As long as it works for me, I couldn't care less where it came from.

I love to support US companies and their products. That being said, if the company is a good company (like Lelo/Fun Factory) I'm not going to forgo their product just because they aren't in the US.

I never thought of it, but if two similar toys said "made in china" and "made in USA"-i would pick USA, even if it was more expensive

Doesn't matter where it's made to me

Just my opinion. I do like when things are made in the USA because I feel slightly more certain that workers are receiving fair wages and treatment, it supports the local economy, and since products don't have to be shipped halfway across the world I think they are more environmentally friendly. However, these days most things are made in China to cut costs; that just a reality. High quality products are made all over the world, including China and the US. So in that sense, it doesn't matter to me where things are produced.

I honestly don't look or even think about it.

I think working is a really big thing.

But the nature of caring where something is made IS a political concern. It's shitty to see things that are poorly made being made in the US. And of course, those shittily made things are five times more expensive than they would be if they were made in China.

To me, the debate over where something is made IS NOT about quality. It's about ethics. Things made in factories in developing nations are not often humane. Terrible working conditions, (what should be) criminally low pay, no workers rights. Many times the workers have to basically live in these internment camp looking things on the grounds of the facility and in the surrounding area owned by the factory because they can't afford to live by their own means.

Outsourcing of labor can be a great thing for developing nations. It can help empower a people. Other times, depending on how it's run and whose in charge, the checks that are in place to protect, the people of a community can be exploited to a degree most in the US can hardly fathom. Their living conditions do not improve. Their education does not improve.

What's more, many things listed as made in china aren't even anymore. Many companies have found that it's too expensive to make things even in China. So outsource to a manufacturer in China who has arms in other nations where they can pay workers fractions of what the workers in China would make.

THAT is my motivation discounting things made in China and elsewhere as a con. I want the people who make the things I use to paid a living wage where they live. I want their quality of life to be improved. I want them to be treated like respectable human beings. Their time and their skill is worth something. it's wrong for the heads of a company somewhere in Europe or the US to increase their profit margins ten fold as they lay off all their workers and shut down their factories to outsource their jobs to people who get paid pennies a day only to still not be able to afford food and shelter where they live. That, my friends, is just wrong.

I could see "Made in the USA" as a pro being a good thing. It is a negative form of nationalism to put "Made in China" as a con. We have contributors who live in China or from China and don't want to alienate or offend them.

Politics aside, staying positive is important.

I don't really care where it's made, as long as it works as it's supposed to. However, on the other foot, I do prefer US-made products. I don't know if it's just media-hype but lead in children's toys, poison in dog food.. :/ Scary stuff.

It's never really made a difference to me. If it works, great! If not, darn, maybe next time.

Meh, who cares? It's not like I can control where something is made. :|

I dont care where it is made as long as it works. HOWEVER.... I find that things made in the U.S. can be CRAP. I think our products usually suck.

I honestly don't care about where it is made as long as it works as intended, and is of decent or better quality.

As for the political argument, what most people don't realize is that it's not just about exploiting developing countries (that's one side of the argument). Many people from developing countries don't even have access to clean running water, stable housing, electricity, schools, etc. etc.

Even if their wages are 60 cents a day, it is better than having no wage at all - everyone who signs up to work at those factories knows this, or else there would be no workers for any factory in any developing nation.

While I wholeheartedly agree that it is wrong to exploit people regardless of where they are at, it is the predicted course of any country's progress from underdeveloped, to developing, and eventually hope to becoming a developed nation. Starting from the industrial revolution, all currently developed nations underwent the same process - just look at America in the l800s to mid 1900s. Even today in America, underprivileged workers are still being exploited and getting paid way below the minimum wage.

A note about minimum wage - even though it's much higher in America than in developing countries, the cost of living in America is also much higher. That is also another reason you have factory workers in developing countries - they wouldn't sign up if it made their current living situation worse (this of course excludes the workers who are forced to work in factories, such as in drug trafficking, but that's another topic altogether).

Another thing people forget to think about when making a statement such as "this product sucks, oh right because it's made in ___(insert developing country here)___" is that the companies who issue the manufacturing contract want the best quality they can get for the lowest price. They want to pay $10000 for something that costs $8000 in raw mats alone, plus wages and manufacturing cost - that leaves next to nothing to make a product anything decent.

The manufacturers do exactly what the parent company tells them to do - if they didn't, they wouldn't have a contract. The parent company determines what raw materials to use, issues the manufacturing diagrams, and instructs the manufacturer how to manufacture the product. When the parent company receives the product, they go through a quality check before packaging and branding it. If they weren't satisfied with the quality, they would not sell the product to consumers.

When a company from a developed country determines the details of the manufacturing contract, from the raw materials to the design schematics, and if consumers end up with faulty products, it's most likely the parent companies who are cutting corners. Most people tend to blame the manufacturer, when in actuality it is the parent company's greed and oversight that is at fault.

I prefer made in the usa

If I have a choice between a product made by a fellow American, and a product made in some other country; I will choose the American made one every time. I try to support my fellow Americans. Also I believe that the environmentally controls are the strictest here in America, and next to nothing in countries like China and India. But I guess being green only counts if you are buying something that is trendy and labeled green, and not actually green.

doesnt matter

If I had all the money in the world I would be picky... but i don't.

It doesn't bother me too much where a product is made. The determining factor is the company that makes the toy.

That things like 'Made in ...' as either a pro or a con in a review would put me off the reviewer, not the toy itself.

For me, it's based on the Company that makes the toy. If the company is reputable and have great quality control, it doesn't matter WHERE their plant is, and their products will come out great. If the company scrimps on material and quality control, their merchandise will suck whether it's made locally or overseas.

Another factor is the item itself, especially when it's a wonderful toy, will you forgo it just because it's not made in the country of your choice?

I've talked about globalization already somewhere else on the forum. Just because someone puts the parts together doesn't mean that the actual parts were produced here; more than likely, they were produced in a third world country.

I've come to equate American products with shitty quality anyway; if we need an example of any kind, just look at our cars. It's just stupid nationalism propagated by our politicians so that they can voted in.

Anyone who tries to buy "only American" is either buying real antiques, which were really American made, or just doesn't understand how the global economy works lol

As long as it works for me, and has high quality materials then I don't care where it is made.