IKEA - cheap in the West. Not so in the East.

freddy on 20/05/2011 - 00:58
Last edited 20/05/2011 - 01:12

I've had some great bargains from Ikea, but notice that the Eastern States do not seem to get the same deal.
WA and SA seem to be a separate company owning the franchise.

e.g. Tundra laminate flooring - excellent stuff at $13/m², beating most of the cheapest Chinese versions at Bunnings etc.
But if you live in NSW the same product is $19/m²!
Looking at a few things I bought today, a pair of kitchen cupboard hinges $5 in the West, $10 in the east.

What else is good at Ikea? White powder-coated steel bunk beds, very solid. A bargain at $129 the set, but $199 in the East.

Oh well, you guys have Aldi.

To compare the two, switch between 'au' and 'aa' in the URL (just after ikea.com/).

edit: works both ways: pendant lamp $99 east, $139 West. This are friggin' big differences. I dread to think what their markup is.
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/90175552

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Comments

  • ESEMCE on 20/05/2011 - 08:41

    Eastern States have cheaper deals too.
    I actually bought a small bathroom cabinet at the Melbourne Ikea and flew it home with me.. extra baggage cost plus taxi from city to Ikea and back again and I was still better off than the nearest equivalent that the SA store could offer me!

  • scotty on 20/05/2011 - 09:48
    +1

    Just found that the East-coast IKEA has "Contact Us", but West-coast IKEA allows you to shop online. It appears that you can create an account on the West-coast IKEA even if you are on East-coast. Can you get them to deliver cheaper items to you?

    • freddy on 20/05/2011 - 11:01
      +2

      Good question. I just asked and yes, they will ship to the East from Adelaide.
      Packing and shipping costs cannot be got online. You need to send the order, and wait for a quote.

  • amkssg on 24/05/2011 - 04:09

    IKEA prices can change quite drastically,
    A good example is the Vika Amon + Vika Curry Table combination.
    In 2009 (EAST) it was:
    $19 table top
    $5 for white legs OR $10 for other colours
    In 2010 (EAST) it was:
    $23 table top
    $7 legs, regardless of colours.
    In 2011 (EAST) it is:
    $19 table top
    $5 legs, regardless of colours.

    While in the West, its:
    2009:
    $19 table top
    $5 legs, regardless of colours.
    2011:
    $29 table top
    $7.50 legs, regardless of colours.

    So, it was $20 ($5 per leg x 4) cheaper in the west in 2009,
    but $20 more expensive in the west in 2011.
    Making it a $40 disparity.

  • stralya on 24/05/2011 - 10:04

    It could also be because of which port they import the products through. Maybe, some products are being imported through Perth and then road freighted to the East coast, or vice versa.

    • amkssg on 24/05/2011 - 13:04

      Nope, it because, IKEA in the west is operated by a franchisee.
      IKEA in the east is opperated by IKEA.

  • nubzy on 24/05/2011 - 13:27
    +2

    ikea is not even cheap anymore for the poor quality goods they have. they look nice and are modern but they fall apart after a while. my chair and desk were bought from there and the chair has made a big hole in the carpet from the metal thing that is in the middle grinding the carpet and the leather is falling apart and i think it needs a regas because it keeps dropping down on me. the desk is still good though, i do like that. it wasnt cheap though.

  • mark_nsw on 01/07/2011 - 17:01

    People who are thinking Ikea’s products are cheap should have a look of Ikea’s American website. The average price is 40~60% cheaper than Ikea Australia. The Australian Ikea adds a huge profit margin to the same item selling in other countries. That’s why you can see sales everyday in their NSW stores. I spent $2700 for PAX wardrobes two weeks ago but today I found that the price was reduce by 30%. They can fool customers by this way because they still make more profit than their American store. People should beware that Ikea’s products look modern and stylish but has poor durability. The 5years or 10years warranty is purely empty promises because their product life cycle is much shorter than that time length.

  • eagleanthony on 03/07/2011 - 14:26

    The marked down section has some pretty good deals … they just keep marking it down until it sells….

    But you just gotta go there when they have the items you are after!

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