How to find the best RTA cabinets
RTA, or Ready to Assemble, cabinets are becoming more popular with homeowners. RTA cabinet dealers will ship flat packed cabinets to homeowners so they can assemble them on their own. This means homeowners save money on hiring a contractor to install cabinets and on shipping because there is less shipping volume and weight.
When shopping for RTA cabinets, be sure to compare not only the prices of the cabinets, but also the features. Compare each point of the characteristics. Make sure cabinet dimensions are the same, along with door styles, box and door construction materials, and drawer slide and hinge mechanisms.
When considering price, consider shipping costs for the entire kitchen, not shipping costs per item. Per item, the costs are misleading. Sometimes shipping per cabinet will cost $350, but once people order above a certain amount, shipping costs go down considerably.
Prices change very quickly in the world of RTAs because it is a highly competitive industry. The actual cabinet makers change their prices, which therefore changes dealer prices. When gas costs go up, so does the price of cabinets. There are hundreds of other things that influence the price.
However, what is more important than the price of the cabinets is the dealer. If homeowners like the way a dealer operates, have read lots of great customer testimonials, and have experienced excellent customer service, then choose that dealer no matter how expensive their cabinet prices are. Some dealers have a price match guarantee to make ordering more affordable.
When browsing, homeowners can feel like they’re looking at the same cabinet over and over again. This is because dealers recycle popular names like Sienna Rope and Hampton. Sometimes the same product code is also recycled between dealers.
Shaker is another thing homeowners will often see when shopping for cabinets. Shaker cabinets are simply a generic style that may be a different product between dealers, even if it looks the same. Also look at the dealer’s website. It should have a simple user interface and excellent communication and performance with the dealer.
To find great RTA cabinets, first determine the entire order. The only way to get the full price of your order is to fill an online cart with complete kitchen or bathroom cabinets. Do this for multiple dealers until you find one with the right price. Homeowners can get started with a branded RTA store with a simple interface to create a shopping cart. Print that cart, but don’t order anything. Just use the cart to find better RTA cabinets at other smaller dealer locations.
Use the printed cart sheet as a reference guide. Quote the order of other distributors based on this cart. Homeowners may not be able to find the exact items, but there are always cabinet options that are similar to what is needed.
As owners investigate, they must calculate shipping costs. This happens when a “cart” is created and people click through enough screens to arrive at the estimated shipping costs. This is usually the deciding factor to order from a certain dealer.
If the dealer is amazing, despite their cabinet prices, try to get a price match guarantee. After all of this research, owners should have a good idea of which dealers are great and which ones are just okay. A higher cost dealer may offer a price match guarantee. Even if they don’t offer it, talk to customer service and see if the price can be met.
