Math - Must have changed!

[marshg246]

I ship parts. I need various box sizes. I ordered two sizes through Amazon from a US Small Business company. They arrived in one day. Big ole "Made in China" on the side.

How can it cost less to make cardboard boxes in China, ship them to the US, pay the duties, and they cost $1.84 each for a box of 25. Yes, that's expensive and they were $0.86 each on July 1, 2025 when I last bought so duties really raised the price but still, we can't make cardboard boxes here? Ever wonder why getting parts is getting more expensive by the day?

Reminds me of the manhole covers in Fairfax County, VA. They are made in India, long before the current tariffs. Cast iron is heavy and shipped from India! It might make sense except that southern Virginia has iron and steel plants and foundries! Surely pouring molten cast iron in a mold and then delivering it to northern Virginia is more cost effective than shipping it from India!

Math must have changed, and I missed an announcement Well, actually, it's not even math but simple arithmetic that any 6th grader should be able to do!

 

[gpzkat]

They don't make 'em like they used to!

 

[Tornado]

But, to make the boxes in USA would mean paying workers a real wage, benefits, etc....that would make your boxes much higher cost to you. When you have a workforce in another country, with low/minscule wages (if any at all...see political re-education camp labour forces) and low safety/environment laws, your country quickly stops being competitve for price. Now the absurdly low shipping costs from places like China are another matter....I hear its something to do with an international agreement setup for "developing" countries that permit their postal charges to be honoured in more developed countries. I can have a single item sent from China for near or at zero charges to my front door...yet sending a similar item a few tens of km's away from house to another city in my province...runs me $20+ dollars via mail.

 

[marshg246]

In searching I learned a big lesson!

ULine has US made 10x6x4 boxes for $0.68 delivered in 25 lots. I've got to quit going to Amazon first - $1.16 less each!

So, it is possible to buy US made for less!

 

[kommando]

China is still classed as a developing country for postage plus the Chinese Govt subsidies companies when they ship via post. I can get an item shipped from China for a shipping cost less than the same item posted in the UK.

The organisation that sets the countries rates is

Universal Postal Union - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Only the US has protected themselves via Option V where the US can set incoming rates themselves.

Every time a new country industrialises its lower labour rate will impact the labour rates in other countries. When you have such a large population such as China plus being run by the CCP then there is a huge effect, personal incomes in the West have stalled or even dropped due to this effect. China is now being hit by Vietnam labour rates. If Africa ever industrialises then the shock will be huge.

 

[marshg246]

China is still classed as a developing country for postage plus the Chinese Govt subsidies companies when they ship via post. I can get an item shipped from China for a shipping cost less than the same item posted in the UK.

The organisation that sets the countries rates is

Universal Postal Union - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Only the US has protected themselves via Option V where the US can set incoming rates themselves.

Every time a new country industrialises its lower labour rate will impact the labour rates in other countries. When you have such a large population such as China plus being run by the CCP then there is a huge effect, personal incomes in the West have stalled or even dropped due to this effect. China is now being hit by Vietnam labour rates. If Africa ever industrialises then the shock will be huge.

I feel sure this was not post. It was shipped to a US company who sold through Amazon. According to Amazon they've sold 100+ in the past month.

I implied in post #4 that I'm a big dummy for looking to Amazon rather than searching for a US made better deal - I won't make that mistake again! I wasted a good bit of money!

 

[MichaelB]

Amazon has succeeded at their mission.
To become the go to retailer. It's so easy and almost automatic.
What started out as the discount retailer, has become the convenient retailer.
Are those 'Free Shipping', easy returns etc. etc, really free?

 

[grandpaul]

Are those 'Free Shipping', easy returns etc. etc, really free?

So far, yes.

 

[marshg246]

Are those 'Free Shipping', easy returns etc. etc, really free?

Not IMHO. You pay a lot for a Prime membership and don't get much for it now. They include everything in the price. So, no, you generally not pay separately for shipping but more and more things are available elsewhere for less delivered. Also, lately, the free drop off at a UPS Store is gone on returns. And, when you rent a movie on Prime, there are ads!

That said, I have been ordering from Amazon 4-10 times a week often without even looking elsewhere - that's over!

I've mentioned Walmart.com a couple of times lately. No membership and things often are delivered for less in total price than Amazon. Last Tuesday, got Folger's coffee. Local grocery: $22.78 no sales tax, Amazon: $28.38+sales tax, Walmart, delivered same day: $9.97+sales tax. Yes, all the same size!

 

[NPeteN]

Good for you Greg. Amazon = America Last. A tuly rotten company to it's core.
Buy local when you can, spend money in YOUR community with YOUR neighbors.

 

[concours]

Good for you Greg. Amazon = America Last. A tuly rotten company to it's core.
Buy local when you can, spend money in YOUR community with YOUR neighbors.

...and when they've crushed every other competition & retailer, they will CONTROL us, by controlling what is available

 

[Tornado]

Not IMHO. You pay a lot for a Prime membership and don't get much for it now. They include everything in the price. So, no, you generally not pay separately for shipping but more and more things are available elsewhere for less delivered. Also, lately, the free drop off at a UPS Store is gone on returns. And, when you rent a movie on Prime, there are ads!

That said, I have been ordering from Amazon 4-10 times a week often without even looking elsewhere - that's over!

I've mentioned Walmart.com a couple of times lately. No membership and things often are delivered for less in total price than Amazon. Last Tuesday, got Folger's coffee. Local grocery: $22.78 no sales tax, Amazon: $28.38+sales tax, Walmart, delivered same day: $9.97+sales tax. Yes, all the same size!

But we all need to keep propping up Amazon...afterall, those rockets won"t fund themselves!

 

[acotrel]

I have been trying to buy a portable 5 terabyte solid state drive. I have found a few which are cheap, but customer reviews say they are scams and do not work. Amazon are expensive.

 

[marshg246]

Amazon reminds me of the rise of Make Do Po (Home Depot) in the US. There were some good hardware stores and Hechingers was a big one with a long history. When Home Depot started they were so good, so friendly, so helpful, and had such good products and you really couldn't do better. Once they had run Hechingers and most of the smaller hardware stores out of business, they turned to crap. I call it Make Do Po because no matter what you go there for, you end up leaving with some crap just to make do.

 

[Onder]

Big Box stores have become useless. Nothing you want and what is on offer is often dustbin material.
Most of their stuff is chicom anyway. We are just busy shooting ourselves in the foot. Oh wait we stopped
doing that now we shoot ourselves in the head.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Big Box stores have become useless. Nothing you want and what is on offer is often dustbin material.
Most of their stuff is chicom anyway. We are just busy shooting ourselves in the foot. Oh wait we stopped
doing that now we shoot ourselves in the head.

Bin sayin’ it for years.

The bike world is a super case study for this topic.

Folk bemoan the closing of bike spares specialists etc but then in the next breath buy from Ali Express or some anonymous Chinese / Indian seller on eBay !

Then they fit their shit tank / silencer / etc and it looks shit. But then they defend it by saying ‘yeah, it’s not perfect but it was cheap’!

I saw this recently with a guy who fitted some freakin horrible pretend Moto GP style ‘cut n shut’ meggas to an otherwise handsome Triton. They didn’t fit, drooped at an angle, looked shit, sounded worse and looked like they’ll last about a fortnight, but all he talked about was how he ‘can’t understand how they make them for the price’ !!

Since when did shit become ok just coz it’s cheap ?!?

Support those who support us… otherwise we get what we deserve !

As you may have detected… it pisses me off.

Now where’s my fuggin pills …?

 

[concours]

Bin sayin’ it for years.

The bike world is a super case study for this topic.

Folk bemoan the closing of bike spares specialists etc but then in the next breath buy from Ali Express or some anonymous Chinese / Indian seller on eBay !

Then they fit their shit tank / silencer / etc and it looks shit. But then they defend it by saying ‘yeah, it’s not perfect but it was cheap’!

I saw this recently with a guy who fitted some freakin horrible pretend Moto GP style ‘cut n shut’ meggas to an otherwise handsome Triton. They didn’t fit, drooped at an angle, looked shit, sounded worse and looked like they’ll last about a fortnight, but all he talked about was how he ‘can’t understand how they make them for the price’ !!

Since when did shit become ok just coz it’s cheap ?!?

Support those who support us… otherwise we get what we deserve !

As you may have detected… it pisses me off.

Now where’s my fuggin pills …?

They started by selling shit to children.... toys that lasted less than a day.
Several generations in, we have been conditioned to tolerate and accept garbage.

 

[1973x75]

My grandfather made this, or his father before that. He was born in 1891. I remember when my mom offered to get him some new rubber boots, this was in the 60’s, and he demanded that he get good boots from Sears and Roebucks, not the cheap boots made in JAP-an.
By the way, I’m sure the flail still works.

 

[1973x75]

Sorry about the slur on Japan, but that’s how my grandfather pronounced it. He was a good old New England farmer, and they seemed to have there own language, in a way.

 

[TJBaker57]

I've got to quit going to Amazon first -

Same here.

I recently ordered 2 Starrett 0.002" x 12" feeler gauges on Amazon. $9.15 each.
The seller shipped only one in a bubble envelope which was folded over and flattened in shipping rendering the thing useless for my purpose.

Immediately initiated a return/refund which has not yet finalized.

Searched for the product by part number and found that Starrett themselves sell them cheaper. $6.70 each. After a $5 shipping charge I come out at $0.10 more than Amazon but I bought 4 instead of 2 so I feel like I came out ahead.

Plus Starrett made sure these things arrived in good shape!