Dollar for dollar I find Ikea products to be a better value than anything else I can find. Sure, some stuff is cheap, but if I dropped the same amount at Target then I would truly have a cheap crappy thing compared to the Ikea product. And a good deal of stuff from Ikea is made very well from hardwood, and I would be hard pressed to find something of similar quality without doubling the price point. I actually buy most of it used. The Ikea market is hot in CA at least; if I see something I like in the catalog chances are someone is selling the very same thing locally in excellent shape.