S.C. man selling cheap caskets

ROCK HILL, S.C., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A South Carolina man is offering discount caskets for less than $500 and a build-it-yourself casket kit for less than $250.

Merritt Eggleston of Rock Hill said he was inspired to create his low-cost pine casket business, which he runs out of a small shed in his backyard, when he saw the price tag of a relative's $12,900 funeral last year, WCNC-TV, Charlotte, reported Friday.

"You ought to see what some of them are going for on the Internet, even for animals," Eggleston said of casket prices.

Eggleston, whose caskets will be available at a booth Saturdays in the Trader Marc's building starting Aug. 22, said he also makes do-it-yourself casket kits that can be assembled with a screwdriver and glue.

John Gullickson, owner of Insurance Services of the Carolinas and a licensed funeral planner, said Eggleston's business is perfect for the current economy.

"I thought it was a great idea because one of the biggest costs of the funeral is the cost of the casket," Gullickson said, noting it would save people $2,000 to $5,000 off the cost of most caskets.