer goods is that you can’t compare prices online but only in physical stores. That might be outdated, but as long as customers accept it, this profitable model is unlikely to change.
Similar topics