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
77.willo schrieb:
But it is. What matters is what you are willing to pay for it, what it is worth to YOU.
I don’t see it that way at all. I am willing to pay only as much as the product is actually worth.
Best regards
Sabine
Sascha aus H13 Mar 2017 14:37Tego12 schrieb:
This is not the case with kitchens: exactly the same kitchen (same manufacturer, same appliances, everything identical) can cost anywhere from €10,000 to €30,000. It’s like a marketplace bargaining situation, which is highly unusual for our cultural context here and doesn’t match the year 2017 at all... But this is how the kitchen industry wants it. This is exactly the point why I started this thread, explicitly with the intention to initiate a discussion here. In the end, everyone has to have their own opinion on the matter, but when forming it, it helps to consider different perspectives.
RobsonMKK schrieb:
That is up to us customers, who have not yet realized that the listed prices are not fixed.
It is explicitly allowed to negotiate the price, and this works, even in a “discount-is-cool” market. Many are certainly like that. But there are others, and you can find many in this thread alone. I just can’t find a dealer who plans a kitchen with me on a fair basis. One where it’s not about pushing the price down, but where I can accept the price with a good feeling from the start because I know it is fair!
Curly schrieb:
I don’t see it that way at all. I am willing to pay as much as the product is worth. And here I fully agree with you, @Curly.
Let’s assume my desired kitchen has a reasonable current value of €15,000.
Then I am willing to pay that. But if the real value is only €10,000, I would be annoyed having paid €5,000 too much and having to skip other things in the house because of it.
If the kitchen actually costs €20,000, I would pay that too and forego other things that are less important to me than the kitchen.
Of course, I have my limit — but a kitchen is something so essential to me that it can well cost a few thousand euros.
It is only about transparency in pricing.
I would like to take the example of the automotive industry here.
Last year, we bought a new car. Beforehand, all available models and list prices were online, so we chose a car where the price/performance ratio was right for us (Skoda Octavia).
Then we checked online dealers regarding the price — we had our real value.
Of course, test driving and inspecting the car were done at the local dealer.
And precisely because they provided us with good service there, we bought from them — after negotiating about €1,000 more than the online order would have cost.
Why? Because I’m not interested in the lowest price only. I care about fairness. I value good service too — I just don’t want to feel like I’m being taken advantage of. Being on equal footing is my motto.
Just my 2 cents.
You have a flaw in your argument.
The price of something does not necessarily reflect its value. The price is certainly part of it, but value also includes many subjective factors. For example: a diamond has a certain value. In essence, it is just a piece of highly compressed carbon. However, its purity, rarity, cut, and so on give it its value.
The price of something does not necessarily reflect its value. The price is certainly part of it, but value also includes many subjective factors. For example: a diamond has a certain value. In essence, it is just a piece of highly compressed carbon. However, its purity, rarity, cut, and so on give it its value.
What defines the value of a product? The manufacturing costs? Perhaps a margin on top? How large may that margin be, can after-sales service be included in the price, what about consultation?
Only you (the customer) can determine the value of a product. If a product is permanently sold at a price above its value, it will disappear from the market. This is exactly why monopolies are so dangerous and usually regulated. However, this does not apply to the kitchen market.
Furthermore, the model of total transparency exists with Ikea, for example. Yet, there seems to be a large number of customers who value a different kitchen higher.
What you are looking for is not the value, but a saving. You want to buy a specific product not at its value, but as far below value as possible.
This is easily achievable—just get multiple quotes for the same kitchen. Not much different from buying a car... The only difference is that you won’t get help from an ad-funded online tool.
Only you (the customer) can determine the value of a product. If a product is permanently sold at a price above its value, it will disappear from the market. This is exactly why monopolies are so dangerous and usually regulated. However, this does not apply to the kitchen market.
Furthermore, the model of total transparency exists with Ikea, for example. Yet, there seems to be a large number of customers who value a different kitchen higher.
What you are looking for is not the value, but a saving. You want to buy a specific product not at its value, but as far below value as possible.
This is easily achievable—just get multiple quotes for the same kitchen. Not much different from buying a car... The only difference is that you won’t get help from an ad-funded online tool.
Sascha aus H13 Mar 2017 15:5877.willo schrieb:
What is the value of a product? The manufacturing costs? Possibly a margin on top? How large can it be, can after-sales service be included, what about consulting?
Only you (the customer) can determine the value of a product. Okay, we have different definitions of the word “value.”
For me, it includes all manufacturing, storage, marketing, delivery costs, etc.
In other words, all expenses the seller incurs in connection with the product being sold—including consulting services or, if applicable, after-sales services covered by the purchase price.
Then a margin is added. And this is exactly where my understanding of “value” differs—a margin must be fair!
There are laws against usury for good reason—unfortunately, they don’t seem to apply here.
Accordingly, the value of a kitchen, for me, is based on the calculated price at which the seller is willing to sell it—not on list prices that are set high from the outset in order to create a perception of “value” through discounts.
Sascha aus H13 Mar 2017 15:59RobsonMKK schrieb:
Here is an example: a diamond has a value of xy. At first glance, it is just a piece of highly compressed carbon. But its purity, rarity, cut, and so on give it value. In the end, however, you can always determine the value of a diamond! If I take it to an expert for appraisal, they provide a specific amount. This value is concrete and not arbitrary or varying from one customer to another.
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