Many? Probably not. The Chinese government pisses me off in so many different ways.

They figured the E.U.'s RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) legislation wasn't good enough so they made their own version of it. Only the main purpose seems to be to line the pockets of Chinese labs that certify chemical compositions.

Or how they've got the world by the balls right now over a bunch of "rare earth" elements used to make magnets and superconductors. Sure, we're re-opening our own mining and refining capacity but we're years away from keeping up with demand so China take the world to the cleaners meanwhile.

Or how, if you want to do business inside China you HAVE to partner up with a Chinese company that is traditionally guaranteed to rob you of any intellectual property they use.

At this point I'm sort of hoping the Koreans eat their lunch...

 

With all the various news reports, starting with the pet food poisioning pets through the segment where one of the stations had childrens toys and some supposedly "lead free" products tested, I am avoiding Chinese products whenever I can. The really onerous ones were the childrens rain suits that contained heavy metals and lead and the "lead free" beads that were made of lead.

Made in USA is my first choice, if that is not available, then ABC (Anywhere But China).

 

If there is a specific product I want for whatever reason, then no it's made in/assembly origin will not stop me from buying the product.

However if I walk into say Home Depot and say 'I need a tile saw' without any particular brand/features desired then I would prefer to buy domestic.

 

Quality Control is what China lacks.

All Apple products are made in china, why are they always one of the "highest quality" although the price vs. performance is a debatable subject..

Its because Apple QC kicks ass.

There are lots of other "chinese branded" companies that have good quality products. There are farrrr more chinese branded companies that have 0 qc.

Find a good chinese company that has a decent QC and you're set.

 

#2 pencils made in china still sucks!

 

In China, as is with just about anywhere else, you get the quality you demand.

If the iPhone can be *made* (subsystems & components may come from different places) by Foxconn in Shenzhen, anything is possible. I'm sick and tired of hearing people trash products made in China - it's not where it's made but rather who it's made by and the process & procedures in place to ensure it's exactly as specified.

 

It's not about the quality of the product I am worried about, (tho I always have low expectations) it's about keeping American dollars in America. Yes I drive a Japanese car, but I imagine everyone here car understand why I didn't choose the Saturn Sky.

 

not a fan of the "buy american" sham. i'd buy it if it was quality made. not everything made in america is quality. *cough GM and Ford cough*

and "buy american" just to keep US dollars inside america is being greedy. it's no different then your millionair boss not paying you well just so he can have a higher profit margin.

 

IMHO, if a company has something made in China to cut costs, it's not the product I'm looking for. It's my money, I'm not sure why I'd spend it on the absolute cheapest crap man can churn out.

And I'm not so sure I want to support the way China treats their workers and people in general. Or how they manage their resources. Or the safety regs (or lack thereof) regarding hazardous chemicals.

Bottom line, as a general rule I don't buy from China - you get what you pay for, and it wouldn't be coming from China if anyone cared about anything but maximizing profits. But there is far more than the pricetag that influences my decisions.

 

i try to research all of my major purchases and see what reviews and what not say about them. i dont really pay attention to where its made, you really cant anymore. America drove American business' out with our crazy taxes and costs of business, China offered American business' a more cost effective way to run their business without being screwed by the government.

just look into the piano youre thinking about, if its a good piano, who cares where its made?

on second thought though, i dont think i would use a Chinese product that my life depended on.