[bdk1976]

"The more you make of something, the cost per unit goes down"

I agree with this, but it has little to do with the statement I was referring to. Production costs are not really a concern unless you are a manufacturer - if they can lower production costs due to volume, good for them as it should boost their profit margin. I don't expect them to pass on lower prices just because it costs them less to make - the market (supply/demand) will decide what they actually sell for.

If I have 100 items to sell, I'd much rather have 10000 people competing to buy them than 10.

[Cliff R]

I quit using AC Delco because they started having them made in China. Even if the quality didn't go to chit I still would have stopped buying them and sourced out USA made filters instead.

All of us need to start looking at the Country of Origin for parts we buy and stop feeding offshore companies. They are already coming over here and buying us out. There will be no need to go to war with China or anyone else, at some point they will own most of the businesses and land here, and one day just come in and take it over.....

What most folks don't realize here is that the Chinese, for example have the means to build the very best products on the planet. The reality check is that you are NOT going to get their best efforts and the price point we are willing to pay for them. Hence many of the items that come from over there are not nearly as good as what is made here.

Even "seconds" from over they are absolute pieces of bovine excrement but sadly often we have no USA made alternatives. Case in point. When the Zama carburetor takes a crap on your chainsaw or string trimmer buy a geniune Zama replacment carburetor. It will cost in the $30-70 range for most of them, some are even higher.. You can "Google" and find "replacment" carburetors on Ebay, Amazon and Walmart.com for $10-15. Some even come with a new fuel line, air filter, spark plug, etc. They aren't worth two squirts of duck poop and you are lucky if they work much longer than it took me to type this or work at all.

So be aware that the $20 or so you saved wasn't really saving any money at all, and you will get to tear it back down taking up more of your valuable time to get it back in service.

Take these oil filters, for example. I tossed the last AC Delco Chinese made filters in the trash and replaced them with Baldwin/Hastings filters. Why risk a $5000-10,000 engine on a part made in China, I'd rather take the risk with a USA made part. If you blow up the engine in your pride and joy GTO because you saved a couple of dollars on an oil filter, NO ONE is going to be happy and rest assured the folks who made that filter over in China aren't going to do anything for you. Cripe you'd be lucky if anyone over here would take responsibility, so it's just best to use the highest quality part in the first place and hope it doesn't fail and take out your engine.

I for one am NOT part of two crowds on this planet. I don't give a rats butt about a cell phone and rarely use it. We recently vacationed in Saint John. I left my cell phone in the office. My wife took hers in case something happened and family needed to get hold of us. Other couples on our trip pissed around with their phones just like they do here. I walked on white sand beaches, cooked in the sun, and spend countless hours snorkeling on reefs around the island swimming with sea turtles and watching sharks and barracuda's look for their next meal. Didn't miss the phone in the least.

I also shop locally for nearly everything that I use here, when it is possible and practical. Not saying I don't shop on-line, which I do, I just buy locally when it's items that are in stock and I can pick them up. An example here are parts for my John Deere and Yanmar tractors. I can save some money buying service "kits", belts, and other items with Google, but I don't. I go to the dealership and buy the items there. This would be even more important if those tractors were under warranty as I'd be establishing a paper trail and documentation that service was done on time and using their parts. That's only the case with one of them but I still insist on using genuine John Deere and Yanmar parts even though they can be quite a bit more expensive that replacment parts purchased on-line.

Doing this also supports local businesses so they can keep the doors open and still be a service to the local community. If everyone keeps buying with Amazon, for example in a few years all your kids and grandkids are going to be driving to the nearest Amazon distribution facility to punch their time clock.......FWIW........

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by bdk1976

"If I have 100 items to sell, I'd much rather have 10000 people competing to buy them than 10.

We're talking about a simple oil filter with millions (if not billions) being made every year, not something that is limited production.

[track73]

Look what Henry Ford did with the Model T. They started out at $850 and by the end they only cost $260.

[burd]

I just use the ac delco filters.
You’re better off using China made filters with all the other parts on your vehicle that’s made in china, it’s like keeping it stock.
My last Colorado was made in Korea. But it’s American. BS.

[P@blo]

See box for the country of origin is usually the norm now. My last Wix were all made in the USA like mentioned the same thread posted recently.