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Caskets may be the single most expensive
item you'll buy if you plan a traditional funeral. Caskets
vary widely in style and price and are sold primarily for
their visual appeal. Typically, they're constructed of metal,
wood, fiberboard, fiberglass or plastic. Although an average
casket costs slightly more than $2,000, some mahogany, bronze
or copper caskets sell for as much as $10,000.
When
you visit a funeral home or showroom to shop for a casket,
the Funeral Rule requires the funeral director to show you
a list of caskets the company sells, with descriptions and
prices, before showing you the caskets.
Industry
studies show that the average casket shopper buys one of
the first three models shown, generally the middle-priced
of the three. Therefore, it is in the seller's best interest
to start out by showing you higher-end models. If you haven't
seen some of the lower-priced models on the price list,
ask to see them—and don't be surprised if they're not prominently
displayed, or not on display at all!
Traditionally,
caskets have been sold only by funeral homes. But with increasing
frequency, showrooms, and websites operated by "third-party"
dealers are selling caskets. You can buy a casket from one
of these dealers and have it shipped directly to the funeral
home. The Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to agree to
use a casket you bought elsewhere, and doesn't allow them
to charge you a fee for using it.
Many
families that opt to have their loved ones cremated rent
a casket from the funeral home for the visitation and funeral,
eliminating the cost of buying caskets. If you opt for visitation
and cremation, ask about the rental option. For those who
choose a direct cremation without a viewing or other ceremony
where the body is present, the funeral provider must offer
an inexpensive unfinished wood box or alternative that is
cremated with the body.
Additional
costs for caskets may include something called burial
containers.
Burial vaults or grave liners, collectively known as burial
containers, are commonly used in traditional funerals. The
vault or liner is placed in the ground before burial, and
the casket is lowered into it at burial. The purpose is
to prevent the ground from caving in as caskets deteriorate
over time. A grave liner is made of reinforced concrete
and will satisfy any cemetery requirement. Grave liners
cover only the top and sides of caskets. A burial vault
is more substantial and expensive than a grave liner. It
surrounds caskets in concrete or another material and may
be sold with a warranty of protective strength.
State
laws do not require a vault or liner, and funeral providers
may not tell you otherwise. However, keep in mind that many
cemeteries require some type of outer burial container to
prevent the grave from sinking in the future. Neither grave
liners nor burial vaults are designed to prevent the eventual
decomposition of human remains. It is illegal for funeral
providers to claim that a vault will keep water, dirt or
other debris from penetrating into the casket if that's
not true.
Before
showing you any outer burial containers, a funeral provider
is required to give you a list of prices and descriptions.
It may be less expensive to buy an outer burial container
from a third-party dealer than from a funeral home or cemetery.
As with caskets, compare prices from several sources before
you select a model.
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