# Does "MADE IN AMERICA" ever indicate a desirable product outside of the U.S.A.? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 11, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772 "2020-02-11T14:38:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/21 "2020-02-11T18:19:48Z")
The general consensus in Asia (China especially) is that Wisconsin-grown ginseng is the finest in the world. When we visited my wife’s relatives in H.K. a couple of years ago, we brought a few boxes as gifts. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/22 "2020-02-11T18:39:23Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Many Chinese tourists will load up on American-made vitamins, medicines and supplements when they’re visiting the United States, because the meds back home in China are known to often be substandard or problematic. But that may be less an indication of high U.S. quality than low Chinese quality. Weirdly enough, they also get electronics like phones and tablets from the US, too. Just like it’s cheaper for us to get them when they’re made there there, it’s often cheaper for them to get those same electronics from us, taking into account the currency exchange. I have a Chinese coworker who takes requests from friends and family about what to pick up when she visits. Apparently it’s quite common. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/23 "2020-02-11T18:41:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If my experience watching the Try Channel is anything to go by, America leads the world in the production of snack items. Yeah but how many of them actually LIKE the foods they’re sampling. Dermot and George really seem to be confused by our obsessions with peanut butter, corn syrup, “artificial flavors” and scary, industrial neon food colors. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/24 "2020-02-11T19:00:58Z")
Many US brands are quite popular. However, that doesn’t mean the actual products are manufactured in the US. For most normal physical consumer goods, I don’t think there’s any expectation that they will be. For high-end and specialist goods, there are certainly markets for US made goods. There are lots of niche products such as tools or specialist electronics that have a single manufacturer, and often that will be a US manufacturer. There’s also food and beverage items, such as the bourbon mentioned earlier, and tabasco sauce. For intellectual content, I’m not sure how you assess its origin. The OP mentioned pop culture including television and movies. There’s also books, music, Youtube, social media, other internet sites, video games and more. I’m sure that in the UK much more US manufactured “content” is consumed than physical goods. A John Grisham paper-based book may be printed in the UK or in a third country, but I’d still consider it a US product. I’m not sure how you could assess where an e-book was made. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/25 "2020-02-11T20:34:17Z")
I can’t think of anything in Aus. Stuff made in America has to come through a painful export process, from companies that aren’t really set up to do export, with huge export markups to handle shipping, lead times, and payment problems. When I see ‘made in America’, I think ug, that’s a problem. Even though the problem isn’t actually the product. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/26 "2020-02-11T20:42:31Z")
Some tool brands generally have a good rep - DeWalt and Dremel, to name a couple. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/27 "2020-02-11T20:49:51Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Fair enough but these items seem to be marketed towards Western tourists. Are the locals buying them? Don’t get the wrong idea just because I said it was provided on a tour. Our guides still bought all the food they served us from local shops. It certainly seemed to me to be primarily marked to locals. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/28 "2020-02-11T20:52:08Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Don’t get the wrong idea just because I said it was provided on a tour. Our guides still bought all the food they served us from local shops. It certainly seemed to me to be primarily marked to locals. OK, fair enough. I accept your explanation and express sincere regret for my confusion. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/29 "2020-02-11T21:03:31Z")
What do you all think about our breakfast cereals? Fun stuff like Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/30 "2020-02-11T21:10:30Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > What do you all think about our breakfast cereals? Fun stuff like Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops, etc. A few data points: [Irish People Try American Cereals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQzg_kR7enQ) and [Irish People Try New American Cereals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tewIT0t198) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/31 "2020-02-11T21:19:08Z")
If I think of products with a good reputation that are explicitly marketed as American here, other than food or cultural exports, only two come to mind: Harley Davidson, though nobody buys a Harley for the great engineering (which it isn’t), but because it’s cool and we know it from movies, and Zippo lighters. Now the latter are engineered to perfection, but then it’s also no rocket science. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/32 "2020-02-11T21:22:08Z")
Books. There are many US authors whose writing I treasure. (The question of where they’re _printed_ might be relevant to some people, but nowadays I only buy ebooks, so it’s not an issue for me.) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/33 "2020-02-11T21:37:18Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > (snip) Martin Guitars and other guitar manufacturers (snip) That’s what I came here to post. Other acoustic guitar manufacturers would definitely include Taylor. Also, National, Scheerhorn, and Beard, who specialize in resophonic (aka resonator) guitars. Interestingly (to me anyway), the resonator guitar (often seen played lap-style in bluegrass bands and sometimes referred to as a Dobro) is the only of the five common instruments in bluegrass bands originating in the U.S. (the others being the guitar, fiddle, mandolin (Europe) and banjo (Africa)). ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/34 "2020-02-11T21:48:23Z")
> [@Kovitlac](#): > > Weirdly enough, they also get electronics like phones and tablets from the US, too. Just like it’s cheaper for us to get them when they’re made there there, it’s often cheaper for them to get those same electronics from us, taking into account the currency exchange. I have a Chinese coworker who takes requests from friends and family about what to pick up when she visits. Apparently it’s quite common. My wife is from China and her parents live with us here in the U.S. They are constantly buying stuff for their friends in China, mostly vitamins, medicines, and cosmetics. The main reason isn’t that they are made in America, but that fakes are so common and hard to spot in China that buying stuff from overseas is a way to make sure you’re getting the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/35 "2020-02-11T21:55:45Z")
I have a cousin who imports stuff made in China and he claimed that the factories rate goods and based on that, they get sent to different destinations. According to him, the first-rate goods go to the US, second-rate goods go to Europe and third-rate goods stay in China (and may perhaps be sold in places like Africa or India; I can’t remember what he said). No idea if this is true, but it might explain why someone would buy something in the US that was produced in China. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/36 "2020-02-11T22:03:12Z")
My female relatives who do not reside in the USA absolutely go crazy for American cosmetics. They bring extra suitcases to fill for the return trip. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/37 "2020-02-11T22:12:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I have a cousin who imports stuff made in China and he claimed that the factories rate goods and based on that, they get sent to different destinations. According to him, the first-rate goods go to the US, second-rate goods go to Europe and third-rate goods stay in China (and may perhaps be sold in places like Africa or India; I can’t remember what he said). No idea if this is true, but it might explain why someone would buy something in the US that was produced in China. And this relates to my query about how consumer products manufactured in the U.S.A.are perceived by international consumers…how? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/38 "2020-02-11T22:18:45Z")
Because some posters, like **Kovitlac** and **Jet Jaguar** , mentioned people from China buying goods in the US to take back, even though some of those goods were actually manufactured in China. My cousin’s anecdote, if true, might explain why they would want to do that. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/39 "2020-02-11T22:19:58Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > In addition, even when offered the option of American warplanes, many nations have opted for rival products instead. > > Brazil was offered Super Hornet; they chose to buy Swedish Gripen instead. > India was offered F-16 or Super Hornet; they chose to go with French Rafale instead. > Hungary was offered the F-16; they went with Swedish Gripens. > Qatar looked into Strike Eagle, Super Hornet or F-35, decided to go Eurofighter and Rafale instead. That’s not necessarily an indication of quality, but all sorts of stuff like up front cost, technology transfer, maintenance cost, availability of spares, etc… go into those decisions. 25 nations use the F-16, for example, including wealthy ones like the UAE, Singapore and South Korea, and others with formidable air forces, like Israel. I think that the US fighters tend to be more Cadillac than Chevy in a lot of ways, as they’re made for the USAF and then sold for export. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772/40 "2020-02-11T22:22:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Because some posters, like **Kovitlac** and **Jet Jaguar** , mentioned people from China buying goods in the US to take back, even though some of those goods were actually manufactured in China. My cousin’s anecdote, if true, might explain why they would want to do that. But if the goods were manufactured in China, no matter where that are sold they do not contain the “MADE IN USA” label, _which is what I asked about._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-made-in-america-ever-indicate-a-desirable-product-outside-of-the-u-s-a/847772.md?page=3)