Well, let me tell you my experience! When we moved I took apart our 5x5 Expedit shelving unit. When I had to put it back together, the heavy top shelf turned out to be bent upwards in the middle. It was only a few centimeters. I decided to unbend it with my foot, and through the resulting hole I found out that the Expedit are actually cardboard inside :)
Still, it's perfectly fine (there's books on top of the hole anyway), and straight again.
Ikea uses the same materials as the other manufacturers when talking about cheap furniture, it just uses it better :).
So I was able to sell a expedit after three moves.
The kitchen in our home is a pure IKEA Showroom. Even the 40mm realwood top. that did cost about 300 $. We would have paid 2000 - 2500 $, if we would have ordered that one at a kitchen store. The whole kitchen didn't cost that much. You can buy cheap at IKEA. But you can also buy good stuff there. It costs a little bit more, but most times it really lasts.
and: We had a problem once with missing parts. What do I say. A Problem? NO, went ti IKEA, told the service desk, what the issue was, left 5 minutes later with all parts and to vouchers for free coffee.
It really depends on what you get, the fake wood tables definitely don't last (though they're no worse than most "fake wood" alternatives using woodchips, you won't get those to last either).
And I recently got a bunch of expedit units[0], it's fakewood but it feels extremely sturdy, especially the "sides" (heavy as fuck too). I don't know how well they survive moving, but the part was cheap and doesn't feel cheap.
Really, they've got pretty much all the range, you can find cheap stuff that won't last and more expensive stuff which will. And their integration and parts are really clever (for expedit parts for instance, there are something like a dozen "basket"-type things which fit perfectly in the slots but can also be used as independent baskets with no issue, from the $5 "drona" which is just some tissue over cardboard — sufficient for laundry — to the $15+ pjas or knipsa woven baskets with metal structure which feel extremely solid)
> Most of their office chairs are crap and do no last.
Then again I can say that for all office chairs I've seen under $150. Love having screws digging in my ass after 2 weeks due to the shitty foam seat.
[0] http://www.ikea.com/us/search/?query=expedit