Back on the topic of quilt kits - here's a bit of insight from one who makes and sells them...
When we price a kit, we use regular pricing for the amounts we use, i.e. full retail with no discounts. Many, if not most kits have a lot of different fabrics in them, so making a kit requires a large investment in coordinating fabrics that aren't used extensively in the kit. As a buyer of the kit you are getting easy access to small amounts of many different fabrics that may be very difficult to find in one place, if bought separately. You are also only paying for the amounts used in the project, rather than having to buy larger amounts.
Kits can be a good way to buy projects, if purchased with your eyes wide open. So...
Advice when buying kits:
1. Buy from reputable dealers who do the kits all in high-quality fabrics and don't do a lot of substitutions. It isn't uncommon for some stores to use one or two of the name fabrics in their kits, but fill with cheaper non-line fabrics that don't coordinate perfectly. Stay away from those.
2. Buy from dealers who provide generous cuts in their kits. We've noted that a lot of kits, especially manufacturers pre-packaged kits, are cut to the bare minimum amounts needed. If you make a mistake you want a little "wiggle room."
3. Buy from dealers who price their kits fairly. A lot of stores will charge a lot more than normal retail for the fabrics contained in the kit, because there is a lot of labor involved in making the kits, as well as a lot of investment in the myriad of fabrics contained in many kits.
4. Pay close attention, when buying a kit, to what's included in the kit, especially when comparing the same kit across multiple stores. One may look a lot cheaper, but may not, for instance include binding fabric.
5. If you're buying a kit that contains a published pattern or book, is there an option to delete the pattern or book and save the cost of that? This could come in handy if you're making multiple copies of the kit, or already have the book or pattern.
6. Does the store offer extras, like free pre-cut binding strips, additional matching fabric in case you want to expand the quilt, etc?
7. Check to make sure you're not paying for fluff, like fancy packaging that you're just going to throw away. Do you really need for that kit to come in a fancy basket, or a tin container? You are, after all, paying for that container.
8. Check to see if matching backing fabrics are available. Advice is to get these right away if possible, because they may not be available when you finish the top.