It definitely depends on the product. I had an early version of the MALMO bed that was absolute trash. It broke within a year of normal use.
Things like tables I've generally felt to be of decent quality. Their kitchen fittings tend to be good enough quality to make it through their 10 year warranty.
Actually, speaking of warranties, I was just in an Ikea store in The Netherlands after moving here from the USA, and there was a large sign on the wall in the couch section proclaiming the 10 year warranty on all of their couches. So it seems they are trying to make some key products last.
I also bought some cheap plastic shelves with wheels for my new tiny Dutch bathroom. I don't expect the wheels to still roll in a year. I bought what I think it supposed to be a wire mesh "filing cabinet" (it's tiny!) to use as shoe storage in the entry way and I expect it to start rusting next year. But it was €20 and I just made an international move and money is tight atm.
You get what you pay for I think. $40 bookshelves? Not making it through a move. This model[0] however, will likely hold up fine. It looked sturdy when I saw it in the store last week.
They don't hold up fine. I bought some Hemnes when I moved a few years ago. One frame broke when I loaded it up with hardbacks. The sides are incredibly thin - purely decorative with no structural support. The shelf pins are just about strong enough to hold a collection as long as you don't keep pulling books off the shelf to read them.
They're not a cheap option, considering. I was looking at them a few weeks ago thinking I should either have spent more on something more robust or looked at options elsewhere.
As for IKEA's store plan, I've long suspected the really cheap products are loss leaders to get people into the stores. The majority of products - like Hemnes - are far more expensive but still budget-or-just-over quality.
And there are always a few items, like premium persian rugs, which are far more expensive than equivalents elsewhere. I expect IKEA makes most of its money from higher margins on the just-over products.
Fair enough. I haven't purchased one, but the thicker legs and trim pieces at least make it _appear_ sturdier.
The wife wanted a bookshelf so we bought a Billy for €40. I was watching a couple YouTube videos about making them a bit sturdier with glue and extra nails, so I'll probably take a stab at that this weekend when I assemble it.
Re: loss leaders, of course! They serve a €1 breakfast (with "free" coffee if you're a member, which is also free) at the store nearest me. It's an egg, cheese, and a small bread roll. Not much, but I'm paying at least €1 for bread at the local café to go with my €3 latte. The cube shelves are ridiculously cheap and really quite sturdy for most models but you pay out the nose for the cloth cubes to slot into the shelf. Want a door and a drawer to fit in one cube? That'll be half the price of the full shelf.
I think the other half of the problem here is an ignorance of the business model and marketing by consumers. If you expect a €20 shelf to last forever, you're in for a bad time. If you're a college student or a young family starting out in life and need some stuff to get through the next few years, Ikea is probably a decent option.
Ikea is providing longer, presumably stronger, pins free of charge.
In any case the 48 cm wide unit is listed as having a 15 kg limit per shelf, the 89 cm wide units are rated at 30 kg. Fifteen kilos of hardback books is potentially a lot less than one might expect.
Things like tables I've generally felt to be of decent quality. Their kitchen fittings tend to be good enough quality to make it through their 10 year warranty.
Actually, speaking of warranties, I was just in an Ikea store in The Netherlands after moving here from the USA, and there was a large sign on the wall in the couch section proclaiming the 10 year warranty on all of their couches. So it seems they are trying to make some key products last.
I also bought some cheap plastic shelves with wheels for my new tiny Dutch bathroom. I don't expect the wheels to still roll in a year. I bought what I think it supposed to be a wire mesh "filing cabinet" (it's tiny!) to use as shoe storage in the entry way and I expect it to start rusting next year. But it was €20 and I just made an international move and money is tight atm.
You get what you pay for I think. $40 bookshelves? Not making it through a move. This model[0] however, will likely hold up fine. It looked sturdy when I saw it in the store last week.
0: https://www.ikea.com/nl/en/p/hemnes-bookcase-red-stained-lig...