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I just got home from my latest trip to the store to return something.
It used to be that most of these trips were made because I bought the wrong item, or wrong size or something like that. These days it is almost exclusively because the thing I just bought didn't survive it's first use. IT'S JUNK.
More specifically - Chinese Junk.
When we first started selling out to the Chinese markets, I'd noted that more and more parts or devices I was purchasing were "disposable," that the quality of these items was at best suspect and that I would more than likely have to replace them after two or three years use, but I expected Chinese manufacturing to slowly and constantly improve - just as items from the Japanese market did. (Yes, I am old enough to remember when "Made in Japan" meant that the item is a cheaper alternative to the high quality American version of the same item.)
But the crap we are importing from China is NOT GETTING BETTER. In my experience, it is getting far worse. Instead of lasting a couple years, half of this junk does not survive it's first use.
I used to be happy to buy parts from the many auto parts stores. Or to have a local repair shop put in their own parts (they charge you less than the dealer, and the parts were not quite as good. Still you could get a few years use out of them.
Now, I feel that almost all car parts - especially those you get on EBay (or tools you get from Harbor Freight - what I returned today) are designed to be used to make the item work long enough to sell the car - after that it is the new owner's problem. These days, I have to ensure that a car mechanic will include the cost of labor along with the cost of the part in the warranty - otherwise, they will also buy the cheapest parts they can find for your repair. Parts from - you guessed it - China! Lord help you if you need a repair while far from home on the road.
Buy that $79 water pump from China, yea you might have saved $321 in dealer parts and another $200 labor, but you will pay twice for labor. Something that should have lasted 100K miles will have to be replaced again within a few months and that savings you thought you had has disappeared.
Electronics,
Auto Parts,
Home Appliances,
Unsafe Children's toys.
Even faulty drywall in your homes.
We are buying nothing buy junk from China, the US economy (the manufacturing segment) has been decimated, and the Chinese are getting richer while we are really getting very little for our money.
Who makes out in this deal (other than the Chinese?) The companies here that sell this junk. What percentage of the crap sold will most consumers just swallow and go get another? What percentage of consumers will just pay the extra cost of doing a repair twice or even three times and not ever blink? While I was in Harbor Freight a girl came in returning three heat guns. She said, they just buy stuff in their Window Tinting shop from HF just because it is convenient and they just wait and bring them back once a month or so.
As I said I have learned now NOT to buy any after-market car parts. Unfortunately, when it comes to electronics, appliance, tools, and other stuff, I no longer have much of a choice. Good luck trying finding anything that does not come from China any more.
Yes, I know this is mostly a rant... Knowing that most of the people I know don't care about this issue, I expect that this thread will not get much play, but if you are interested in contributing, if anyone here has any links to "Made in [Anyplace but China]" items for sale, I would like to propose that you list them here.
China has the most sophisticated, high tech, automated and robotic factories in the world. They are capable of very high quality manufacturing. If Harbor Freight or Walmart or any other retailer buys the cheapest products to sell at cheap prices that reflects on the retailer, not the country of origin.
This is an old myth that started with Japanese goods soon after WWII. They did indeed specialize in cheap plastic junk. That changed rapidly. Now they produce mainly tech quality goods including electronics, cameras, optics, duplicating machines, laboratory equipment.
Virtually all high tech electronic consumers good such as those with the Apple brand name are now made in China. China produces 5x the number of high tech products as produced in the US. The clock is ticking on US high tech. Even Intel is cutting back 15,000 jobs this year.
If you want to buy cheap junk, you can buy cheap junk made in China. If you want to buy high quality, high tech products you pretty much need to buy them from China or what is left of Japanese manufacturing.
We just looked at some vinyl fencing parts. DH asked about what he was reading about Chinese vinyl. They showed us the inside of the post which was stark white, virgin vinyl. Chinese vinyl parts are grey inside because it's from recycled stuff and eventually the outside white also turns grey. We get what we pay for!
Were it not for the Chinese, my husband and I couldn't afford half of what we have. The Japanese are the reason we are able to afford new cars.
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