I purchased an item from IKEA just yesterday, thinking ok I know it's not Australian owned, I can handle the money going to Sweden, I got home and just happened to look at the packaging, "From the Peoples Republic of CHINA"
How does that happen?
2007-07-13 22:58:06 · 10 answers · asked by iamaustralian 4 in News & Events ➔ Other - News & Events
I know they're supposed to be Swedish but why do they sell stuff "Made in China"
If I wanted that crap i'd go to a dollar shop!
2007-07-13 23:04:16 · update #1
It is a Swedish company. However, over the years it has taken on partners. The part of your money that is going to China is the part that IKEA pays Chinese companies for their badly made goods. IKEA has always been known for poor quality products at cheap prices, (Well, not so cheap anymore.) and poor service. In the last few years the quality has deteriorated even more. It may look cute--but the cuteness is only on the surface.
Ikea boasts about being environmentally friendly. Huh! We all know how environmentally friendly Chinese factories are--not! Yet Ikea manufactures much of their product lines there because the labor is cheap and Ikea can exploit that. They also ignore China's lack of pollution control on manufacturing.
The compressed wood particle board that most of Ikea's stuff is made of is held together with very toxic glues that gas-off cancer causing fumes. It also falls apart quite quickly. My friends bought their kitchen cabinets 3 years ago; they already look like junk. Screws have come loose and can't be tightened because the compressed wood just disintegrates. The doors never did line up correctly.
So, not only is some of your money going to China, it's going to a hypocritical organization that pretends to be ever so environmentally concious, but, in reality, is not.
It is hard to avoid buying goods that are made in countries like China because most manufacturers like the cheapness of the production costs.
Like you, I don't want to buy Chinese made goods for a variety of reasons: political, ethical, and practical. They still use lead in glazes for dishes etc., they have sold poisonous dog food, and poisonous materials have also been found in imported food for people.
Always read the labels before you buy, but even then you can't be sure because goods are imported first to one country and then sent on to another country with the result that the consumer only sees that last country on the list.
2007-07-14 00:36:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
1
2016-05-14 02:32:27 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
IKEA is indeed a Swedish based company. However, like most products these days, they manufacture a lot of them in China. China is the world's largest source of cheap labor, so to keep prices down it makes sense to manufacture there. Most of the profits are going to Sweden, and to pay the wages of people who work at the stores. The cheap labor isn't going to take much of the money. Don't know whether that is a good or bad thing to you.
By the way, IKEA is crap, albeit nice looking crap. The cheapest pieces are made out of particle board. I don't know about Australia, but in America IKEA is cheaper than most discount stores because their whole system is very efficient.
2007-07-13 23:07:06 · answer #3 · answered by jellybeanchick 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
İKEA is a privately-owned, international, low-cost home products retailer that sells modern, utilitarian design furniture, much of which is assembled by the consumer. IKEA was founded in Sweden by Ingvar Kamprad and it is owned by a Dutch-registered foundation controlled by the Kamprad family. IKEA is an acronym comprising the initials of the founder's name, Ingvar Kamprad, and home village, Elmtaryd, Agunnaryd. The owner/franchiser of the IKEA trademark and the IKEA Concept is Inter IKEA Systems B.V. It has corporate offices in the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium. The IKEA brand is owned by another company with complex ownership via several companies and foundations in several countries. Stores pay a 3% royalty on all products sold to the brand owners.
2007-07-13 23:02:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hello Animal Lover. How are things 'down under'?
The answer I think you are looking for is what I found doing a little research of my own.
"Although IKEA household products and furniture are designed in Sweden, they are largely manufactured in developing countries to hold down costs. Very little production actually takes place in Sweden."
The IKEA concept is actually a massive franchising model that is being marketed all over the world. While the base store in Sweden is theirs, all of the others in 30+ countries are franchised out. And they, like most global operations, particularly like the USA's Walmarts outsource just about all of their production to the cheapest supplier.
Buzzy
2007-07-13 23:58:13 · answer #5 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ikea was originally from Sweden but the products are made in China.
2007-07-13 23:05:18 · answer #6 · answered by NEWYORKBABE012 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I thought it was Swedish
2007-07-13 23:06:13 · answer #7 · answered by lisa_trinca 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's Swedish, but they use other countries (their workers are paid fair wages, according to their UK catalogue) to make their goods.
The company itself is definitely Swedish, though.
2007-07-13 23:04:42 · answer #8 · answered by swelwynemma 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
swedish
2007-07-13 23:05:32 · answer #9 · answered by curlia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
swedish for sure!
2007-07-13 23:01:00 · answer #10 · answered by tigittytigitty 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋