Paying a high price for items made in China

[lovemyangels]

Let me say this again - shoes made in certain countries don't fit MY feet, including some shoes made in China and USA.

Name brands could get their material from one country, partially assemble their product in another country, and leave the last step be finished in Italy (or some countries consumers think are higher level), label the Made In to that country and charge high prices. Who to blame?

Single out one country seems racism to me. You mentioned one country, I exampled another two so to test how to feel.

 

[Sweet Fire]

I said I feel the shoes made in Spain and Brazil are discomfort to ME. I am not talking about the shoe making skills.

The discussion sure is interesting; otherwise I will not join.

If consumers are not happy with the name brands not revealing the source of where their products are made in, or they out source their production, consumers should blame the name brands but not the countries who made them. Name brands keep raising their prices, in the meantime, they move to lower labor cost countries for manufacturing, who should we blame for?

You're contradicting yourself, you can't blame one without blaming the other. People have stated they don't buy certain name brands why? because of the lower cost countries they're being manufactured in. Which in turn produce crappy products because of the workers being over extended and paid low compensation. So the brand looses consumers and the consumer does not contribute to the low labor cost workers. I blame China for how they treat their workers and I blame LV, Burberry, etc. for taking advantage of the low cost labor to increase their profits. Again they both go hand & hand and share the blame. There isn't anything racist about it, I don't want to be taken advantage of nor do I want to contribute to others being taken advantage of. Its my money so I can choose to spend it however I want for whatever reasons I choose just as you do.

 

[Sweet Fire]

Let me say this again - shoes made in certain countries don't fit MY feet, including some shoes made in China and USA.

Name brands could get their material from one country, partially assemble their product in another country, and leave the last step be finished in Italy (or some countries consumers think are higher level), label the Made In to that country and charge high prices. Who to blame?

Single out one country seems racism to me. You mentioned one country, I exampled another two so to test how to feel.

My experience with quality/labor issues has only been with China, so that is why I mentioned China only. If you want to think its racism you are free to do so.

 

[caramelize126]

My experience with quality/labor issues has only been with China, so that is why I mentioned China only. If you want to think its racism you are free to do so.

Same. I also mentioned that i had issues with quality of items made in Brazil, so its not just one country that is being singled out in this discussion.

I dont understand why everyone is so quick pull the race card.

 

[Sweet Fire]

So far the list of brands outsourcing

LV, Bottega, Burberry, Prada, Zadig et Voltaire

 

[NCC1701D]

Same. I also mentioned that i had issues with quality of items made in Brazil, so its not just one country that is being singled out in this discussion.

I dont understand why everyone is so quick pull the race card.

Maybe because someone (not OP) said that she had a problem with buying a handbag made by Chinese workers in Italy. I think the thread kind of jumped the shark there.

I still stand by my earlier statement that if the concern is poor conditions at factories and declining quality standards, supporting fast fashion is completely illogical.

One reason I love shopping secondhand is that it has retaught me how to recognize quality. Especially at a thrift store when clothing is all priced the same no matter what the brand, and many of the brands are foreign to me. I have nothing to go on other than the material and the craftsmanship. I think as consumers we have put too much faith in branding to stand as a proxy for quality, and forgotten how to judge it for ourselves.

 

[Sweet Fire]

Same. I also mentioned that i had issues with quality of items made in Brazil, so its not just one country that is being singled out in this discussion.

I dont understand why everyone is so quick pull the race card.

Exactly! I only have experience dealing with China but many others have various experiences and this opens up the floor to share them. It will educate and benefit all who share concerns regarding this issue. Most of us regardless of what our income level is do not want to be taken advantage of. Just imagine how many people wouldn't have known about LV if the info wasn't posted. Its our money and we deserve to know where and how its being spent.

 

[ms-whitney]

I don't understand why people place the made in xxxxxxxxxwhereverxxxxxxxx into consideration,

that's not what I look at when I purchase.

I look at the design, quality of material and the way it's put together, I'm very big on the little details as well as overall look..

then I look at the price and ask myself if what I see is worth the price. there are some things I'd never pay for no matter how cheap, because I can't stand poorly executed clothes/bags/shoes.

people often comment on my stuff, whether it's a jacket I brought at anthropologie three years ago or this cute coach bag I've gotten two years ago or a yohji piece that I brought four years ago..

all look still relatively brand new despite multiple wears

 

[Sweet Fire]

Maybe because someone (not OP) said that she had a problem with buying a handbag made by Chinese workers in Italy. I think the thread kind of jumped the shark there.

I still stand by my earlier statement that if the concern is poor conditions at factories and declining quality standards, supporting fast fashion is completely illogical.

One reason I love shopping secondhand is that it has retaught me how to recognize quality. Especially at a thrift store when clothing is all priced the same no matter what the brand, and many of the brands are foreign to me. I have nothing to go on other than the material and the craftsmanship. I think as consumers we have put too much faith in branding to stand as a proxy for quality, and forgotten how to judge it for ourselves.

She stated the title of the thread gave her a racist vibe, that was directed at me since I'm the thread starter. In my opinion there isn't anything racist about the title or discussion so we can agree to disagree. If someone wants to say they don't buy Asian made products, they are free to say that. There is a law called freedom of speech that everyone utilizes, its only a problem when someone's speech does not favor someone else's opinion. However that doesn't mean that persons rights are taken away from them just because someone else doesn't agree. You don't have to agree, its your choice just like its their choice to feel the way they do.

Branding is for a reason, people shouldn't have to shop secondhand in order to identify with quality. If I'm paying $200 for a blouse from designer Z, I want the quality to be good especially when I've purchased from designer Z for many years receiving nothing but excellence. Designers are no doubt taking advantage of the weight a brand name carries which is why this thread is so important. It educates us who shop designer goods at full price to know what we're getting and paying for.

 

[NCC1701D]

She stated the title of the thread gave her a racist vibe, that was directed at me since I'm the thread starter. In my opinion there isn't anything racist about the title or discussion so we can agree to disagree. If someone wants to say they don't buy Asian made products, they are free to say that. There is a law called freedom of speech that everyone utilizes, its only a problem when someone's speech does not favor someone else's opinion. However that doesn't mean that persons rights are taken away from them just because someone else doesn't agree. You don't have to agree, its your choice just like its their choice to feel the way they do.

Freedom of speech is a Constitutional protection that only applies to government actions. This is a private message board and we have no First Amendment rights here, in any event it's neither here nor there since I don't see any deleted posts or anyone censoring anyone else.

Branding is for a reason, people shouldn't have to shop secondhand in order to identify with quality. If I'm paying $200 for a blouse from designer Z, I want the quality to be good especially when I've purchased from designer Z for many years receiving nothing but excellence. Designers are no doubt taking advantage of the weight a brand name carries which is why this thread is so important. It educates us who shop designer goods at full price to know what we're getting and paying for.

I'm not saying people should have to shop secondhand, I'm saying I find it helpful for retraining myself to focus on quality. Your original post said nothing about quality. It said you went into a midrange clothing store and saw "Made in China" labels and were turned off. Country of origin is not a marker of quality. If your post described some of the quality issues you saw with the Marciano clothing I would agree with you that the thread was bringing attention to which designers are cutting corners and which aren't.

 

[Sweet Fire]

Freedom of speech is a Constitutional protection that only applies to government actions. This is a private message board and we have no First Amendment rights here, in any event it's neither here nor there since I don't see any deleted posts or anyone censoring anyone else.



I'm not saying people should have to shop secondhand, I'm saying I find it helpful for retraining myself to focus on quality. Your original post said nothing about quality. It said you went into a midrange clothing store and saw "Made in China" labels and were turned off. Country of origin is not a marker of quality. If your post described some of the quality issues you saw with the Marciano clothing I would agree with you that the thread was bringing attention to which designers are cutting corners and which aren't.

Quality is exactly what this thread is about. The title of the thread is paying a high price for items made in China Obviously if I'm having reservations about paying a higher price for something it has to do with a quality issue. The majority of the fonts got it, you did not but hopefully now you do. If not oh well as I won't be furthering this issue with you. Also I never stated I was turned off because it said China, I said I was turned off because of the PRICE. You saw China and got emotional.

 

[chicinthecity777]

This discussion is going nowhere! I still feel what OP was saying was that "Made in China" = "low quality" where a lot of other posts have stated this is not true. I don't believe this is the case but OP seems to refuse to agree on that. Let's just agree on the disagreement and move on.

 

[Sternchen]

Yes and no. Made in China doesn't always equal bad quality. Just as every other country, there will always be those that produce inferior quality goods and there will be those who produce high quality goods. It all depends.

I like to look at the stitch- and leather-/fabric-quality before making the decision to buy or leave it.

What is more important to me is how the companies treat their production workers. Sadly, we don't usually get a peek behind the scenes.

 

[Mariapia]

I think if the thread had started 10 years ago...the conversation would have been different. We mustn't forget that the cost of living is higher than ever, that when we spend money.. (which is hard to make nowadays),we ALL want to make sure we are not being ripped off by the brand...
The time when the consumer accepted to pay hundreds of dollars or euros on an item without asking themselves questions...is over.
Do I pay the right price ? That's the question.
We have nothing against China.
Would there be a Chinese designer (and there will be famous ones in a very near future)...making his bags and clothes in his home country, we would not even ask ourselves questions...we would buy the product if we liked it.
In these times of global crisis, is it normal to pay $ 1000 or more for something we know doesn't cost that much because of the lower wages in Asian countries?
I am not blaming China, I am blaming the brands which, because of their image, continue to rise their prices.....though the cost is lower....
But....I would also refuse to spend 500 euros on a plastic bag.....even if it's is made in Europe or the US...just because the designer is prestigious....

 

[katran26]

I think if the thread had started 10 years ago...the conversation would have been different. We mustn't forget that the cost of living is higher than ever, that when we spend money.. (which is hard to make nowadays),we ALL want to make sure we are not being ripped off by the brand...
The time when the consumer accepted to pay hundreds of dollars or euros on an item without asking themselves questions...is over.
Do I pay the right price ? That's the question.
We have nothing against China.
Would there be a Chinese designer (and there will be famous ones in a very near future)...making his bags and clothes in his home country, we would not even ask ourselves questions...we would buy the product if we liked it.
In these times of global crisis, is it normal to pay $ 1000 or more for something we know doesn't cost that much because of the lower wages in Asian countries?
I am not blaming China, I am blaming the brands which, because of their image, continue to rise their prices.....though the cost is lower....
But....I would also refuse to spend 500 euros on a plastic bag.....even if it's is made in Europe or the US...just because the designer is prestigious....

Very good post! Especially in this economy, I think people are extra careful with what they buy and want the best possibly quality. This has nothing to do with anything else.

Here's an analogy: when I buy olive oil I always buy extra virgin natural oil from Greece. And I happily pay more. I have nothing against olive oil from the US or Spain, but I know that Greece is known for their olive oil and will have the best flavor and darkest color.