ARE ALL PRODUCTS MADE IN CHINA, MADE WELL?

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Ankesh

A friend of a friend got a phone from China. Looked exactly like the iPhone. He paid Rs6000 for it. iPhone will launch in India only on August 22nd. And the price I've heard is Rs31,000!

The price difference is huge. The guy who bought the phone doesn't expect it to work more than 6 months. But even then, its a good buy (especially for people like him who use cellphones as accessories and change it 2-3 times every year.)

Hi Ankesh,

I have a similar story...

A few months ago, my fiancee asked me to buy an electric hot water kettle. However, she instructed, don't buy a Chinese made one!

So, I searched... I went through every single electric kettle they were selling in K-Mart. Out of all the models there, only ONE was not made in China!

The Chinese made ones were all kinds of prices... From around $20, I think, all the way up to over $100.

The only non-Chinese one was made in France. As I recall, it cost about $120!

So, I went back to my fiancee with this information... I argued it was worth it to just buy a cheap one. I figured, hot water is pretty much hot water, no matter what kind of kettle it is (as long as it's safe).

I later shopped around elsewhere a little more, and actually got one for $10 (it was on special). It works fine. But at such a cheap price, if it broke down in a year, I wouldn't worry too much....

I think it probably differs from product to product. In some products, "quality" makes little difference, from a practical point of view (as long as safety is not compromised). For example, a ceramic bowl works just like a ceramic bowl, no matter where it's made. You can still use it to eat your cereal. On the other hand, with some other products, "quality" can make a big difference.

Interesting thread...

Cheers, Dien