For clothing, some have been found to have significant amounts of heavy metals in their dyes. That said, as the article itself says - more than a third passes EU standards.
But a bike wrench? A torque meter? A portable oscilliscope? No issues there. Some of those things are simply prohibitively expensive from EU/NA brands and are still made in China. I had to diagnose a signaling issue on an ebike I built. Were it not for Hantek and AliExpress, I’d simply given up and unable to solve it.
Were it not for cheap Chinese tools I wouldn’t have been able to develop the skills to build ebikes at all. I’ve now built 5 so far. I could easily turn this into a (co-op) business if get shitcanned from my job.
And to clarify, I understand what the other posters are saying (against my argument) but I am just done with all the protections for corporate profit
I personally don’t buy much clothes or care about fashion but, like your example, I am very frequently buying tools or small repair parts that the corporations either refuse to provide (to force you to buy a brand new whatever) or make ridiculously expensive
And to clarify, I understand what the other posters are saying (against my argument) but I am just done with all the protections for corporate profit
Exactly on the same page. Paying these exorbitant markups is usually not even flowing to local labour. The distribution centres are staffed at close to minimum wage. The margins go to the top where they contribute to rising wealth inequality which makes us poorer year after year. Fuck that.
E: Also Frigidaire sold me a plastic drawer rail for my fridge, shitty injection molded part from a worn mold, a part they’ve been making for decades, no more than cents to make, for CAD $60.
E2: If we’re gonna solve this for real by abandoning free trade as we know it, nationalizing the oligarchy’s wealth and reinvesting that in protected domestic industries that make most of what we need, paying wages that afford to buy that product, then I’ll be happy to be denied access to AliExpress and I’d be able to buy a CSA-certified Maple Electronics scope made in Windsor, ON. A few bucks on de-minimims - prolly won’t do it. Besides, it’s a regressive tax hitting the poorest most.
Not sure what safety small plastic stuff or disposable fashion products need to pass to merit the extra prices
For clothing, some have been found to have significant amounts of heavy metals in their dyes. That said, as the article itself says - more than a third passes EU standards.
But a bike wrench? A torque meter? A portable oscilliscope? No issues there. Some of those things are simply prohibitively expensive from EU/NA brands and are still made in China. I had to diagnose a signaling issue on an ebike I built. Were it not for Hantek and AliExpress, I’d simply given up and unable to solve it.
Were it not for cheap Chinese tools I wouldn’t have been able to develop the skills to build ebikes at all. I’ve now built 5 so far. I could easily turn this into a (co-op) business if get shitcanned from my job.
Exactly my point.
And to clarify, I understand what the other posters are saying (against my argument) but I am just done with all the protections for corporate profit
I personally don’t buy much clothes or care about fashion but, like your example, I am very frequently buying tools or small repair parts that the corporations either refuse to provide (to force you to buy a brand new whatever) or make ridiculously expensive
Exactly on the same page. Paying these exorbitant markups is usually not even flowing to local labour. The distribution centres are staffed at close to minimum wage. The margins go to the top where they contribute to rising wealth inequality which makes us poorer year after year. Fuck that.
E: Also Frigidaire sold me a plastic drawer rail for my fridge, shitty injection molded part from a worn mold, a part they’ve been making for decades, no more than cents to make, for CAD $60.
E2: If we’re gonna solve this for real by abandoning free trade as we know it, nationalizing the oligarchy’s wealth and reinvesting that in protected domestic industries that make most of what we need, paying wages that afford to buy that product, then I’ll be happy to be denied access to AliExpress and I’d be able to buy a CSA-certified Maple Electronics scope made in Windsor, ON. A few bucks on de-minimims - prolly won’t do it. Besides, it’s a regressive tax hitting the poorest most.
Avid Amoeba for Prime Minister!