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Effing Chinese high tech! grrr

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pezar
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29 Sep 2013, 12:56 pm

CornerPuzzlePieces wrote:
Stop buying cheap crap and expecting quality product maybe?

When you buy from an unknown manufacturer in an attempt to get products for less money, you take on the risk of getting a ham-fisted clone or a knockoff.

Especially from China, if I buy things I assume automatically there is a reason for it being cheaper.

You're part of the problem.. consumers like cheap. Cheap and quality don't mix well.
--it's not china's fault for picking up the market's cheapassery.


The thing is, here is how it works. The Chinese manufacturer makes a Widget. A middleman imports the Widget to America, and wholesales it to retailers at a substantial markup. The retailer adds extra markup before selling it to the end user. How large is the markup? In 2004, I bought a shortwave radio over Ebay for $55 including shipping. The EXACT SAME RADIO, from Universal Radio, was $120 or so, without shipping costs. I was looking for a specialized tool used in soldering a couple years back. From Hong Kong, $30. From America, with a brand name on the box, nearly $200!! !! The exact same tool. Apple especially is notorious for cutting costs so they can get more profit. Everybody involved in the chain is greedy, including, a little bit, the end user.



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29 Sep 2013, 11:19 pm

pezar wrote:

The thing is, here is how it works. The Chinese manufacturer makes a Widget. A middleman imports the Widget to America, and wholesales it to retailers at a substantial markup. The retailer adds extra markup before selling it to the end user. How large is the markup? In 2004, I bought a shortwave radio over Ebay for $55 including shipping. The EXACT SAME RADIO, from Universal Radio, was $120 or so, without shipping costs. I was looking for a specialized tool used in soldering a couple years back. From Hong Kong, $30. From America, with a brand name on the box, nearly $200!! !! The exact same tool. Apple especially is notorious for cutting costs so they can get more profit. Everybody involved in the chain is greedy, including, a little bit, the end user.


Fair enough, it's not a sin to want things cheaper.. just know that the middleman usually takes on the responsibility of quality control too.

So if you do buy direct you have to make sure you won't get a reject unit, like Fogman mentioned..



I buy apple headphones from china, 2$ and occasionally they don't work 100%. But if I lose them it's no big deal.. so for me it's a risk/cost assesment.

I'd never buy a medical device from them, but they are ok for some things..



greengeek
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17 Feb 2014, 12:47 am

EsotericResearch wrote:
But they do sell Geelys and stuff in the US I think.


They don't sell Chinese four-wheel cars that go faster than 25 MPH in the US. The Koda had a Chinese body, but that was all. They have sold Chinese Three wheelers in the past though.


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greengeek
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17 Feb 2014, 12:51 am

Fogman wrote:
As other people have pointed out, yeah, in the 50's and part of the 60's Japanese stuff was regarded as junk. Conversely, in the 70's and the 80's Korean stuff was also regarded as junk, because, well it was. However nowadays, the stuff from Japan and Korea certainly is not junk.


I wonder how much of the "Junk Era" Japanese and Korean stuff is still around. I have an Early to mid 1960s 4" Sony TV that still works, and a Small late '60s or early '70s Korean assembled Zenith Table radio that still works.


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Marky9
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20 Feb 2014, 11:21 am

Fogman wrote:
... in the 50's and part of the 60's Japanese stuff was regarded as junk.


I remember those days very well. About the worst thing you could say about something was that it was "Made in Japan". Today the opposite usually seems true.

If I consult my infinitely fallible crystal ball, I might predict that in the coming years Chinese goods will make a similar turnaround. In fact, if I were a betting man I would put money on it.