In praise of Chinese junk

[veggieburger]

They took almost 2 months to arrive, but these $4 toe warmers are actually really good, easily as good as my $25 Serfas warmers. It's just snipped and stitched neoprene, so not rocket science, but sheesh...for 4 bones I should have ordered a second pair.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-1-Pair-Rockbros-Outdoor-Cycling-Bike-Bicycle-Shoe-Toe-Cover-Warmer-Protector-/351404219501?hash=item51d152dc6d:g:Ct4AAOSwk1JWfOV O

[Ralph]

I have about 6 pair of some Arm coolers in various colors. About same price. Works good enough for me....compared to name brands.

[Exonerv]

Ha...just yesterday I ordered several rolls of SRAM Supercork bar tape at $2.11 per roll...with free shipping direct from China. How they can ship a $2 item around the world and make anything is beyond me.

In the past I've ordered several sets of Zipp knockoff carbon bottle cages. They weigh 19gms and cost $11 each delivered. The packaging has been exceptional. All cages have held up well and to my eye appear indistinguishable from the Zipp cages minus the logo... another plus.

I'm leaning toward trying more China direct with the full knowledge that returns are not really an option.

[ultraman6970]

If they took two months wonder if they sent by sea instead of airmail. By sea it takes forever and is a lot cheaper.

I do agree, shipping prices from china are just way too low, well it is cheaper to send here than send from here to there, it could be that there;s tons more of planes full with crap from china coming here than american products going to china and that could be a factor in the shipping pricing.

BTW when you buy clothing from china go for larger sizes or you will get stuck with something that might not even be able to use.

[veggieburger]

BTW when you buy clothing from china go for larger sizes or you will get stuck with something that might not even be able to use.

Yeah, I once bought a jersey from China. Thankfully I followed the size chart, because the XXXL they sent actually fit. Haven't worn a XXXL jersey in my life!

[victoryfactory]

Shipping is cheap in China. There are discounts for high volume shippers and there may be govt subsidies. But the biggie is this:
Universal Postal Union (UPU) a UN agency that sets rates between countries.
Apparently US and China have some sort of reciprocal agreement to deliver each other's mail for no additional charge after it arrives in country. So the Chinese shipper only pays the cheap internal ( possibly subsidized) rates. Then they slam it on a container You can get an awful lot of small packages on a 40' container for around 3-4K us.

VF

[peanutgallery]

I hope buying products produced by pre teen girls chained to work benches makes you feel good. They usually live in a dorm at the factory

Seriously doubt that there is any lead, mercury or human exploitation involved in the production of your china widget

[RonW87]

I hope buying products produced by pre teen girls chained to work benches makes you feel good. They usually live in a dorm at the factory

Seriously doubt that there is any lead, mercury or human exploitation involved in the production of your china widget

So you don't buy anything made in China?

[seric]

I hope buying products produced by pre teen girls chained to work benches makes you feel good. They usually live in a dorm at the factory

Do you have a source on workers being chained to work benches in China as standard practice, or is this simply a lie you feel is acceptable to spew in an attempt to make an argument for something you otherwise believe in?

I also suspect the use of the word "pre" in your statement as valid at any scale in China.

[Ronsonic]

I hope buying products produced by pre teen girls chained to work benches makes you feel good. They usually live in a dorm at the factory


Sadly, industrialization doesn't progress directly from scraping dirt on a suburban lawn-sized farm to, well, suburban lawns, universal education and clean, safe, high-paid jobs. There will be child labor, company towns and all the rest. But if those wretched things weren't better than the alternatives then the workers there wouldn't do them.

The answer is more and better alternatives. In the case of China the thing to watch is whether those are created instead of the current miserable state being made permanent.

[peanutgallery]

I buy american and or euro whenever I can. But made in china is unavoidable at times but I always look for another option

I do not go to Walmart or target and I certainly would never be caught dead buying knockoffs direct from china for myriads of reasons. Workers all over the world deserve better. Happy Memorial Day

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/chinablue/film.html

https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/chinese-workers-foxconned

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/forced-work-10092013103102.html/

[dgauthier]

This is why I get a chuckle when people talk of buying "high end" cycling items. When it's made in China, it's made for pennies on the dollar.

It's helpful if one can actually go to the far east and see for one's self how things are made and how cheaply they are bought and sold. Once it's shipped here, it's marked up 1000% or more and marketed as "high end" this and "high tech" that.

[kramnnim]

Thanks for posting! My warmers are starting to wear out, these should arrive by the time I need them this fall.

[OtayBW]

I can't comment on business/production practices in China - I have no knowledge of that. But I can say that I have long ago made a conscious decision to avoid - where possible - supporting Chinese commerce based on i) their occupation of sovereign Tibet in ~1950, ii) subsequent crackdowns in 1959 and later, iii) the ongoing attempt at Chinese cultural assimilation of the Tibetans, and iv) the near wholesale destruction of one of the last remaining intact Buddhist archives in the world.

My preference to avoid China commerce where possible is just my own. I have no heartburn whatsoever with whatever anyone else chooses to do for themselves.

[veggieburger]

I hope buying products produced by pre teen girls chained to work benches makes you feel good. They usually live in a dorm at the factory

Seriously doubt that there is any lead, mercury or human exploitation involved in the production of your china widget

Peanut, part of the irony is that the Serfas toe warmers were likely made side by side. One gets a little stamp on it, the other does not. One costs $25, the other $4.

I just wanted people to be aware of an inexpensive item, not cause a moral @#$% storm. Blah.

[peanutgallery]

Don't touch those cages and then take a leak

[Tony T]

I hope buying products produced by pre teen girls chained to work benches makes you feel good. They usually live in a dorm at the factory

Seriously doubt that there is any lead, mercury or human exploitation involved in the production of your china widget

Are you referring to Apple?

[peanutgallery]

Amongst others, steer clear of frozen shrimp at Costco and alibaba too
Are you referring to Apple?

[kramnnim]

Are you referring to Apple?


:hello:

[Dead Man]

Are you referring to Apple?

Zing

--

Recently bought an incredibly light carbon front wheel for $99 shipped. I'm a frequent technical descender.... No complaints so far. Sometimes those bastards get it right.

[jhat]

They took almost 2 months to arrive, but these $4 toe warmers are actually really good, easily as good as my $25 Serfas warmers. It's just snipped and stitched neoprene, so not rocket science, but sheesh...for 4 bones I should have ordered a second pair.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-1-Pair-Rockbros-Outdoor-Cycling-Bike-Bicycle-Shoe-Toe-Cover-Warmer-Protector-/351404219501?hash=item51d152dc6d:g:Ct4AAOSwk1JWfOV O

thqnks for the suggestion and the link.

[Nags&Ducs]

I recently went to Chengdu and things were so cheap there once you got away from the hotel stores. Noodle shops for lunch cost $1.50 and it was yummy! Ha, the meat in the soup could've been something other than beef.😎 maybe it was marinated cardboard!! 😆😆😆

[dustyrider]

Peanut, part of the irony is that the Serfas toe warmers were likely made side by side. One gets a little stamp on it, the other does not. One costs $25, the other $4.

I just wanted people to be aware of an inexpensive item, not cause a moral @#$% storm. Blah.

The biggest irony is only a few clicks away. Check out some of the gallery's recent posts and you'll get a full sense of irony!

I'm always reluctant to purchase from these places without some trusted feedback. Not because they're the scourge of my fragile ideology, but cause I don't like making donations without putting an actual face to the recipient. I think you're probably right the mark-up comes from that little stamp...thanks for the feedback.

[geeter]

I always buy $1.75 shipped from China cork tape from Ebay. It has never steered me wrong on many bikes. I can always change my mind about color or setup and never feel bad about wasting $20 on some tape.

[victoryfactory]

There is innocence and guilt in every country.
Wanting to make a political statement by dealing/not dealing with a country or a company is a personal choice...

Hopefully, the tide will raise all boats.
(If the tide rises high enough, we'll all need boats.)

VF