If you're comparing it to cars, you can buy furniture with cash today from retail home stores. Online you can get something from Ashley or West Elm for around $500 within a few weeks, or online stores like Article or Joybird will hit that $1000 and ship quicker. Of course, a $100 dresser is not the same product as a $1000 dresser, which Ikea will also sell you.

I wouldn't say it's insane—shipping big things individually is expensive. Ikea is the crazy one, and they've certainly innovated to make furniture cheap. But everything cheap has a cost.