Ikea compressed wood dresser = $125. Proper oak dresser = $5000 . What consumer is capable and willing to make that trade off.

Much of that cost is because we nuked the American timber industry ?

Appealing to the fabricators (or even consumers) who are 4-8 degrees downstream of this policy will get you nowhere.

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criddell 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

There might not be any trade-off in your example. You're assuming that a solid wood piece of furniture is superior to the flatpack alternative and you can't really say that without knowing what the consumer needs.

I have a little Ikea Lack table that holds my printer. I paid less than $10 for the table and I don't even think it's wood (cardboard maybe?). It's getting close to 20 years old and is in great shape.

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tonymet 5 hours ago | parent [-]

"there's no aesthetic difference between this beautiful portrait and the contemporary pile of trash in the corner"

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criddell 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Not sure who you are quoting...

Of course there's an aesthetic difference.

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tonymet 4 hours ago | parent [-]

That’s one of the tradeoffs. And an undervalued one.

	▲	criddell 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Absolutely. And it’s a trade off that doesn’t necessarily go against Ikea. Frankly, I think it’s one of the top reasons people choose Ikea furniture. One of the genius things Ikea did was have little staged rooms in their store. They do a great job of these and lots of them look like rooms I’d want to spend time in. You see how that various pieces can be combined into something very inviting.

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megaman821 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Was there a time when an oak dresser was much cheaper in inflation adjusted dollars?

Furniture that lasts forever is an anti-feature for some. They want to change their furnishings about as often as cheap furniture lasts anyway. I mostly buy quality furniture, but sometimes I don't know what I really want and Ikea and Wayfair are great for that. Cheap enough to donate after I decide what quality piece I really want.

	▲	tonymet 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		yes. And you're reversing cause and effect. Do the consumers prefer a disposable lifestyle or is that a cope?