How to Search & Buy "Made in USA" Online?

I don't know about that (sounds illegal) but does anyone recall the story about Usa Japan? Couldn't find a site/source. IIRC in the 50s when "cheap junk" from Japan began flooding in, someone got the idea to brand things with "Made in USA" but it was made in Usa Japan. Not sure if this is apocryphal or not. YMMV

My late husband had heard that, too.

I'd read about Guam and the Marianas being bases for "Made in USA" sweatshops back in the 1970s.

Two very good brands of boots made in the USA are Justin and Lucchese. Not all of them, but I buy them in person and check the labels. Great boots that last forever.
 
Two very good brands of boots made in the USA are Justin and Lucchese. Not all of them, but I buy them in person and check the labels. Great boots that last forever.
Just out of curiosity, I looked at the Justin website. "Made in USA with Global Parts" is what they say. So like many other products - most products in fact - they may be physically assembled in the US but they contain components that may come from anywhere in the world.
 
Just saw a commercial for American Giant which makes essentials, activewear and accessories all in the U.S.

I buy from American Giant on occasion. Their classic hoodie is of truly fantastic quality - at $138. Well worth it. On the other hand, I have bought a couple of other pieces and was not impressed at all.
 
I have a couple of pairs of Alden boots that I wore when I worked. Made in Massachusetts. I still have them. I also have a pair of Danner hiking boots made in the US.
 
Just out of curiosity, I looked at the Justin website. "Made in USA with Global Parts" is what they say. So like many other products - most products in fact - they may be physically assembled in the US but they contain components that may come from anywhere in the world.
I have seen "assembled in USA" as well.
 
Guitars! Fender makes guitars in USA, Mexico, and Japan, and they are branded by their country of origin so you know what you're getting. Some parts are made elsewhere, but the woodwork and assembly are done in the specified country. Critics tend to agree that the USA guitars are slightly higher in quality than the Mexican guitars, but prices are significantly higher.
 
Here's a site that claims all American made, prices are steep, like $80 to $140 for a flannel shirt.

I really like their stuff, even with the higher prices. The problem is they have such a limited selection. I’ve pretty much bought everything that I can use from them.
 
It's sometimes difficult, you have to read the fine print.
I have searched on Amazon for Made in USA, fine print often shows made in China, assembled in USA.
I was in Shanghai a number of years ago and bought a really nice Timberland shirt with a Made in the USA sticker and American Flag sewn in. I'm pretty sure it was made in China but if it had been exported to the US you would not have thought that.
 
Guitars! Fender makes guitars in USA, Mexico, and Japan, and they are branded by their country of origin so you know what you're getting. Some parts are made elsewhere, but the woodwork and assembly are done in the specified country. Critics tend to agree that the USA guitars are slightly higher in quality than the Mexican guitars, but prices are significantly higher.
I wonder if swapping out some of the inferior parts like tuners, nut, and bridge and a proper "set-up" (which most any guitar benefits from), would make a difference.
 
You can find USA made stuff if you do the research......and we've found that it turns out to be a better deal in the long run with greater quality.
Good luck buying an American made cell phone (there actually is one, it costs $2000). TVs are also all imported. VIZIO (now a Walmart subsidiary) is a US TV supplier but has its TVs designed and built outside the US. Element (a Walmart supplier) assembles TVs in the US but the major parts are imported.
 
As everyone has mentioned, it is difficult to know. They are getting sneakier about hiding the true country of origin. Some are "assembled" in USA, like we wouldn't see through that. I check the Headquarters address, but most have a US address, even though they ship from Asia somewhere. If it's going to take 2 weeks to arrive, that's usually a hint that it's coming from overseas. Once in awhile I've read the pages of Terms and Conditions and there will be, buried deep, in the where to contact legal services area, an address in Singapore or some such place. I had one with a Corporate address in California, the return address on the package was Chicago, but when I tried to return a cheap, not as pictured, product I found a legal address in Singapore, where it was going to cost over $70, just to send a letter. I Googled the two US addresses and found the one in California was a residence, not a business, and the one in Chicago didn't exist at all.
 
If it is made in the USA it's probably with mostly immigrant workers, doubt there are many USA citizens lining up for low skill low paying factory jobs these days. Better stock up on MyPillow goods if that's what you want, it's not likely to be around for long, been stiffing his vendors and not paying rent, not a good sign for any business.
 
Many people in countries with developing economies have been lifted out of poverty by working for companies that sell goods and services to the U.S. and other countries with wealthy economies.

I support efforts to discover, identify and discourage companies that exploit workers and I try to avoid purchasing in those situations. Other than that I do not try to purchase U.S. only goods and services.
 
If it is made in the USA it's probably with mostly immigrant workers, doubt there are many USA citizens lining up for low skill low paying factory jobs these days. Better stock up on MyPillow goods if that's what you want, it's not likely to be around for long, been stiffing his vendors and not paying rent, not a good sign for any business.
It's tough competing with OUS w*rkers even with immigrant labor in the USA.. Not sure where manufacturing in the USA is headed but it's not a pretty picture. I am hopeful right now though YMMV.
 
Dad worked in the steel business and had a bumper sticker reading, US Steelworkers say...Buy American". Unusual because Dad did NOT like sticking things on cars and he was management, not union. I was the first rebel to buy a Japanese-branded car after my first 3 American-branded cars were junk after less than 100,000 miles. It was made in Kentucky.



I understand that but I can still try to avoid products from countries that don't care about the environment, intellectual property infringement, counterfeit brand names, or human rights.
Have a friend that will buy only Toyotas, and especially ones made entirely in Japan as he thinks the quality control is better there than here in the U.S. But there are very few of those as most models have parts from all over and are assembled here in the U.S. He said the Venza is made entirely in Japan, and you can tell by looking at the VIN#. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.
 
Have a friend that will buy only Toyotas, and especially ones made entirely in Japan as he thinks the quality control is better there than here in the U.S. But there are very few of those as most models have parts from all over and are assembled here in the U.S. He said the Venza is made entirely in Japan, and you can tell by looking at the VIN#. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.
I bought a used Mazda 626 and I should have paid attention to a sticker on the windshield that proclaimed that it had been "proudly assembled by the UAW." It turns out it was a rebranded Ford and, true to the sticker it WAS made by the UAW and it was obvious after I'd driven it a few weeks. YMMV
 
If it is made in the USA it's probably with mostly immigrant workers, doubt there are many USA citizens lining up for low skill low paying factory jobs these days. Better stock up on MyPillow goods if that's what you want, it's not likely to be around for long, been stiffing his vendors and not paying rent, not a good sign for any business.
This is not necessarily true.

I used to work in a factory as a manufacturing engineer for a company that made medical devices for various types of surgical procedures. Their work force was not comprised of immigrants. May have been a few but I did not know of any.
 
These days, it simply doesn’t make sense to buy a product just because it says “Made in the USA.” For one, there’s no guarantee that the claim is entirely true. Secondly, you might find better value for your money by purchasing an item made elsewhere. Of course, if all things are equal—price, quality, and utility—then, by all means, choose the product made here. But that scenario is rarely the case.

In the broader context of human civilization, commerce has always been the glue that binds societies together and fosters peace. From the days of the Silk Road to the intricate global supply chains of today, trade has driven progress and created connections across cultures.

I fully embrace globalism when it comes to trade and the blending of cultures. It’s through these exchanges—both economic and cultural—that we advance as a world, moving beyond isolationism toward a more interconnected and peaceful future.
 
Chinese manufacturers will produce a product according to the companies' specs. If they want a high quality product they'll get it. If they want a low quality replaceable product they'll get it. Interestingly it is sometimes produced in the same factory.
The tough thing is to find out which product is best. Can't go by brand names anymore.
 
He said the Venza is made entirely in Japan, and you can tell by looking at the VIN#. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.
The first character of the VIN tells you where it was made. You can look it up easily -- there are many VIN Decoder websites.
 
I bought a used Mazda 626 and I should have paid attention to a sticker on the windshield that proclaimed that it had been "proudly assembled by the UAW." It turns out it was a rebranded Ford and, true to the sticker it WAS made by the UAW and it was obvious after I'd driven it a few weeks. YMMV
Pretty typical as Ford was joined at the hip with Mazda in the early 1990's. My DW had a Ford Probe then and it was mostly Mazda. Parts bought from the dealer (window regulators, specifically) were packed in Mazda wrappings.
 
The first character of the VIN tells you where it was made. You can look it up easily -- there are many VIN Decoder websites.
Thanks for the info.That was easy. And the decoder gives a lot of info. I have an Acura built in Marysville, Ohio, a Jeep built in Toledo, Ohio, and a Ford F-150 built in Dearborn, Michigan.
 
This is not necessarily true.

I used to work in a factory as a manufacturing engineer for a company that made medical devices for various types of surgical procedures. Their work force was not comprised of immigrants. May have been a few but I did not know of any.
That sounds very specialized, were those low skill low pay manufacturing jobs? I should have been clearer, since comments were made about buying made in the USA clothing and bedding my comment was more towards garment workers, from what I've read most of the garment workers in the USA are from Mexico and China.
 
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