A Different Kind Of IKEA Hack: Javascript Price Comparison By Location

When looking for the best deal, it pays to shop around. When it comes to chain stores, of course, one expects the price to be the same across their retail network. However, where international companies are concerned, occasionally a better deal is just a border crossing away. To investigate the best possible price on IKEA’s flatpacked goods, [Sn0w5t0rm] whipped up a scirpt to make comparisons easy.

The hack consists of a small piece of Javascript that runs in a browser extension like Greasemonkey (Firefox) or Tampermonkey (Chrome). When visiting an IKEA product page, it shows the price of the same item in the alternative country of your choice. Often, significant savings can be had – the SKOGSTA table is €176 cheaper in the Netherlands compared to Belgium.

While the script does require some customization to suit your location, it could nonetheless save you a bundle on some home furnishings if your live near enough to a border. We’d love to see the concept taken further to tease out best prices in a given region for goods from all stores. Similar techniques can net you cheap airfares, too!

8 thoughts on “A Different Kind Of IKEA Hack: Javascript Price Comparison By Location

  1. I despise regional pricing. It may be good for some, but it usually means someone else is unfairly being asked to subsidize the savings of another. Living in Japan, most things are arbitrarily inflated in price because companies just expect people can and are willing to pay more. Many years ago I bought a Canon 20D while living in Japan. I bought it from the US (it is made in Japan either way) and had it shipped back to Japan and ended up paying half price for it after shipping.

    You read that right. It cost half as much for it to be sent to the US from Japan, then sold to me and shipped back to Japan compared to buying one that never left Japan in the first place. Same thing for lenses.

    Most people in Japan don’t speak any 2nd language. They typically have no idea they’re being ripped off by their own companies.

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