I can't give you the exact numbers, but an acquaintance raved about the "deal" she got thru them. Overall, compared to what I paid for custom, and what a friend of mine paid for Kraftmaid, it didn't seem like a deal at all.

In all my years on this forum, I have never seen a thread on this subject where it was the majority opinion that going with Direct Buy, on a one-time, one-project kitchen remodel, is a good deal.

Don't waste your time, they are a middle/middle man - plain and simple.

Direct Buy is a rip-off. As Antss said, they are just middlemen, so you are paying an unnecessary cost for an additional middleman, and you are paying an upfront fee that you will not make back (even if it was your MIL that made that unwise investment). Directbuy will also charge you additional if you need any kitchen design with your cabinet order. The upshot is that you can easily find equal or lower prices by looking for information on this forum on cabinet companies, or going to your local retail stores. Furthermore, you will also find better and wider selection of brands and models by shopping on your own on the internet. And your MIL will never recoup the $2500 upfront fee or any renewal fees or add-on fees they've charged her.

Give your MIL a heads-up that if she decides not to renew her DirectBuy membership, it will be very difficult for her. There will be pressure tactics, constant phone calls, the charge will appear anyway on her credit card and she will spend months fighting with them. One tactic they use is to say they never received the notification not to renew, and when you don't pay the renewal fee, they take you to court for it. Just read the stories of woe on the internet of people trying not to renew their membership.

I found a lot of negative comments on directbuy, so I never joined, but scottielee on this forum has one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous kitchens I have ever seen, and his cabinets are from direct buy. See link below. ps I have NOTHING to do with scottielee or direct buy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Traditional Modern Pearl White Kitchen in New York City

We are existing Direct Buy Members and we used them to purchase our Omega Cabinets. We were very pleased.

We joined when we bought our first condo and owned no furniture. Three houses later we have used them for many purchases. You have to be a savvy shopper and know when it is wise to use them for purchases and when it is not.

Thanks everyone! I guess it is like anywhere else. To find deals, you have to still shop smart. Since my MIL has already paid for it, then it doesnt hurt to go and look.

Any others with experience with DirectBuy please chime in!

-Mickey

We have been members for a little over 4 years- just renewed ( a bit late even) and had no issues being hounded or the like. We have saved thousands of dollars on all kinds of purchases and have been pleased with everything.

We also plan to purchase our Cabico cabinets, induction cooktop, refrigerator, warming drawer, fridge drawers, vent hood, light fixtures and window coverings through them. The savings will be massive. All these appliances will also have an upgraded 5yr extended warranty for a fraction of what these warranties usually cost.

You do need to know your costs because on top of the listed price there is shipping and handling plus the time it takes for the product to arrive (2-6wks in most cases).
All in all if you plan on making large purchases over a number of years it may be worth it to you.

Just saw this.... do NOT do a new kitchen layout through Direct Buy unless you have an exceptional installer that you consult with the entire way through. Depending on our area, they will only work with your measurements. They will not come out an see the space. The main designer I had did not give me any of the side spacer sheets between cabinets and the wall, which yes, are not necessary, but make the cabinets open and close a bit better and look nicer. My installer asked for these. (he was fabulous) Also, the OTF cabinet was to large/deep for the crown moulding I picked so the installer had to modify this otherwise it would have stuck out in an odd sort of way away from the corner pantry which my fridge is next to. Now, stuff happens okay... Thank god I had a good installer who found workarounds. To me the thing that upset me the most is none of the designers I had on the Direct Buy side (I had to work with two different ones because of unforeseen illness) bothered to determine where the electrical boxes / outlets would go on the Island. I had two outlets planned and was super tight for space. Well, an out let would not go into the dishwasher would it? And on both ends I had ordered beautiful and expensive panel finishing. So just bore a hole through that I guess was the designers idea? Just sloppy I thought overall. Luckily I had barely enough room to extend the island enough to get the outlet in beside the dishwasher and beside the cabinet beside the dishwasher and cabinet so it looks truly lovely. That was my installer who did this, not Direct Buy.

I’m an ex-Direct Buy member and have nothing but great things to say about the whole cabinet buying purchase. A person sat down with the measurements my contractor had written down using a software program and helped with all the details. My only complaint now (10 years later) is not being a member and wanting another pantry cabinet and trying to match is more challenging.

Oh for crying out loud, resurrecting a 12-year-old thread for this company who has declared bankruptcy at least twice. In 2016, they filed Chapter 11 and were bought out by China Science and Merchants Capital Management. Then in 2018, after having closed all but six of its showrooms, DirectBuy announced they would open 24 in the next two years. Of course they reneged on that, and none of the promised 24 showrooms opened. They closed the remaining six as well. In any case, on October 16, 2023 they filed Chapter 11 again. You'd have to be quite stupid to give DirectBuy any of your money at this point.