In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
A friend of mine bought lamp shades in Italy at €3.99 each and in the UK they are £7.99 each. Also apparently prices on IKEA websites are not always the same as in the stores.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Do notice that if you find a product on the UK site, like a bed;
[url=http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00104856]IKEA | Beds | Single bed frames | BODÖ | Bed frame[/url]
you can change part of the URL from gb/en to it/it
[url=http://www.ikea.com/it/it/catalog/products/00104856]IKEA | Letti | Strutture per letti singoli | BODÖ | Struttura letto[/url]
Very neat for us that is so good at Italian yet.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Nifty eh??? Wouldn't want too buy that one though. Looks very precarious!!!
Ikea
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/17/2008 - 08:39In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=HelenMW;93088]It seems to depend from item to item as a lot of things here are the same price in euros as in pounds[/quote]
Hi
Last visit we spent so much time looking at local shops for furniture, we both suffered brain fade, hubby thought that we could buy everything in one outing..... had to point out tactfully.......... that we did not buy for the UK house in one day.:nah:
Problem is either Ikea in Italy is around 2 hours away, the other half may not be very well pleased to drive all the way and not find find these, not at the right price, or not in stock, Ikea UK is half an hour away, so guess what he will opt for.
Fortunately last visit the weather was so hot we just used the sun chairs, but guess these are not going to be cosy indoors for the winter days.
Regards Lin
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Prices are not the same, even within the euro area. I have both the Spanish and Italian catalogues and there are different prices, not always and small differences, but they do exist.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
IKEA might change prices bearing in mind the local market, but two points:
1 - differing VAT rates between countries
2 - changes in exchange rates. When the catalogue came out it was probably €1.45 [say] to the pound. Now it's 1.26. If you are going to buy anything in the UK do it before the new catalogue comes out!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Yes just about to suggest that Sue. You beat me to it!!!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I don't understand why so many Brits furnish their Italian homes with Ikea - there's much nicer local stuff at good prices - surely it's better to support local shops?
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Please not another anti-Ikea campainer! I LIKE Ikea, that's why. And it's MY house!
Yes, supporting local shops is great, but I'm unconvinced that "there's much nicer stuff at good prices". Furniture stores here are hideously expensive, probably import from China anyhow, and the furniture looks like it belongs in the 80s! (What is this obsession with fake gold frilly bits anyhow?) Supporting a business that doesn't meet my needs seems a bit silly.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I think Sue is right, there isnt anything stylish at a price we could afford around here, where did you go JC for your furniture?, we are very close to you and thought we had exhausted all the local outlets (and ourselves) in the search for stuff for our apartment. Its by no means all Ikea, but the lighting, even if you dont like the furniture is very good value, the local glitzy stuff was awful and would have required a bank loan to buy.
I am in agreement with supporting local tradespeople which we do when we can but not at any price.
A
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I think that I know why. One is used to shop at IKEA back home. And the products are familiar. One can browse the catalogue back home (and the internet) and see the products, try the beds, sit at the tables in the shop at home and find exactly the same products in Italy. And the shop has a lot of products to tempt us. No hassle with foreign language, what you shop you can bring with you...........
Oh I sound like an employee! But I am not and I would like to shop locally. But I don't know what quality that is sold and if it is at the right price. And some of the prices locally is very high. And the style is not always (seldom) to our liking.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
To furnish and decorate a house takes a long time and there could be a conflict between the furniture you need immediately to make the house habitable and finding the special pieces you want to have. For this reason, IKEA is a practical solution to find those basic elements you need immediately. You simply combine a few with some decorative objects or paintings you may already have, wipe in this way the total IKEA "look" and then the house works without having to sit on packaging crates. Slowly, you replace those pieces you do not really like that much by the ones you find, particularly if you are into antique or vintage styles. And you (or your pocket) do not suffer much when disposing of the IKEA pieces you do not longer need because you have used them and they are not expensive.This is what I generally do, and it works for us.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Yes Ikea are a very good act and so far have not found an alternative and the Italians are voting with their feet. I do find some of the very cheapest ranges a bit flimsy but there are alternatives altho' post assembly exhaustion can be very debilitating!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
But rewarding.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I think Gala P makes some good points. Another is that some of us are only renting, will only be here a number of years for this spell for family reasons, and that impacts on what we buy.
Here in the Valle d'Aosta there is some solid wood furniture which I'd love to have. The walnut table and chairs in a local window are gorgeous and solidly tactile, but the price..! I wouldn't argue that it isn't good value but some of us have limited income and I'd agree with the poster above who expressed scepticism about 'good stuff at good prices'.
I make do with local handicrafts: wooden bowls, chopping boards, small carvings... as my nod to the local economy (apart from the wine, that is!).
It seems to depend from item to item as a lot of things here are the same price in euros as in pounds