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Comment by verelo | Hacker News Reader

I’m pretty sure the answer is simple: TVs are hard to make, mattresses are very simple. Foam latex, it’s pretty much the simplest product you can fit in a box, and damage is probably not a concern as the product itself is what we use to protect most other products!

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Sure, TVs are much harder to make than mattresses. I agree completely. But that doesn't explain why mattresses are so expensive and why we have 500 mattress manufacturers and obfuscated models and prices. In fact, your line of reasoning would lead to the opposite conclusion: Mattresses should be cheap, a commodity product dominated by 2 or 3 manufacturers who eke out a few percent margin, selling at a standard price. But that's not what we see.

The materials probably aren't quite that cheap, and due to the bulk (a queen size mattress weights about 50-70lbs) there is natural price floor just of shipping expenses.

Shipping that from China to the US or Europe isn't expensive. From the port to the end customer is the most expensive part but even that won't be significant. Even washing machines (which are heavier and harder to transport) can be shipped for a relatively low price across long distances. I wouldn't expect shipping costs from China to the end customer to be more than $30 for any mattress.

These types of mattresses have a limited shelf-life in their 'compressed' state and can only be stored within a specific temperature range.

I say it is more akin to shipping produce than TVs. We don't get the majority of our veggies from a single farm for all of the US.

I thought your question was why are there a ton of mattress companies but only a (relatively) few tv companies.

As for why mattresses are so expensive, I think a lot of it is "because they can." I think there is also materials and such. A bed with two people in it might hold over 400 pounds for 8 hours a night 7 days a week for years. If a tv had to do that it might be more expensive too.

A mattress is wires and springs. The load limit is irrelevant - a truck body can hold scores of tons for 50 years. We've solved that.

I lean toward the 'because they can' argument, which means, what the market will bear.

Marketing, they don't have to be expensive. I bought a no name queen sized mattress from overstock.com in 2012 for $240. It's indistinguishable from any other mattress.

People want to spend on mattresses because they believe spending a lot on mattresses will improve their lives in some way. Less fatigue, less pain, less stress, etc. These are big selling points. However, they are selling mostly snake oil.

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