tom, I dont know if a company would match a quote, I assume you mean like some stores advertise they will match competitor prices, you could ask but the most important thing you need first is what type of product do you want to manufacture. The reason I ask is that some things may be better having made here and some overseas. There are many things involved and finding the best one to suit your needs may take some work. Several places to start would be thomas net, globalsources.com, and also professional trade associations. Again, I believe american would be a great choice, but not in all situations. What type of product is it? This will help people to answer you.

hunting product

Wow tom, youre a man of few words. Can you narrow it down just a little perhaps I can look around for you and maybe someone here can help you, but there needs to be a bit more information. I would not expect you to give away your idea here, but you do need to be a little more specific, such as is this a gun or gun accessory, a knife, a treestand type product, etc. I will add you as a friend perhaps you can then email me more information if you are not comfortable doing so here. I would also be glad to sign an NDA if you like. I do see from your profile is that the item you have in mind or is this another idea.

Shawn P. Galloway
http://www.gallowaytechconsulting.com

Hi Tom

Shawn is correct there are times when its better to get things made in your own country but there are certainly times when getting things made in China is the better option. I can list some things to consider:

- if your product is small and/or compact and/or stack able you could probably fit a lot in a shipping container therefore getting it made in China would be a idea worth considering; however if the item is large and bulky then maybe not.
- if you are short on time then getting it made in your own county would defiantly be quicker.
- if you want a cheap price then go for China, expect a higher price in your own country.
- if you are looking to get large quantities made China is the way to go. Many Chinese manufactures have a MOQ (min order qty) so if the order qty is low they might not want to take your order.
- if you’re looking for creative in put then getting it made locally would defiantly allow for this. Don’t expect to get it when getting something made in China. With Chinese manufacturers/prototypers you have to know exactly what you want and drill that into them.

Good Luck!

Sarah A. van der Waal
http://www.getyourstuffmadeinchina.com

please do not promote over seas production.
this is “AMERICA” we have sold out enough and given into cheapness over quality enough
we have to many people needing work , this is insane
think of it this way with everything you have made over seas to put more money in your pocket
you lose 2 or 3 people to buy your product because the labor went over seas.
you created your idea here because you are free to do so because this great country had many men and women give their lives for you to create . so do them a favor and back your country and keep the work here
i have not posted for awhile but sometimes things like this need to be said

You raise some excellent points, Robert.

Especially on the labor and customers.

I certainly think the more creative high value adding jobs should be sourced locally. In fact, I said that in my post. I’m basically encouraging an improvement in the quality of jobs in America.

Think about it. If people have higher paying jobs in America, you’ve got more customers.

By the way, next time you come to China take a look at all the big American companies over here making money out of the newly employed Chinese and sending that money back to the US.

It all balances out in the end. In fact, a lot of people forget that they can sell in China as well. Don’t think of it solely as a threat. China is so big there is a lot of opportunity to sell stuff here. You just need to be prepared to put the effort in. That’s what will help get American’s employed: courage and a willingness to have a go.

Seriously, Robert, give it some thought. With the right idea, you could employ lots of Americans.

Finally, if someone can only start their business by getting their product made in China, shouldn’t they have the freedom to do so?

Once again, Tom, good luck.

As has been said, there are many factors to look at when sourcing products and yes, many american companies are located overseas as well as many overseas companies are here(such as toyota has a plant in west virginia). What we need this country to do is lower the cost of living. I have talked with people overseas in the past and it surprises me that while nothing beats living in America, our living standards are so high that we have to work for many times more than other countries. I spoke with someone in india a few years back and what they pay for rent is about the equivalent of $25 a month. We pay 500 or more a month, much more in some places. And yes, wages are considerably lower, but our houses are mansions compared to many places. Our energy costs are sky high, we all have television, phones, computers, dishwashers, washers and dryers, etc. We live in luxury. Even the poorest americans live in luxury compared to overseas. People here are content to live on welfare instead of working for low wages because welfare pays their bills and gives some extra. We need to change our whole country from the ground up to be able to compete with these other countries because our living standards are so high. I make around 17 dollars an hour working as a nurse for the government, any less and I would be on the street, Imagine 5 dollars per hour. I certainly dont condone buying overseas if it can be avoided, but understanding why it cost so much less can help understand this volatile economy. We have actually worked ourselves into luxury as many of the things we have are taken for granted, and many people in the world dont have, and many may not even want. We cannot claim to be humble when we have so much. We are taxed to death, healthcare is throught the roof(example-I pay well for my insurance, but it costs me 10 dollars for a generic prescription and 40 for a brand, yet welfare people pay nothing for insurance and a few dollars for their prescriptions) Our system is one of entitlement and we drove ourselves to it. Unions wanting higher wages have driven many of our jobs overseas.

Dont get me wrong, I agree to buy american when possible, but to complain that all of the jobs have gone overseas…we did it to ourselves. If you can find a supplier here and the cost difference is negligible, yes go for it, but otherwise economics usually plays the upper hand.

Shawn,
Please help me understand your way of thinking. You think everyone must give up their luxuries to be more competetive with other countries. I really hope that was a joke.
You as a person are responsible for what happens to you. If someone choses not to graduate high school, go to college, or start a business than they earn what they are worth. Can we treat people like adults instead of children and hold them accountable for there actions? Can everyone stop blaming people that have achieved the American dream? I do not feel sorry or apologize for making what I make or giving my children a good life. I had to work 2 and 3 jobs at a time to achieve what I had to achieved, but I was motivated to making something of my life instead of complaining that someone else had more.
The true heros are people with disabilities that seem to rise above their disability and make a better life than someone without a disability.
The problem is people take the easy way out and are given welfare. Some are too lazy because they are giving everything. The government is not suppose to support you for life. You are suppose to support yourself and your family. If we lower the amount people receive on welfare or stop the benefits for some, then they will be forced to be more productive and there taxes will go down.
I just thought of something – if our poorest people are living in luxury then why don’t the government make them buy health insurance with the government welfare money instead of letting them spending $100 for sneakers. Maybe because this is a free country and those people chose to buy that big screen TV with government money instead of worring about health care. Maybe they know that a hospital must see them reguardless if their ability to pay. Maybe they know there are free clinics. I know not everyone on welfare acts like this, but I know the majority do.
Taxes, unions, and government guidelines have caused our products to cost more, but you also have to realize that the workers in other countries do not have the same benefits we have.
It is a good thing that our poorest people live sometimes better than the middle class in other countries. But, our people chose to be poor.

i`m not wanting to employee “some” AMERICANS
they all need to be employed .
yes there are many U.S companies over seas and people dont understand that those companies
spend their money right here in taxes and soon.
“BUT” if everyone here would stop thinking they are worth so much an hour then it would be different ,
and the big gap from income in Cal. to the east coast. A house in Cal. is a million plus same in Fla.
and so on.. but the same house here in Wv. maybe 250,000.00 or less. the same materials went into building
except ours werent build by a bunch of mexicans crossing the boarder everyday to work and take the money back home
employee people at home at decent wadge. have health care for everyone threw their job.
cut welfare to a 6mnth time frame period.. or at least make them work a job at least 30hrs a week while on it
make every company an employee share owned company.
make products by AMERICANS for AMERICANS.
and by the way this fri and every fri. wear RED to back our military . i`ll know who you all are if you dont have that red on.
this is no joke.
it is time to start doing about and stop asking.

its strange that everyone and more than some want to go green to save the environment.
to save the environment . think about that . most of us right now are trying to come up with a green idea right.
but most wont do anything to save the homeland, there is always an excuse or reason that its alright
to buy or build over seas..
but everytime we do we take money out of our pockets and hurt our environment .

It’s funny, everyone wants to save the environment, and they blame the small global warming to man made CO2. It has been proven that man made CO2 is a very very small amount in relationship to all the CO2 produced on the planet. It also has been proven that CO2 does not cause a green house effect that experts contributed to global warming.
Scientist state that the planet will be cooling for the next 30 years. Even with that, lets say the people that beleive in global warming are right (without any scientific facts) and man made CO2 is the problem. What can they do to prevent it. It is stated by their so called experts that it is too late and the world is doomed. Then, why are they worried about putting everyone in this country in financial difficulty and trying to stop the process. If we are doomed then what is the point of buying a hybrid or spending more money for solar and wind energy. Even if we do all that we do, how are we going to make other countries comply with stopping CO2.
There are no facts to support global warming, but there is alot of money to be made for scientific research to prove it or to find some method to reduce CO2. The government also looks foward to make more money in taxes with the CAP and Trade Tax (which will add to killing of the already weak economy). If there is money to be made then people will try prove it and maybe even skew their findings to make sure it exists. With all the money being made, there still is no fact to prove that global warming exists or is man made.

No, I am not saying we should give up our way of life, just that we understand why it is cheaper in other countries than here. Our way of life is great, but we have to afford it. If we cannot manufacture cheaper because we have to pay our people more to afford our way of life. This is just the way it is, we have to live with that.

The other interesting thing i see is people in stores using their benefit cards to buy tobacco, lottery tickets, and everything else. this is wrong and is also why our economy is the way it is. used to be the rich were rich, the poor poor. If you were rich you got an education, if you were poor you worked. now everyone has access to it(a good thing) but we all pay for this in one way or another. Yes we have it much better than other countries, but in order to sustain our lifestyle we have to sacrifice somewhere. It is just that our economy is way out of whack now, and aside from turning everything back and starting from square one, we gotta take what we have. If I can manufacture here and it only costs a little more and I still make a good profit, then yes I would do so, but if the difference is making it or not, then I would have to go overseas.

Shawn

i guess if it came down to eating or not i would just turn the tables on the manufacture i was working with and
let the community and employees know hey you could have had some work but the man upstairs said he would not do it for what china will.

then after we all do that a time or 2 things might change.
its kinda like a buddy i have.. he and his wife and 1 kid drive around in a nice but older S-10 truck. well
i came into a nice 1997 cavalier 4 door. i ask him if he wanted to trade he said no way i love my truck.
i said well ok but i`m gonna ask your wife what she would like to do.
the next day we made the trade.
also we do need to go back before we go forward, the only ones who do not think that way are the ones who have to much money .

The planet’s temperature is rising. This cannot be disputed. Whether it’s a naturally occurring cycle, man-made, or a combo of the two might be debatable.

As for accountability and the American Dream, yes everyone should be responsible for themselves. That does not mean, however, that we should be solely individualistic,as I believe that is the problem with capitalism today and to take any philosophy to an extreme will be to the detriment of our nation. The theory of the “haves & haves nots” are easily spoken by those who were raised with privelages, and by privelages I mean something as simple as a decent public education. Not everyone is born with these privelages and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream is attainable for some with fewer obstacles than others. Equal opportunity is a myth. While it does happen that some can rise up out of poverty, the numbers are few. Whereas those with resources can easily attain a lucrative education and hence a lucrative career (or at least decent). I’m not saying people don’t take advantage of the system, but perhaps that is all they were taught to do.

My vote is for an American manufacturer if you can still make a decent profit. Would you make more of a profit if your product was made in China? Yes, but you must accept that profit knowing the cost of taking your work out of our country. I wouldn’t blame you if you did go overseas, as in another post I state that sometimes we have to get our foot in the door and to make ourselves valuable enough to contribute well to our own nation. Maybe that’s your case.

Since this topic is generating so much passion, perhaps we should start another forum to see if a group of us here could start our own national manufacturing company.

I also suggest you all take a look at the “Shark Tank” trailer on ABC, a new inventors’ show coming out in the fall. There is a forum for it, as well.

Happy hunting, Tom! And best of luck.