Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : The Art of Investing -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: robert b furman who wrote (2911)	11/27/2021 11:15:28 PM
From: Sun Tzu	1 Recommendation Recommended By research1234 Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10550

Bob, You are talking a nationalist perspective, but that is not how commerce works. Nor is "quality" all that it's cracked up to be... Not for everyone anyway. For example, you could buy a Le Creuset cast iron pot for $400 that will probably last you 30 - 40 years. Or you could buy a Martha Stewart one on sale for $120 that probably won't last more than 20 years. An argument can be made to go for the latter and just get a new one every 15 - 20 years. Craftsmen prefer the former. But businesses don't see a point in using parts that last beyond the warranty expiry date. The relationship with China warmed up during the Nixon administration (GOP) and continued its expansion through successive Republican and Democratic administrations, each increasing the trade and cooperation. Then when things changed, the US pressure started during Obama administration and continued with Trump and now with Biden. Each administration has increased the pressure beyond its predecessor. My point is that the idea that somehow the US has been nice to China, or any other country for that matter, does not stand to scrutiny. And this is not a Liberal or Conservative thing. If somehow the US could remove its dependency on China, those industries would still not return to the US. They would go to India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and so on. And this is in fact what is happening, which is why these countries have seen an incredible run in their stock markets. Capitalism is not the same as nationalism. As Thomas Jefferson observed: "Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains." OK, 'nuff politics for now.

To: robert b furman who wrote (2911)	11/28/2021 10:35:38 PM
From: ajtj99	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10550

Robert, I think you misunderstand what "Made in China" and the products you buy are. China makes rockets, satellites, iPhones, and all manner of high tech things. However, when you get China-made products here, you are getting what the American buyer decided to spec and purchase and pay for. There are top quality products made in China that can stand next to nearly anything made in the world. However, if some stupid US buyer says they want "X-product" for "X-price" and the only way to make it for that is to cut corners, and the buyer is OK with that, then that happens. Some of the most stupid and naive buyers I have ever seen in China are American. They are the ones responsible for any faulty quality. Blame them, not China. If you are talking tools and equipment, then places like Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware are good places to look. Harbor Freight is a good to better quality supplier of tools and equipment. However, they are not industrial level quality. If you rated suppliers on a tier level, HD and LOW would use only Tier 1 suppliers, while Harbor Freight would use Tier 2's. I know the owner of Harbor Freight, and I have run into him on numerous occasions in China. I don't know where you bought the press that broke, but if some American buyer gave an impossible price and wanted a yes, then maybe some corners were cut and the molds for the die casting were not up to standard. I have been in factories that produce these products, so I have some knowledge of this stuff.