The experience is actually... pretty good. I personally order stuff from China all the time. In fact, it's my preferred way of doing business.
And it looks like I'm not alone in this.
You know, for as much ★■◆● as Chinese products get all the time, this is kind of the reason why I now use them. I'm sort of an niche artist (glass blower) who needs to have specialty tools custom made once in awhile. Now, I've gone American made many times before, using people who've started up their own companies and made the specialty tools I've designed for myself. I love the little guy and always support folks when I can. Typically I get a lot of guff about the items though, how hard they are to create a finished product to my specifications, a lot of excuses and delays, and it takes literal months to get the item to my door... and then typically I have to contact the person back because they've taken a few liberties with my original design just because they thought it'd be better or there's sub-par quality from what I've received from them before. This entails sending it back to have what I originally asked for made in the first place and to the quality I expect. And I'm paying $75-$100 per tool.
There's even been moments where I've either had other artists orders put IN FRONT of mine because "well, they were more well known" OR I would be told that they're working on the tool I requested and it'd take a few months... meanwhile they're still openly advertising for custom orders they can "complete ASAP". Well if that's the case, where's my ★■◆●?!
So, I finally got fed up and took the plunge. Contacted someone with the machinery to make what I needed in China. I was really apprehensive, I felt like I was betraying myself and all these small businesses and the country I live in (support your local whatever! Made in America)... but you know what happened? My order was received immediately, I was provided pictures of the workers and environment I was ordering from via the website, each tool I was having made was $25 each and I was apologized to right off the bat as the company I ordered from said they were backlogged and my item would probably ship out in 3-5 days.
Excuse me? 3-5 days? I'm used to waiting for MONTHS at this point. Everything arrived on time to the specifications I asked, my shipping was free because of the initial delay, and it came in gorgeous packaging with a Hand written note thanking me for my business.
It occurred to me that this is why we as a nation lose so much business overseas. These guys went above and beyond for their customer where-as the people I've used in the US have all felt entitled to my time and money at their own discretion.
Seriously though, it's endlessly amusing (read: hypocritical) that the party of capitalism is so chest-thumpy about "buying American!" when Chinese manufacturing is pretty much the epitome of pure capitalism in action. Faster, better, and cheaper, or at the very least two out of three.
The only time I'd buy american is if the quality is equal or better than the quality from china -- and that's few and far between now. Other than the low wages (to you and me, but cost of living is much lower there than here) that are paid out, Chinese companies don't have the 'gouge the customer at every opportunity' and 'profits above all' mentality - meaning the prices are quite reasonable.
American companies really need to step up their game if they want to bring back manufacturing.
There are two basic reasons why Chinese companies can offer such low prices.
1. Slave labor wages.
2. Currency manipulation.
After that there are a number of other factors…like pollution controls and OSHA regulations…etc.
And there is a lot more to business than profit. The idea that American products are more expensive simply because of greed is mostly a myth.
Just try to remember this…
When you are unwilling to pay good wages for another mans labor, someday another man will be unwilling to pay good wages for yours.
Where is your country going to get its income when those abundant natural resources start to dwindle, and nobody wants to pay CorelDraw* the high prices for their products because India or Russia is doing it cheaper?
* I used Draw as an example because it is a product I use instead of the American alternative Adobe because I like it better.
They also need a source of energy to run their factories, so we're also supplying that to the Chinese in the form of coal and natural gas. Talk about cutting off our own noses to spite our faces.
Cat (n.) A bipolar creature which would as soon gouge your eyes out as it would cuddle.
Oh they are painfully aware of the energy situation, for more than the reasons you stated. That's why they're going gangbusters on renewable/future energy.
