Kitchen price comparison - Fair or fantasy?

Yes, it is. Appropriate 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 as much as the product is worth.

Best regards
Sabine

With kitchens, it’s not the case: exactly the same kitchen (same manufacturer, same appliances, everything identical) can cost between €10,000 and €30,000. It’s like a bazaar, and this is highly untypical for our cultural sphere here and does not correspond at all to the year 2017... But this is how the kitchen industry wants it.

Exactly that is the crucial point why I started this thread and expressly with the intention to start a discussion here. In the end, everyone has to have their own opinion on the topic, but when forming it, it does help to also consider one or another opinion.

But that’s because of us customers, who still have not realized that the listed prices are not binding.
It is explicitly allowed to negotiate the price, and that works, even in the “stingy is cool” market.

Many certainly are like that. But there are also others, as you find many just in this thread alone. Only I can’t find a dealer who plans a kitchen with me on a fair basis. Where it’s not about pushing the price down, but from the start I can accept the price with a good feeling, because I know it will be fair!

I don’t see it that way at all. I’m willing to pay as much as the product is worth.

And here I fully agree with you .
Assuming 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, then I would be annoyed to have paid €5,000 too much and have given up something else in the house for that.
If the kitchen really costs €20,000, however, I would also pay it and give up other things that are less important to me than the kitchen.

Of course, I have my pain threshold – but a kitchen is something so essential to me that it may well cost a few thousand euros.
It’s merely about transparency in pricing.

Here I would like to take the example of the automotive industry.
Last year we got a new car. Beforehand, all available models and list prices were available on the internet, so we chose a car where the price/performance ratio suited us (Skoda Octavia).
Then we scoured the online dealers regarding the price – we had our real value.

We of course did the test drive and looked at it on site at the dealer in town.
And precisely because service was offered there, we also bought it there.
After negotiation for about €1,000 more than the online order would have cost.
Why? Because I’m not about cheap, cheap. But about fairness. I value performance with money – I just don’t like the feeling of being taken advantage of. Eye level is my credo.

Just my 2 cents

You have a mistake in your argument. Because the price of a thing says nothing about its value. The price is certainly a part of it, but the value itself also contains many subjective things. For example: a diamond has the value xy. Seen this way, it is initially just a piece of highly compressed carbon. But the purity, rarity, the cut, and so on give it the value.

What is the value of a product? The manufacturing costs? Perhaps a margin on top? How big is it allowed to be, can after sales service be included, what about consulting? Only you (the customer) can determine the value of a product. If a product is permanently offered at a price above its value, it will disappear from the market. That is exactly why monopolies are so dangerous and are usually regulated. However, this does not apply in the kitchen market.

Besides, the model of total transparency does exist with Ikea as well. However, there seems to be a large number of customers for whom another kitchen is simply worth more.

What you are looking for is not the value, but a saving. You don’t want to buy a certain product at value, but as far below value as possible.

This is also possible without any problems, just get several quotes for the same kitchen. Not much different from a car… The only difference is that no advertising-financed online tool will do that for you.

What is the value of a product? The manufacturing costs? Possibly a margin on top? How large may it be, is after-sales service allowed to be priced in, what about consultation?
Only you (the customer) can determine the value of a product.

Okay, we have a different definition of the word - value -.
For me, this includes all manufacturing, storage, marketing, delivery costs, etc.
So all costs that the seller incurs in connection with the product to be sold - including consulting services or possibly after-sales services compensated with the purchase price.
Then a margin is added. And this is exactly where the term value differs for me - a margin must be fair!
There are laws against usury for a reason - unfortunately, they do not apply here.

Accordingly, for me, the value of a kitchen is measured by the calculated price of the sellers - for which they are willing to sell it - and not by the listed prices that are designed from the outset to be approached in "value" through discounts.

Here's an example: a diamond has the value xy. Seen this way, it is at first just a piece of highly compressed carbon. But the purity, rarity, the cut, and so on give it its value.

But in the end, you can always determine the value of a diamond! If I take it to an expert to appraise, they will give a specific amount. This is concrete and not arbitrary or varying from customer to customer.