# I don't understand why someone would pay $30,000 for a cupboard **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 24, 2018, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126 "2018-03-24T20:38:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/21 "2018-03-25T22:34:02Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Oh, please. > Are the CNC machines being paid? > And, how much are the craftsmen making? At $100 an hour, they could work on a $2.4M watch for almost 3 years without rest. There can be a pretty big gap between the amount you are charged for CNC by the hour and the hourly rate paid the CNC operator. The CNC machines aren’t getting paid, but they’re likely being paid off. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/22 "2018-03-25T23:21:30Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > For the same reason someone would spend $68,000 on a [wristwatch](https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01L628PVQ/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=all&qid=1521932610&sr=1-1). Interesting. When I try to imagine a $68,000 wristwatch that’s almost exactly what doesn’t come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/23 "2018-03-26T00:51:30Z")
There was a fascinating (well, not really) article in the Saturday Wall St. Journal by the paper’s wine critic, discussing the point at which a bottle of wine is perceived as “expensive”. As I recall, the critic pegged it at $75 while her husband’s set point for expensive was $35. A guy who’s in the business of making California wines costing hundreds of dollars a bottle decided that when you order a bottle in a high-end restaurant, “expensive” is anything over $500. For me, an expensive bottle is anything over $6.99, and at that price it’d better have a screw cap for convenience in opening. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/24 "2018-03-26T09:35:50Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > In an episode of _Elementary_ there was an expensive cupboard. It was full of cocaine. And worth every penny. Funny, indeed. I like the show. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/25 "2018-03-26T14:44:01Z")
> [@BeeGee](#): > > There can be a pretty big gap between the amount you are charged for CNC by the hour and the hourly rate paid the CNC operator. The CNC machines aren’t getting paid, but they’re likely being paid off. Yeah, all they have to do is sell **one** watch… The idea that somehow a $2.4M watch is that expensive because it is so precisely crafted is absurd. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/26 "2018-03-26T15:31:12Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Yeah, all they have to do is sell **one** watch… > > The idea that somehow a $2.4M watch is that expensive because it is so precisely crafted is absurd. They’re only selling 6 of these. Well, they already did. It’s not just the precision that makes it expensive, it’s the sheer amount of design work, and labor involved with small scale production and large number of parts. And it’s not all CNC - maybe you skipped over the video and missed all the scenes of decorative features being hand-carved. Though even CNC takes time to program and set up. Seven years of engineering work (which is their claim) is millions of dollars in any industry - even one experienced engineer working full-time for 7 years can easily cost a million dollars, and it would take way more than that to design this. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/27 "2018-03-26T19:33:40Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > They’re only selling 6 of these. Well, they already did. Well, there’s your answer. They are $2.4M because it helps the cachet, not because it costs anywhere near that much to make. If they had real cojones, they would have made 3 at $10M ea.! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/28 "2018-03-28T20:12:12Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I get that. But that should be known as a cup board. > > Not a _cubberd_. > mmm Yeah. Cubberds are for regular stuff. Cups go in the cupcupboard. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/29 "2018-03-28T21:29:30Z")
Odd…I thought this was a thread about Ben Carson. Shocked to see it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/30 "2018-03-28T22:00:08Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I get that. But that should be known as a cup board. > > Not a _cubberd_. But then what would Old Mother Hupboard do? ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/31 "2018-03-29T02:05:28Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > Odd…I thought this was a thread about Ben Carson So did I. That answer was, he nor Candy were paying for it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126/32 "2018-03-29T06:26:20Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > For the same reason someone would spend $68,000 on a [wristwatch](https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01L628PVQ/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=all&qid=1521932610&sr=1-1). > [@Napier](#): > > I totally would have done that, but when I saw they had the gall to add $4.95 shipping and handling, I said, “Deal’s off!” The best part is the seller states that they have been “delivering exceptional luxury since 2001”, yet they have “just launched”. Trustworthy, says I. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-someone-would-pay-30-000-for-a-cupboard/811126.md?page=1)