Sonic

When buying a product does it matter much to you where it was made? Much of the stuff 'Made in USA' is of better quality imo.

Th0r S1mpson

Yes, when I can find it, it means something.

But cheap is nice too, sometimes.

I'd pay a little more for Made in the USA stuff, but 90% of the time there isn't a clear choice between a USA and China product in stores. I'm sure I could go out of my way to find an alternative, but that would be too much work.

Maybe we can pay Chinese workers to run around finding Made in USA products for us?

fumanstan

Nope, I rarely even look at where something is made these days.

Th0r S1mpson

It's China.

DVD Polizei

The label is Made In USA. The fabric, the people who made it, are probably housed in China.

Giantrobo

When i read the title the first thing i thought of was that for me personally, I think it still matters for guitars. Maybe that is a bit of snobbery based on stories of crappy Asian and Mexican made guitars from the 70's and 80's.

Brian Shannon

I care about quality not location

TomOpus

Isn't it true that if something is made in one of the US territories (Guam, Puerto Rico etc) they can still use the "Made in the USA" label?

kd5

It's always a plus to find stuff that's made in America, however rare it may be these days. I sometimes wonder if we've forgotten how to make stuff, or if the union's involvement has made shit too expensive for people to consider in this economy. They should limit the amount of stuff that comes into this country from sweat shops around the world long enough for us to get back into the game. Put a few people back to work in the process too.

Red Dog

No.

Michael Corvin

I catch these Made in America pieces from time to time on the news. They are eye opening. I recommend watching a few. They'll feature a company and their struggles and just do a whole piece on the company to get the word out. Then months/years down the line they'll revisit the company to see if things improved.

Here's a piece they did on a home made 100% from American made materials, everything from the shower down the nails and staples. They actually did a follow up story about sending out a list of materials to contractors across the nation to see if they could get them on board in an effort to create more jobs.

Every year they set a goal for their viewers to spend on US goods at Christmas citing it will create X number of jobs. Last year's goal was to spend $60 on American made goods. They'll follow a family trying to find toys made here and stuff like that.

They're really interesting. That being said, companies should make it a whole lot easier by tossing the flag and a MiA logo clear on the package.

Troy Stiffler

This.

But quality hardly exists anymore. If you're going to buy something - anything - don't expect it to last more than a few years. If you do find something that lasts, it's only luck.

RichC2

Depends on what it is. IE - I bought a VW a couple years ago, it was assembled in Mexico. My buddy bought the same VW last year, it was assembled in Tennessee. His car is already falling apart, mine just crossed 125k and is still going strong.

Food products though, I great prefer from the US of A.

Th0r S1mpson

Anyone know how much a comb made in the USA costs?

Oh.

Troy Stiffler

VW is awful. My 2006 Golf was made in Mexico and had constant problems from 50-90k miles, and was then reduced to scrap metal.

That is all.

General Zod

On some things it doesn't matter to me and but on others it does. Pet food for example. If you want to kill your pet - get them food from China. If you want the latest electronic gizmo - from China is fine. I prefer to buy USA whenever possible but choices are limited.

Of course, and I know this goes without saying, I avoid anything from Canada.

bunkaroo

I've actually been surprised at how nice some Korean instruments are built, specifically Schecter and PRS SE. The Fender Made in Mexico stuff is very hit or miss, but I don't use or like Fender anyway.

The company I endorse for (Spector) makes their flagship basses in the US and they are basically functional art. But they are VERY expensive. You can get a very similar bass built in the Czech Republic, also built by hand, for less than half. There is good quality outside the US, but you have to be careful.

When it comes to the auto industry, I'm still not convinced made in USA is better quality. I moved to imports in 1999 and have yet to go back. Tired of all my GM's and Ford's in the 90's falling apart after 80K.

Groucho

How often is this really an option? I can't think of a time where I was staring at two similar products side by side on a store shelf, one made in China and the other made in USA.

DaveyJoe

Mrs. Danger

This matters a lot when you are buying tools.

inri222

bunkaroo

You're in way over your head.

inri222

I play bass and both the basses I own were made in Japan (Ibanez SRX550 / Fender Geddy Lee Jazz) and IMO are of good quality.

I drive a 2001 Toyota with 140K miles and she's still kicking.

bunkaroo

I don't have any experience with Ibanez basses in the past 15 years but I've read good things. I've also heard the Japan made Fenders are good, but don't they only make a few of the special edition ones there like the Geddy?

I'd probably still be driving my 2001 Camry as well if I didn't trade up to a Highlander, which was just as good.

Phodg

Japanese made guitars are usually very good quality, as are American made (for the most part). I'd put Korean next, then Mexican and then anything else after that.
Having said that, you can find a great Mexican guitar or a really crappy US made guitar. I've seen $2000 Gibsons that aren't worth a quarter of that. It's pot luck sometimes.