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Comment by antisthenes | Hacker News Reader

How many times are we going to rediscover that free market isn't just companies competing for the customer on price, but companies competing in a race to the bottom on quality/cost to pad their earnings as well?

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What? Doesn't the free market also gives you mid-range furniture options as well as high end wood workers that'll build anything you're willing to pay for? Ikea is optimizing for particle board rectangles because people in 'the market' mostly want affordable rectangles.

In my experience, the free market hollows out the medium range and lifts the price of the high range above what average people can afford. So all that's left for them is crap.

I think the high end stuff was always expensive. Why do you think furniture was passed down from generation to generation? It’s just that globalization and technology have made the low end so cheap, that by comparison it feels like the high end stuff is too expensive. But that is just your preference for lower cost, good enough items coming through!

(This take not backed up by any data, just my opinion.)

Solid woods also elevated to more premium material due to scarcity, scarcer the wood, the higher the price.

> Doesn't the free market also gives you mid-range furniture options as well as high end wood workers that'll build anything you're willing to pay for?

The free market apparently gives you cardboard furniture at mid-range prices or custom built furniture that non-1% earners wouldn't even dream of affording, and not much inbetween.

$2700 dresser? No thanks.

The "reasonable" option is buying second-hand solid wood furniture on Craigslist and thrift stores in the ~$500-700 range.

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