The worst of it is that price isn't even a good proxy for quality much of the time. I bought a chest-of-drawers for my daughter, chose one that looked about rig

The worst of it is that price isn't even a good proxy for quality much of the time. I bought a chest-of-drawers for my daughter, chose one that looked about right and was about $350 - certainly less than a custom made piece but 3x as much as the cheapest option. It was hands down the worst piece of furniture I've every encountered, never mind owned. It was like a stage prop.