Does expensive always mean better?

I’d have to say no. Many of my more expensive electronic goods did not last at all. While the cheaper ones kept on going. However some of my cheaper ones were really rubbish. Clothes too. I do find more expensive makeup a better product. Price is a funny thing. Which is often related more to great marketing than anything else.

High price is no guarantee of quality, but low price practically guarantees a lack of quality. The best values are usually in the middle.

Sometimes, but usually not. In fact, if you check Consumer Reports, you’ll find that more often than not, the most highly rated product is not the most expensive one.

Absolutely not, take fur for example, looks better on the animal i’d say.

I generally find that very low prices indicate very poor quality. Mid-prices better, and high prices, you’re just paying extra for the badge.

No. Items that are made in high volume have the potential to be much better and have higher quality than those made by hand. It is possible to spend more time and investment on the design and manufacturing process of high volume items and still make a good profit due to economy of scale. Items that are made by hand in limited numbers must be sold at a higher prices to remain profitable. The repeatability and quality can suffer.
High volume does not necessarily mean higher quality or better. Some manufacturers try to reduce the cost and maximize their profit by cutting the material or manufacturing costs to the threshold od non-usability. Foe example, compare a kitchen appliance made in Chine vs one made in Germany. The German one will have smooth edges, rounded corners, solid elements. The Chinese made one will be put together poorly, have sharp raw metal edges, and low cost heating elements. But it will be cheaper.
You mist compare items of comparable sales volumes to decide if price and quality are linked.

Those that know me know I’m a big fan of Costco. Costco products (Kirkland brand) are usually just as good as most name brands in the categories they have them in, at a lower price.

Not at all, for example look at Macs. :P

I sometimes get leather handbags on Canal Street (NYC) and they’re comparable to average price (meaning $100–150) handbags at good department stores, except on Canal Street they’re around $20.

Not always. Some inexpensive things are well made and practical.

No, I don’t think so. It is one of lifes little fallacies.

It falls into the same category as why a company or city government has to go out of town to find someone to do a project instead of hiring local: Surely no on local has the talent, skills or expertise that an out-of-towner does.

Almost never.

Prices are based on their guess of perceived value (i.e. the store sells it for more because they gamble that people will think that the item is worth more). Look at Apple products.

But people only pay what the item is worth to them.

This has nothing to do with quality. It has to do with perception.

@jerv Nailed it. I would add that the increase in price is often not linearly proportional to the increase in quality. So for example, you might have to pay ten times as much to get something that’s built twice as well.

No. But, sometimes it does.

There is a big difference between the quality of clothing sold in Old Navy and sold by Armani Black Label. The fabric is higher quality, the stitching, even the fit is more likely to be more taylored. The Arnani garment is likely overpriced for the name, but the quality is still much better than the Old Navy.

My Panasonic land line phone from 25 years ago that I still use is much better quality than a cheapy phone I bought recently. I could not even find a better one if I wanted to spend more money. I paid more for the Panasonic 25 years ago than I did for the new phone one year ago, and that is not adjusting for inflation. So much stuff today is low quality garbage.

I wish we would go back to having more moderate quality goods from clothing to electronics, furniture, many things. Instead we have very expensive beautiful quality items, or junk that’s cheap.

When an item is first introduced on the market then the prices for that “new” product will be higher until the market gets satuarated with this same product line.( knockoffs).
Then the prices go down. ( thats when to buy).
People are willing to pay high prices for the convenience of having them first.

Nope. Generally you’re paying for the brand name, which is what makes it expensive. There are exceptions, of course.