You might have a sucker face and if so there's not a thing you can do about it.

Plastic surgery to fix the sucker face would be cheaper.

The quotes aren't "way off". What you think something should cost means nothing to the marketplace.

Indeed, right now contractors are taking advantage of the "shortage" mentality and are inflating prices - often by ridiculous amounts.

A pipe threader isn't even needed... you can buy whatever length of black pipe you need at Big Box... or use CSST. I'm not saying this is a DIY job, but I am saying @ $200 an hour for 4 hours + materials and permit still is closer to the $1,500 mark.

You could buy quite a nice induction range for the price of adding the gas supply and buying a gas range.

I agree that the market may be full of price gougers at the moment, but that doesn't mean that you can't find someone competent and more reasonable if you put more effort into your search. For comparison. I had a gas extension done several years ago from the furnace, through a wall into the kitchen, and then along a wall behind some cabinets to where my new gas stove went. It was a run of about 15', and it was the bends that accounted for most of the labor, so a 35' run of straight piping would not have added significantly to the cost. If I recall correctly, it was less than $300 for the whole job, not counting the $45 permit. I suspect the same job today would be well south of $1000 as long as I wasn't dealing with someone out to gouge me.

“This is not at all what Google prepared me for”

Then for goodness sakes don’t use Dr. Google to diagnose your runny nose.

You were predisposed to believe the best case pricing scenarios that were a few years old, simply because you’re biased to believe what you want to believe, that’s favorable to you.

You now have 2 real world pricing quotes, and you still won’t believe the writing, because you don’t want your belief to be wrong. Even when confronted with real world evidence.

To the folks who are talking about "The marketplace".

Let me point out that it's not a market without a buyer. The sellers can say it's $20k... that doesn't make it so unless people are willing to pay that.

When it's a simple job and the cost of materials and labor are pretty transparent, it becomes pretty obvious that these suppliers are trying to take advantage.

You are talking MAYBE $200 in materials for CSST including fittings and shutoff.

$200 an hour x 4 hours if they are slow = ~$1000. There should be plenty of people willing to do this job.

When pricing gets out of hand, then handymen step in. Or substitution - like the induction range. Or DIY. Or people just sit on their money.

Is it 1980 again?

We had a similar experience with what we thought was a simple gas line extension. Other contractors (not plumbers) indicated that gas line plumbers are rock gods and you’re paying for their expertise and code compliance.

Rock star gods, that is

You might want to try getting estimates from local HVAC companies that sell/install gas fireplaces. It’s been a few years, but we also had a gas line run from the basement to the kitchen. The price was so reasonable, we also switched our wood-burning fireplace to gas and ran a line to the deck for the grill.

There's not much expertise required to extend a gas line, so when I'm going to pay plumbers' rates, it's for more demanding stuff. As others have indicated, there are lower cost alternatives.

The situation where I live is off the chart crazy. General population is spending free money living mid-way between Big Rock Candy Mountain and Fields of Ambrosia. Game rooms are full day and night. Pods of people standing at street corners visiting. Cars that have sat with weeds growing around them are selling for 3 tmes what they are worth and having that much more spent to make them street worthy. Everyone willing to work has a job and 3 other employeers trying to hire them. Builders promise to keep qulified contractors busy if contractor promises to keep up with builder's jobs. Even the dreggs at bottom of barrel get all the work they want so they ask 200 to 300 % inflated bids not caring whether they get the job or not.

Do not use a plumber, call a fireplace installer.  We had a gas line run outside for a grill for 1/10 of what the plumber wanted.

Great tips on the fireplace installer-- thanks. We're also coming up on the off-season so they might be up to the job where a plumber may not be. Honestly, they might sell me a direct vent fireplace while they're at it-- I've been thinking about getting one. I could probably get them to throw the gas line extension in as part of the deal and it would still cost less than what these plumbers have quoted me.