Well cobber you may or may not have seen some of my posts about China. (They've probably got a file on me by now. Like I give a ....) But with respect I would rather pay double for a good quality fan made right here, by people who live here, work here, pay tax here and get paid a fair wage. That goes for everything else. IT's just a matter of finding somewhere that sells products that aren't made there. And boy that ain't easy.

But with respect I would rather pay double for a good quality fan made right here, by people who live here, work here, pay tax here and get paid a fair wage.

Tomorrow morning I am going out to buy another fan so I have one in each room at that price I would be a fool not to.

Well cobber you may or may not have seen some of my posts about China. (They've probably got a file on me by now. Like I give a ....) But with respect I would rather pay double for a good quality fan made right here, by people who live here, work here, pay tax here and get paid a fair wage. That goes for everything else. IT's just a matter of finding somewhere that sells products that aren't made there. And boy that ain't easy.

Whether you go for the cheapest product made in China or not it doesn't make you a fool either way. And it doesn't make me a fool to want to support or encourage a resurgence in Australian manufacturing. For me it's not just about price, trade surpluses or any other economic factor. It's also about quality. You might get a Chinese fan that works fine. Good for you. Me?..I like making things. I buy a lot of small hardware. Nails, screws, tools etc. The stuff they sell at Bunnings is all made in China. And more often not it's garbage. The nails bend, the screws break off, the tools burn out. I would rather pay more for a good quality product made in Australia, The USA, Britain, Germany or Japan and drive to Sydney to get it than drive around the corner and buy something that lasts 5 minutes . I have tools made here and those other countries that I bought 40 years ago that still serve me well. Musical instruments is another example. China makes fake Gibsons, Fenders and other copies of iconic guitar brands. They sell for a few hundred dollars whereas the genuine article made in the USA might cost you thousands even for a basic model. But the copies are rubbish. Any experienced musician will back me up I'm sure. Apart from the absolute pinnacle level, they are not about quality. Just money. But horses for courses. I hope you enjoy your fans.

First, there are the actual costs of the materials used to manufacture the product. The high volume of materials ordered by Chinese companies ensures that the pricing would be as low as it could be.

Second, there are the wages for the workers directly involved in producing the parts. Labor is abundant and cheap in China because even though 300,000 have risen into the middle class and above, this still leaves one billion people living at the poverty level. At any one time, there are an estimated hundred million workers who are unemployed and underemployed, which is about equal to the number of Americans employed in full time jobs.

Third, there are the costs of compliance to health and safety regulation and environmental regulations. These costs are less expensive in China than in the United States because the Chinese government imposes few health and safety or environmental regulations. China doesn't provide workman's compensation insurance for their workers so workers hurt on the job don't receive any compensation when they are injured.

Any environmental protection laws are generally ignored and not enforced, especially at the local level. So, Chinese companies have the advantage of being able to dump just about any odious byproduct into the air or waterways. The World Health Organization estimates that 750,000 people a year die in China as a result of the effects of pollution.

China is one of over 150 countries that utilize a Value Added Tax (VAT) system. It is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material, or service at every state of its manufacture or distribution. The VAT rate is generally 17%, or 13% for some goods. Chinese companies receive a VAT refund from the government for materials of products produced for export.

China undervalues their currency by an estimated 30%-40%, which simply makes every product that China ships out 30-40% cheaper than those of a potential competitor.

China has a national strategy of what is called "dumping." "Dumping" is defined as the act of a manufacturer in one country exporting a product to another country at a price that is either below the price it charges in its home market or is below its cost of production. The goal of "dumping" is to capture the market or destroy the competition for a particular product or commodity so the price to the end user or consumer is lowered way below the competition, often below cost. "Dumping" is one of the strategies China uses as a neomercantilist country. Neomercantilism is a term used to describe a policy which encourages exports, discourages imports, controls capital movement and centralizes currency decisions in the hands of a central government. The objective of neo-mercantilist policies is to increase the level of foreign reserves held by the government, allowing more effective monetary and fiscal policy.