Country of Origin

[sickpup]

So following on from other threads do you care about the Country of Origin of the items you buy?

[duhawkz]

[Chuffin Nora]

I never buy stuff from any country that isn't run by the Illuminati.
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[Lord Percy]

Is this thread about general prejudices towards certain countries and their manufacturing abilities, or about the fact that buying in-house or overseas items will have a long term effect on British industry e.g. importing cheap steel to the detriment of our own steel industry?

I think it would be a good thing for the government to set up some pretty strong protectionist measures to ensure our industry doesn't die e.g. massive import tariffs on goods that we can already make ourselves in-house. Having said that, and rather hypocritically, I tend to just buy the cheapest thing regardless unless there's a known quality difference. This is because of the whole 'little fish, big sea' mentality when it comes to enacting change. I think it would be very hard to push a whole nation to actively choose to buy British stuff in order to protect British economic interests. It needs government rules, tariffs etc to make it happen. Or at least some kind of state-funded campaign to promote Buying British.

[Polarbear]

I do buy branded expensive items on the (possibly) reasoning it will be quality controlled by the parent firm irrespective of where it is made.

Probably naive of me though as a wolf suitcase generator I bought was utter pants.
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[Rogerborg]

No, because propping up high cost economies is, as Itchy says, kicking the can down the road.

We need an economic reset to make us globally competitive again. Both a big devaluation of our currency, and a sharp reduction in the cost of living. It's got to get darker before the dawn.

Incidentally, the big toe punt is taxing everyone in order to subsidise inefficient industries, or to pay people to do nothing. That forces up wage demands and costs across the board.
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[Rob Fzs]

I always try and buy British, over the last 3 / 4 years we've spent quite alot on machinery, all from British firms, and it's built to last and if it does go knackered, they will sort it, you get what you pay for

Could i say the same for something from elsewhere? i don't really want to risk it and i have not got the time to mess about for months on end waiting for parts, neither do i want to be replacing the machinery in 10 years time because it's fucked, because of the inferior, cheap products it's been built with.

But ofcourse, if you're spending alot of money you do your research, not quite the same an an impulse buy of something for a few quid.
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[AngelGrinder]

It's a difficult one really, but as the internet reaches ever further, it becomes even easier to shop internationally.

I've ordered products from the chinese websites, they can produce, package and ship items to me from China for crazily low money. I ordered a jacket for the dog from there, it was about £2.50. How anyone makes any money on that is beyond me, I can barely send a large letter within the uk for that price, let alone to China...and that's before I've even factored in the manufacturing and materials cost.

The problem is, these websites are directly cutting into the small businesses that would supply items like that. Many times in shops I'll look at something and think 'I can get this cheaper from 'insert website here'.

As much as I'd like to buy locally, I'm not swimming in money, and have to watch what I spend.

It's difficult really.
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[sickpup]

[Rogerborg]

What genuinely puzzles me is how Sterling can stay so strong when our balance of trade is so awful.

We talk about the City propping up the economy, but if that's what's making our currency so expensive, then it's also what's killing us.

We have high taxation, high energy costs, high environmental and safety standards and an expensive currency. That's the perfect storm for strangling export industries.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Jewlio Rides Again LLB]

In our industry, we do get the odd firm who wishes to deal with us who cite 'no Chinese, Indian, eastern Europe manufactured'.

Which is rather ironic, given the shite they churn out is mainly from those very places
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[Sun Wukong]

[Rogerborg]

[Sun Wukong]

[linuxyeti]

Hi

No, I don't mind where it's manufactured, afterall now, sometimes there is no choice, other times it's misleading, such as Dyson, held up as a poster boy of british manufacturing/design, and yet whilst the products may well be designed in the UK, they are manufactured in Malaysia. As someone has already said, the globalisation genie has been let of of the bag, and you're not going to put it back there.

By the way, the 'Buy British' campaign has been tried before, including quite a big campaign in the 1970's, that failed, and that was before the days of ebusiness as we know it now. There was also much more protectionism as well, which only served to make british products uncompetitive, and british companies became lazy and complacent.
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[331X2]

I thought the Dyson manufacturing was moved abroad due to power restrictions placed on vacuum cleaners produced within the EU?

[grr666]

Nah it was moved because little brown people clicking them together is cheaper than having little white ones do it.
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[Rogerborg]

Nope, cost, supply and markets. Huh, I see Dyson is a Europhiliac.

The EU diktat covers "placing on the market", not strictly manufacturing as such.

I see "robot" vacuum cleaners are exempt.

https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/tfumux/images/c/c5/Mega-Maid.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090629230919
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[grr666]

To be fair, in a similar boat my press release would say the same. Particularly if a first world nation market was likely
to boycott my expensive premium products for tucking up an 800+ strong workforce.

Besides, why didn't he move production to Europe then if he's so pro?

Regardless, dyson hoovers are crap anyway. Henry for the win. Still made in Chard just up the road from me and they didn't feel the need
to sell their plant full of workers up the road to increase profits either. https://www.numatic.co.uk/about.aspx
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[pepperami]

I try? to buy British.

I have had crappy poor quality goods from all over the world, including blighty!
I see it as at least I try? to help the British economy.

However, my wallet rules my head and if the goods are significantly cheaper from abroad, then that`s where my money goes.
I don`t mind paying a small bit more to buy British if the quality is equal or better than the foreign competition.
Sadly, as we (the UK) manufacture less and less goods, we will all be buying all our goods from abroad.
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[Itchy]

[pepperami]

[Jewlio Rides Again LLB]

[sensi5446]

[Rogerborg]