ᐅ Strategy for Buying a Kitchen / How to Negotiate Effectively?
Created on: 6 Aug 2020 16:47
S
Shiny86
I’ve started planning my kitchen and feel completely overwhelmed. It feels like being at a bazaar. Exactly what you see on TV shows happened to me. So far, I’ve visited 4 kitchen showrooms. I’m still waiting on the design and price from 2 of them. These are smaller studios, so I’m curious to see what they come up with.
But with the other two, it went exactly as expected. Twice I asked the manager for a discount, and it turned into a kind of show. The comments were laughable: “We can do it for price X, but then we won’t make any profit on you. The manager will probably want to talk to me about this.” Even after the second discount, I still felt like I was paying too much. Both salespeople set deadlines for me. One even said I had to sign the contract that same day.
I also don’t know how to negotiate smartly or what the right tactics are. I don’t really know the actual value of my kitchen. When does negotiating become unreasonable? How do you know for sure when there’s no more room to negotiate? Are there actually people who don’t negotiate at all and just accept the first offered discount? I’ve wondered about that too. It’s a shame I don’t know any kitchen salesperson personally to get insider tips.
Since I have a lot of expensive requests, I feel almost ridiculous setting my budget too low. The problem is that I can’t compare apples to apples because my kitchen concept has changed with every planning appointment. In my small town, I’ve now visited all the studios except for Roller. There are still studios in neighboring towns, but I already feel like I won’t have a kitchen even after visiting 5 more showrooms.
Nearly all plans are for a Nobilia kitchen, coming to around 20,000 euros (about $22,000), or even more if I include my latest wishes. I’ve asked if I should buy the appliances myself to save money, but I was advised against it. They said they wouldn’t install them due to warranty reasons.
What price would you set if you were in my position? And please share how you got your kitchen and how you negotiated.
My requirements are:
- A tall cabinet row with 6 cabinets, each 60cm (24 inches) wide, boxed in drywall. Two of these should be pantry cabinets with pull-out shelves, and the other 4 will house appliances.
- A kitchen peninsula about 1.2m (4 feet) wide and approximately 3.10m (10 feet) long, with drawers on both sides only.
- I want quite high-end appliances, probably Bosch Series 8 black Carbon Accent line, likely including an oven with microwave, a combi-steam oven, and a built-in coffee machine.
- Cooktop with an integrated downdraft vent, recirculating air, flush-mounted (Bosch Series 8 has been planned so far, but I don’t know how good the cooktop is).
- Very quiet dishwasher, brand doesn’t matter (Bosch and Neff have been suggested so far).
- Refrigerator inside a tall cabinet with 2 bio-fresh drawers, brand doesn’t matter (Liebherr and Bosch have been suggested).
- Ceramic countertop
- Undermount ceramic sink
I don’t want to spend more than necessary. But I realize I probably won’t get everything for 15,000 euros (about $16,500).
How should I proceed?
But with the other two, it went exactly as expected. Twice I asked the manager for a discount, and it turned into a kind of show. The comments were laughable: “We can do it for price X, but then we won’t make any profit on you. The manager will probably want to talk to me about this.” Even after the second discount, I still felt like I was paying too much. Both salespeople set deadlines for me. One even said I had to sign the contract that same day.
I also don’t know how to negotiate smartly or what the right tactics are. I don’t really know the actual value of my kitchen. When does negotiating become unreasonable? How do you know for sure when there’s no more room to negotiate? Are there actually people who don’t negotiate at all and just accept the first offered discount? I’ve wondered about that too. It’s a shame I don’t know any kitchen salesperson personally to get insider tips.
Since I have a lot of expensive requests, I feel almost ridiculous setting my budget too low. The problem is that I can’t compare apples to apples because my kitchen concept has changed with every planning appointment. In my small town, I’ve now visited all the studios except for Roller. There are still studios in neighboring towns, but I already feel like I won’t have a kitchen even after visiting 5 more showrooms.
Nearly all plans are for a Nobilia kitchen, coming to around 20,000 euros (about $22,000), or even more if I include my latest wishes. I’ve asked if I should buy the appliances myself to save money, but I was advised against it. They said they wouldn’t install them due to warranty reasons.
What price would you set if you were in my position? And please share how you got your kitchen and how you negotiated.
My requirements are:
- A tall cabinet row with 6 cabinets, each 60cm (24 inches) wide, boxed in drywall. Two of these should be pantry cabinets with pull-out shelves, and the other 4 will house appliances.
- A kitchen peninsula about 1.2m (4 feet) wide and approximately 3.10m (10 feet) long, with drawers on both sides only.
- I want quite high-end appliances, probably Bosch Series 8 black Carbon Accent line, likely including an oven with microwave, a combi-steam oven, and a built-in coffee machine.
- Cooktop with an integrated downdraft vent, recirculating air, flush-mounted (Bosch Series 8 has been planned so far, but I don’t know how good the cooktop is).
- Very quiet dishwasher, brand doesn’t matter (Bosch and Neff have been suggested so far).
- Refrigerator inside a tall cabinet with 2 bio-fresh drawers, brand doesn’t matter (Liebherr and Bosch have been suggested).
- Ceramic countertop
- Undermount ceramic sink
I don’t want to spend more than necessary. But I realize I probably won’t get everything for 15,000 euros (about $16,500).
How should I proceed?
Alessandro schrieb:
Since neither you nor I live under a rock, you surely know that not every studio can offer everything, as not all carry all brands in their range. That is why it’s always necessary to compare multiple offers from the same manufacturer. Please don’t take this the wrong way; it’s not meant personally. I’m arguing like this because I was shocked by what happens in this industry! It’s also one of the very few industries where such pressure occurs. I’ve even heard some extreme stories from colleagues who have already worked in this field...
This is how our kitchen purchase went:
At first, I planned a little and received some questionable offers, so I decided to make the process as transparent as possible:
I planned my kitchen with the kitchen planner (intentionally misspelled here as "Keuchen Fruom" to avoid censorship) and chose a manufacturer—in our case, Schüller with a 600mm (24 inches) module system. Then I went through and specified every cabinet, including the layout of the pull-outs. I also selected all the appliances myself, as well as the fronts, handles, and stone countertop.
With this information, I started getting quotes for the kitchen.
1. A small local furniture store where my parents bought from 30 years ago. Family-run, very nice service.
2. A large furniture store, famous for its big red chair in ads.
3. Another large furniture store.
The first store offered me about €21,000 (about $22,000). After a short discussion, I got a €300 (about $320) discount because they didn’t have to do any planning work. Using that as a benchmark and feeling confident, I went to the second store.
They initially wanted about €45,000 (about $47,000), then after some back and forth, offered me the kitchen for €35,000 (about $37,000). Things got unpleasant because they accused me of just wanting a comparison quote. Then they went to their boss and came back with an offer around €28,000 (about $29,500), but only for that day.
Seriously? Of course I want a comparison quote! That’s completely normal in other industries, but apparently not welcome here…
I got up angry and declined, saying it was too unclear for me and I wouldn’t deal with it.
The third store quoted me about €23,500 (about $25,000) from the start. After I declined their offer since I had a better one elsewhere, the lady wanted to know how much we would pay, saying she could possibly match it. When I told her the number, she declined and advised me to take that offer. So that’s what we did, and we also negotiated two oak cutlery inserts as extras.
It’s like everything in life, but even more extreme:
If you don’t compare apples to apples, it’s hard to get a clear overview. My path was long and hard, but in the end, it was worth it. Plus, the kitchen really works well and is practical for cooking. Thanks again for the help in the neighboring forum. @kbt09
I would do it the same way again—or just go with Ikea.
At first, I planned a little and received some questionable offers, so I decided to make the process as transparent as possible:
I planned my kitchen with the kitchen planner (intentionally misspelled here as "Keuchen Fruom" to avoid censorship) and chose a manufacturer—in our case, Schüller with a 600mm (24 inches) module system. Then I went through and specified every cabinet, including the layout of the pull-outs. I also selected all the appliances myself, as well as the fronts, handles, and stone countertop.
With this information, I started getting quotes for the kitchen.
1. A small local furniture store where my parents bought from 30 years ago. Family-run, very nice service.
2. A large furniture store, famous for its big red chair in ads.
3. Another large furniture store.
The first store offered me about €21,000 (about $22,000). After a short discussion, I got a €300 (about $320) discount because they didn’t have to do any planning work. Using that as a benchmark and feeling confident, I went to the second store.
They initially wanted about €45,000 (about $47,000), then after some back and forth, offered me the kitchen for €35,000 (about $37,000). Things got unpleasant because they accused me of just wanting a comparison quote. Then they went to their boss and came back with an offer around €28,000 (about $29,500), but only for that day.
Seriously? Of course I want a comparison quote! That’s completely normal in other industries, but apparently not welcome here…
I got up angry and declined, saying it was too unclear for me and I wouldn’t deal with it.
The third store quoted me about €23,500 (about $25,000) from the start. After I declined their offer since I had a better one elsewhere, the lady wanted to know how much we would pay, saying she could possibly match it. When I told her the number, she declined and advised me to take that offer. So that’s what we did, and we also negotiated two oak cutlery inserts as extras.
It’s like everything in life, but even more extreme:
If you don’t compare apples to apples, it’s hard to get a clear overview. My path was long and hard, but in the end, it was worth it. Plus, the kitchen really works well and is practical for cooking. Thanks again for the help in the neighboring forum. @kbt09
I would do it the same way again—or just go with Ikea.
A
Alessandro7 Aug 2020 12:57Don’t worry @exto1791, I’m not going to do that, and I hope you won’t either because of my—admittedly—sometimes polarizing responses.
I know exactly what you’re talking about; the same thing happens in the bathroom industry, which is often associated with cartels.
Still, the original post from the OP clearly reads to me: This is about getting the lowest price.
I know exactly what you’re talking about; the same thing happens in the bathroom industry, which is often associated with cartels.
Still, the original post from the OP clearly reads to me: This is about getting the lowest price.
Alessandro schrieb:
Don’t worry @exto1791, I’m not doing that and I hope you won’t either because of my—admittedly sometimes polarizing—responses.
I already know what you’re talking about; the same happens in the bathroom industry, which is often associated with cartels.
Still, to me, the original post by the TS clearly reads: This is about getting the lowest price. All good.
Sure, it’s about the price, that’s true, but there simply aren’t enough detailed specifications here, so it’s hard to guess anything. It’s not even guaranteed that everyone is offering the same kitchens, which in my opinion is a prerequisite for any price comparison at all. That’s why I recommend doing a thorough comparison and maybe consulting the book; otherwise you really can’t compare apples to apples. In the end, it’s just going to come down to whoever convinces you with something like, “I negotiated the kitchen for $2,000 less with that manufacturer.” But who ultimately says the kitchen is even worth that price, and whether another manufacturer even offered the exact same kitchen?
A
Alessandro7 Aug 2020 13:08Exactly.
The original poster themselves says that the quotes can’t be compared because they always added more extra requests. So what advice can you give in such a case?
I specifically wanted an adjustable-height extractor hood, which not every showroom could offer. So I was already limited in that regard. Also, you are often constrained by your region. It seems to me that the OP is struggling with the quoted price because it feels too expensive to them.
Many consultants ask upfront when the kitchen is planned, since their schedules are so full that they don’t rely on customers who haggle over every last dollar.
I paid my tiler 100€/m² (approximately 9.3 USD/ft²), which is a lot. However, at the time I needed one, there were only three companies available, all charging between 90–120€/m² (approximately 8.4–11.2 USD/ft²).
What else can you do?!
This has nothing to do with transparency or rationality anymore. It’s simply supply and demand that determines the price.
The original poster themselves says that the quotes can’t be compared because they always added more extra requests. So what advice can you give in such a case?
I specifically wanted an adjustable-height extractor hood, which not every showroom could offer. So I was already limited in that regard. Also, you are often constrained by your region. It seems to me that the OP is struggling with the quoted price because it feels too expensive to them.
Many consultants ask upfront when the kitchen is planned, since their schedules are so full that they don’t rely on customers who haggle over every last dollar.
I paid my tiler 100€/m² (approximately 9.3 USD/ft²), which is a lot. However, at the time I needed one, there were only three companies available, all charging between 90–120€/m² (approximately 8.4–11.2 USD/ft²).
What else can you do?!
This has nothing to do with transparency or rationality anymore. It’s simply supply and demand that determines the price.
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