Well, I should know better as I had custom automotive ECUs designed in NZ and manufactured in China over 20-yrs ago. I saw close 100 areas where I could've skimped on specifications and made more profit, but chose not to. It's temptation that cannot be resisted by many U.S. importers and businesses.

Case in point, on left is gas-cap I got from U.S. company in black 3-yrs ago for $60.50 (after taxes and shipping). Figured I'd support U.S. business and supposedly get good quality. Well, little less than 3-yrs later, anodizing has faded due to low-quality anodizing process (not sealed with water at end). All it would take was little tick on checkbox at end of specs sheet that says "☑ seal anodizing". It would've costed an extra $0.73 and would've resulted in much higher quality experience for consumer with finish that would last +50-yrs.

So not wanting to fall into that trap again, I searched for replacement when I noticed colour fading after 2nd-year. I found exact same item in black on eBay from China with free-shipping for $11.99 (pre-tariff). It's exact item down to design-flaw with gasket-seat being cut too deep and not sealing with tank (2 gaskets must be used).

I don't mind U.S. companies making money and I don't mind sending them my money. But they must emphasize some benefit to me over what I can get directly from their own suppliers in China! The U.S. importer has 100% control over specifications and quality, but choose to let their greed take precedence. I wouldn't even mind them specifying bottom-quality if they don't rape me on pricing. Simple keystone markup to $15-16 I can live with. But going 400% up to $49.99, nope, I'm not falling for that again!

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1qUUtTkc3tZeWN3y31-lIvwk2rOWWvCgl

BTW - this is HUGE and prevalent issue in auto-parts industry. NAPA, AutoZone, O'reilly and other FLAPS all gravitate towards lowest common denominator and search for lowest-priced and lowest-quality parts in order to maximize-profit. Many parts, especially electronics like ignition-coils & distributors, wheel-bearings are bad right out of box!!! You'll have better luck going to breaker-yard and pulling OEM parts off wrecked car than buying new parts from FLAPS!

I agree with you 100%. Simply put, I/We expect better quality from “stuff” made here in America. We expect “crap” made in China. I prefer to get stuff here in America because the wait is much less. There seems to be more stuff for the 400 in China as of now.

Well, it's so difficult to determine where things are manufactured nowadays. Corporate greed has blurred national-boundaries. Witness GM closing down U.S. plants and moving them to Canada and Mexico after NAFTA (laying off +140,000 U.S. workers in process). They were then able to bring those cars into U.S. without paying import duties and declare them "made in U.S.A." even though no U.S. workers were paid single penny!

About 25-yrs ago when I worked at World Trade Centre in Port Hueneme, BMW pulled similar stunt. They'd deliver mostly-complete autos to dock and unload them. Then U.S. labour would be used to bolt on side-view mirrors and put "Made in U.S.A." stickers on them. Dealerships in L.A. had no idea and proudly declared these BMWs were "Made in U.S.A" when sellling them.

Completely different from strategies used by Honda, Toyota and VW who opened up U.S. factories to build their cars domestically. Toyota is actually largest exporter of U.S.-made cars, more than GM!!! :eek: And they do it with only 25% of assets.

What sucks about all of that is that the original designer likely did call for the sealing operation on the anodizing. Once a Chinese machine shop gets their dirty communist hands on a design, they will sell it to other distributors and make it the cheapest way they can. I highly suspect the cap on the left in your picture was not sold by the original designer - it was sold by a business who picked it out of the Chinese lineup to resell.

Just be sure to differentiate between the original designers and the copycats who cheap out where they can. It's real easy for anyone in the US to buy total crap from China and mark it way up.

What it really comes down to is just Know Your Seller. Quality sellers control tolerances and specifications. And if you're a designer, you better control your manufacturer, or your design is going to end up a cheap knockoff on Amazon for 1/4 the price. What you see here is a designer who lost control of their product in China, had their hard design work copied and now it's sold with low quality anodizing for $12 to sellers all over the US who mark it up 400%. :mad: