Without being political, the national discussion about the lack of jobs seems to point the finger at "dem evils corporationz that outsource all our manufacturing jobs to India and China".
My contention is and has been that the US is no longer a manufacturing based economy like we once were. We've progressed and evolved. Even G1 toys were manufactured abroad.

So, would you be willing to pay a 50-60% premium for tf toys if they were manufactured right here in our own backyard, meaning the US?

For me, I definitely would not.

 

Honestly this is a dangerous topic because it is to likely to become a political discussion. That being said...

I would personally pay a mark up if they were made stateside but i think 50-60% is really steep. I think more of a 25-30% markup i would pay but 50-60% doubtful.

 

I certainly would be willing to in principle. It would probably cut down on my impulse buys, since I'm just a student. It would really suck for fans outside the US.

Of course, this is all really out there. Has the US ever been a major manufacturing center for toys? If ever, I wouldn't think we have been since before the latter half of the twentieth century (which is pretty much the earliest we can talk about action figures).

 

I'm not a buy them all person so it wouldn't hurt me very much to take a price increase like that, and on the bright side I'd figure it went to help our economy instead of sending part of my purchase price somewhere else.

I think it would also get rid of some of those damn distribution problems since products could ship out by truck as soon as they were done instead of having to wait on a boat from China and then always being last to get figures because you live on the east coast.

Although I'm not sure if it actually be the 50 to 60% more per figure. While the hourly wages might be higher in the US with newer machinery the productivity at US plants is far greater. Even in China you are starting to see a shift toward higher wages so that idea of making a profit just by cheap wages will not hold forever.

 

New Balance makes running shoes in the UK and the US, and they sell for an average of £85.
Nike, Asics, Mizuno and Adidas make running shoes in China and Vietnam, and they sell for an average of £90.

Outsourcing makes things cheaper, but this saving is rarely passed onto the consumer. They could make a profit by making TF's in the US, and in the long run it would be much better and healthier and if enough companies did this it would result in a stronger economy. Short term, margins are too important, as paying out to shareholders and showing annual "growth" is the important thing to do.

 

This i did not know and it makes a great point.

 

Really? So, none of the cost benefit of hiring workers at $.50 per hour in China versus the expected $8-$10/hour and American worker doing the same task is passed onto us consumers that take this all for granted?

Bottom line, is that yes the cost savings are passed onto us, because Hasbro is also competing against Mattel, Bandai, Jakks, etc. for toys at similar price points who also outsource their manufacturing to nations with cheaper labor.

 

Don't forget that Hasbro sells toys worldwide.

 

I would pay a premium, for molds and decoes of United and Henkei quality. I already pay this premium since I have to import these toys.

What's on shelves now, DOTM? No, I'm not buying the vast majority of that stuff at CURRENT prices.

 

I certainly wouldn't, cos I doubt the markup would be followed by an increase in quality!

 

Most of the rest of the world pays a premium already for TF toys. Putting an extra premium for coming from the US? That's gonna kill a lot of the world market.

 

Not trying to be smart, but where did you get 50-60% premium from? If I were to guess, I would think it would be more.

And no, I wouldn't.

 

This is going to be an interesting topic, if it doesn't get personal and/or sidetracked. I love interesting topics like this...

tbh, I think it would be a lot more than 50-60% premium if it was made in the States. The labor cost is far more than you can imagine here, vs. in China. The minimum wages, safety regulations, etc, serves, if you will, and unfortunately, debatably, a hinderance to production cost and time effectiveness. But ofcourse, we do take pride that the workers will be in much better condition. Although that's getting into politics, world views, etc.


All in all, would I pay it? Yes. But probably not the happiest person to do so. But I know, it is the right thing to do if its produced here. ONLY if the cost ACTUALLY get to the workers.

 

Youre right it would be higher, just leaning on the more conservative side.

 

Pay $120 for a voyager at retail instead of $75 In order to support one foreign country over another? No thanx - allready subsidizing american toys by paying a considerable markup at retail

 

I don't see this topic ending well as it'll inevitably turn into China-bashing or something. That said, doubt it'll ever happen. Profits are only what companies care about, and we as consumers only care about getting the (relatively) best product for the cheapest price. That's rarely compatible with a company having to pay a decent living wage (by 'murican standards) to its workers. Would I pay the premium? I'd say I already am with imports and the second hard market and third party products, lol.

 

Is there something wrong with China-bashing?   Even China's own citizens don't want to buy products made in China. I think its not bashing anyways if it is what it is, you know?

Like, saying KO have bad quality isn't bashing KO, but it is what it is... dunno if I am explaining the point.

 

maybe 20-30% at most just for the principle and feel a little better about the purchases, but price increase doesn't necessary means quality increase, and given the choice i'd rather the us retain manufacturing jobs for high tech/long use life products or strategic values than cheap plastic trinkets/craps that people throw away after couple years

 

I would not pay a premium.

 

I wouldn't pay a Premium. I'll avoid the political discussion on why. . .