It’s gotten absurd. I’ll easily pay 10x the regular price of some object if I’m confident it will last a very long time and I won’t have to think about it anymore. I’ve replaced all the crappy LED bulbs in my house with Yuji Sunwave brand. I’ve not had a single bulb flicker or go out in years now, and the quality of the light is superb (i.e. more akin to what everyone
used to have with incandescent bulbs). I bought a Control Freak induction cooktop in 2018. The whole family uses it far more than the cheap gas range that came with the house and is a pain to clean. Similarly, I replaced all the Food Network brand pots and pans I had in college that were chipping paint and rusting with Demeyere versions. Not a single problem since.
And to your point, I’ve probably gone through six clothes drying racks by now that all break down after a short time. I have yet to find a high-quality one.
It sounds expensive, but I suspect that in the long-term, the approach of buying higher quality up front ultimately ends up cheaper in terms of time and replacement costs. I’ve debated replacing some home appliances with commercial or restaurant versions, but there are some notable tradeoffs with that unfortunately, as the purpose of the appliance becomes somewhat different than a home use case.
Of course this strategy is all well and good if you can foot the initial high cost of the products, which many people cannot on the typical family income. There’s been a lot written about how those of lower income are often taken advantage of in this way—they end up paying a higher “lifetime cost” for lower quality products and service, because the system attempts to produce the minimum viable affordable product, which then sets the bar for the “new normal”.