Why are coffins so expensive?

Question

why do people pay so much for coffins when they are just going to be burried 4 days later. Why dont people get something that looks good but isnt made out of that super material.

Answer 1

they are expensive because they are hand built with precision. i guess they want to go out with style.

Answer 2

Coffins reflect two cost factors:

1] The material they are made out of. If it's pine, that's not so pricey, but if it's mahogany then that's big bucks. Also how many yards of silk are used in lining it? That stuff is not cheap either.

2] Size. Coffins are big and heavy. They cost a lot of money to ship and store. Warehouses cost money and something that size would have to be sent via freight.

I think the bigger cost by far is the plot of land and maintenance on the plot. Cremation makes more sense on a lot of levels. The real way to make sure your family isn't soaked is to make your wishes clear in your will. That way they will not have to feel guilty over going with a cheap box because they will know it was your decision.

Answer 3

Think about it? Your significant other dies, your upset and just want this nightmare to go away so you can get on with life and start healing right? So, you end up in a mortuary viewing caskets. The cheapest is $2000 and the most expensive is say $7500. Now you wouldn't want your family to think your cheap would you? So you choose a midle of the line casket for about $4000. Get it? the mortuary knows this. The prices are fixed between the mortuary's although we are supposed to not know this. In addition there are increases monthly/yearly for metals such as Aluminum and steel. Also there are increases for those expensive hand made wooden caskets as well. These are not absorbed by the mortuary you get to pay them.

Answer 4

It's not olny the coffin, but you have to buy the case that the coffin goes into also!
I think that people spend the $$$$ on coffins, because it is their loved ones final home and you want the best for them.

Answer 5

It's just another way of profiting from grieving people.
However, there ARE cheaper coffins if you shop around and prearrange a funeral.
There are many ways to cut costs, and as long as you don't break any state laws you can do a lot of it yourself.
Did you know that in Germany, the ground your buried in, belongs to the government, and after 50 years you get dug up and burned.........

Answer 6

People have a difficult time putting someone they love into something that doesn't look safe and comfortable.
Coffin companies nail you for one simple reason---they can. You need the coffin, they have what you need, you have no real choice.

Answer 7

It's comforting to them that they're giving their loved ones a coffin to be comfortable in and rest peacefully in, and one where insects and bugs can't easily get into.

Answer 8

because they are made to feel guilty by the undertakers that their relatives need a big expensive coffin - on top of that it is the final way to rip you off

Answer 9

I have never understood that either. Why are funerals so expensive? Why are coffins so expensive? Why do you have to be buried in your Sunday best? *sigh* I'll never understand it!

Take Care, hun. :-)

Answer 10

The 'after death' industry preys upon people in their time of grief and knows that they can take advantage of the bereaved financially. I will be buried in a plain pine box with a natural cotton liner. I suggest you consider the same.

Answer 11

Its like one final extravagance. If the family looked like they bought whatever was the cheapest they may seem to not be respecting the person.