This is an economics question, not a shopping question.
I have a GE Profile gas cooktop made in 1995. The plastic knobs need to be replaced. I have found several parts suppliers that have OEM replacements. The prices range anywhere from $70 to $93.
I am sure they have been out of production for years, and so supply is probably scarce. However, if they are selling them for that, there must be a bunch of boneheads out there willing to spend $300 on a set of plastic knobs that cost about a buck-fifty to manufacture. There are universal knobs out there that go for $10-20 for a set of four.
What is economic straight dope on this kind of pricing?
I’ve seen some such complaints about different ranges/cooktops that the knobs are a royal ripoff, and in some cases the heat from the oven will deform and eventually break the knobs.
Easy. People will pay that much to have the “right” knob, so they charge that much. Not doing so is literally leaving money on the table for the seller.
There’s no relation between the amount it costs to produce something and the amount that it may be priced at for retail.
I do not have a factual answer to this inquiry. But I will say that the cost of original manufacture is not important. Your unit is from 1995 and I’ll agree that OEM parts are probably limited. I suspect this is the reason for the prices. If you want OEM you will pay for the few remaining.
My experience purchasing replacement parts for old equipment (my Sears circa 1955 table saw) is different. I can still purchase replacement parts for a reasonable amount. In my case I believe it’s because not only Sears, but who knows how many other retailers, were selling this identical but differently-branded (manufacturer unknown) table saw while it was in production.
See, that is the crux of it right there. I’m astounded that anyone would pay that. I understand how pricing works but there is a demand side to it and I am just astonished that the supply and demand curves cross at $80.
I can see if you have a '64 Mustang and it won’t start unless you replace the distributor and a replacement costs $500 but you love that car and it’s a collector’s item, yeah you’ll do it.
Some subset of people don’t realize that there is such a thing as a universal (or semi-universal) replacement knob, and the only options in their minds is a non-working stove or shelling out $80.
If 25% of buyers are like this, you make more selling to that 25% at $80 than you do selling to 100% of the market at $20, even if the production or your original acquisition cost was $0.50.
I was wondering about that. My electric stove has fairly generic knobs and I’ve seen replacements in discount stores like Kmart for under ten bucks for a set of four. I wonder if gas cooktops need something special? And isn’t GE Profile supposed to be a higher-end line? I’d expect solid metal knobs.
They’re not anything special, as you might have seen from my links (the prices are links). The hard part to match is the exact size of the D slot underneath. Also, the knob locks in place and you push down to release it to turn it. So the depth has to be just right. If the hole is too deep, when you push down you just drive the shaft farther up into the hole instead of unlocking it. So it’s not fancy engineering or materials, but it’s got to fit just right.
Plus there are those who as bump said will want the “right” knob meaning OEM identical not just for function but so the appliance top “looks right”. That drives up what the market will bear.
And while we’re at it let’s all contemplate the utter OP username/topic harmony this thread represents…
We had the same issue with our Whirlpool gas stove. Luckily we have a relative that works for Whirlpool and got us a set for free. This was a newer model and the knobs were still expensive. Nothing to do with scarcity.
Yep. Same thing when I had to replace the clear plastic front of a freezer drawer after it broke. £75 for a piece of moulded polycarbonate. I paid it because there was no real alternative; it’s priced that way because they know I have no alternative.
I had the exact same thing happen to me just a few weeks ago. The plastic lid to the freezer in my fridge broke, and I had to go online shopping for one that fits (of course the things aren’t standardised, so you have to get one that is right for the model you have). Fortunately, it wasn’t such a dysfunctional market; I found several vendors online carrying these lids, with enormouse price differences between them.
Did you ever check at your localy owned (not big box) appliance store or appliance repair person?
Had the same situation as yours where a knob had cracked. The stove was already in the house when I bought it so I went to the local dealer who sold that brand. Like you, found out stupid amount of money for a new set of knobs and I just needed one. Considering I just needed one they brought out a big box of knobs from their service department and said to look through them. They pull the knobs (and other small parts) when they junk a machine out for to use machines missing one that they bring in on trade. Spent about 15 minutes digging through that box, found one and they charged me $2.50.
Here you touch on another factor affecting price. It’s likely you can find an aftermarket distributor for that Mustang that will function as well as (maybe better than) the original, at an attractive price. But car fanatics put a high value on “all original”, so the authentic distributor can be worth much more. Paying ten times as much as necessary to get the car running could prove a smart choice when it comes time to sell the car.
I can understand the Mustang owner doing that. There is real value in an antique Mustang*. There are a surprising number of still running '64 Mustangs because their owners have gone to great lengths to keep them running for over half a century. The number of new original parts is approximately 0, All of them have to come from other Mustangs that are no longer running, or are running with replacement parts instead of originals.
A GE Profile Gas cooktop is nothing like that. It’s not a high end appliance, at best it is at the high end of mid-range consumer products. No matter how much an individual may like their own cooktop, no matter how much its original knobs mean to them, nobody else cares. People pay top dollar for old Mustangs, they pay bottom dollar for old cooktops.
So if they want an original knob to replace a damaged one then they should have to pay the kind of price that covers not just the cost of the original part when it was made in high volume but also the cost of maintaining a parts system that keeps these old parts around and available to be found and ordered online for the odd person who actually wants one. They should be comparing the very reasonable price for such a thing to the cost of having a cooktop knob custom made for them, and that would be substantially more than $75 to $93.
I applaud the businesspeople with the good sense to make a profit from the strange desires of such people and the contribution to the general economy that results.
*A 1964 Mustang is considered an antique in my state, and I think many others also.
And then there are the opposite examples. I have a neat Blanco sink in my kitchen. It is a molded octagonal shape to fit in a corner. I designed the kitchen countertops around the sink. Among other features it has a built in wastebasket underneath that is reached through a lift off lid set into the top. After 20 years my wife managed to drop the lid on the floor and step on it and break it.
After many attempts to locate one I called the US distributor. They managed to find an old catalog with the sink and the lady said she would search the warehouse for any replacement parts. By an incredible long shot she found one. The last one on the planet! I told her I would take it and lacking any current pricing she looked up the cost in their 20 year old catalog and charged me that price. It was like 5 bucks.
Another opposite example: I have a GoPro HERO4 and the retaining clip on the case bracket broke. A whole new case is like $50. I contacted customer service and asked if I could just buy this one little molded plastic part. They just sent me one for no charge.