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1. 

   Ego
   

   Master
   Joined: Nov '11
   Posts: 748

   A few years ago I bought a tiny Degen shortwave/amfm/Mp3 player for traveling. The brand is not well known because it is a Chinese company making products for the Chinese market. I got it on ebay from a guy in Hong Kong who translated the manual so he could sell it to English speaking countries. I like that kind of initiative.

   The little radio has been through hell and has survived perfectly. The thing I like most about it is that the rechargeable battery is a simply old cell phone battery that can be replaced for 99 cents (ebay again). Most tiny audio devices have a non-replaceable battery so you have no choice but to throw out the player when battery dies.

   This radio is made to last. There is no obvious weak point that is designed to fail after so many uses. There are very few consumer electronic products like that these days. They all seem to have some technological-churn built into them. Actually, virtually every products we get in the U.S. is designed to fail.

   A few years ago we were in China for a while and realized that most of the stuff they sell within the country is, of course, made in China, and it is made to last. Has anyone else bought anything from China that is made without the ubiquitous planned obsolescence built in?

   Posted 10 months ago #
2. 

   dot_com_vet
   

   Master
   Joined: Jan '11
   Posts: 376

   My spouse is from China, so we get Chinese domestic market items, mostly clothing. The cookware is SUPER and is on par with a lot of European items.

   *SOME* clothing is of the highest quality. I have an amazing Chinese army surplus Ushanka that is great for winter. Winter clothing in general is quite good, like sweaters.

   T-shirts have such odd words, they're hard to wear in public. I have some great designer jeans, but the zipper ripped out in them in under six months.

   You are right though, their market is capable of very good quality. American's typically want as cheap as they can get, though.

   Posted 10 months ago #
3. 

   JohnnyH
   

   Expert
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 1,363

   I don't know if Chinese exclusivity has anything to do with it, sometimes good products are just made, despite low production cost... More often than not the next "upgrade" have obsolescence back in.

   As far as audio player I've been using a Sansa Fuze (wheel version 1/2) for 4 years, trouble free. It's insane, the things got to have somewhere between 1000-3000 hours played. Added a $1 hard case and $20 32GB card, totaling $60 for 40GB. Taken everything from being lost in piles of snow, bike/ski crashes, having earphones violently pulled out 100 times, countless hours of yard/construction work... It's starting to scare me. 0_o

   It and other overbuilt stuff detailed here:
   http://forum.earlyretirementextreme.com/topic.php?id=505

   Posted 10 months ago #
4. 

   altoid
   

   Apprentice
   Joined: Jul '12
   Posts: 93

   I am from China originally and have been living in the US for a little over 5 years. In China, with the vast difference in level of income, and the amount of people, you can find many more options compared to here. So if you are shopping savoy, can tell the good from the bad, there is definitively worthwhile doing the treasury hunt..

   Although I do like a lot more the hassle free return policy in the US-- not that I do it very often...

   Posted 10 months ago #
5. 

   C40
   

   Master
   Joined: Feb '11
   Posts: 573

   I recently bought a monitor that I believe is only intended for sale in Korea.

   http://www.overclock.net/t/1232496/crossover-27q-led-led-p-27m-led-2720mdp-gold-led-monitor-club

   It's a 27" monitor with an IPS panel. It's the same panel as used in Apple displays (for iMac's and Thunderbird monitors - which are very very nice monitors), although it is graded just "A" rather than "A+ that Apply only uses. It costs WAY less than a US market 27" IPS. They range from $300 to $500 depending on the stand and whether you pay extra to have the seller guarantee they send you one with zero dead or stuck pixels.

   Posted 10 months ago #
6. 

   Expat Sean
   

   Novice
   Joined: May '12
   Posts: 13

   I live in China. The locals with money buy foreign products for a reason. The local brands generally break much sooner (there are rarely warranties) and/or contain the cheapest (often toxic substitute) materials. Its important to note that when I say foreign I mean foreign, not made in the USA necessarily. Most often made in Taiwan. Chinese people equate Taiwan/Japan/Korea in the way many westerners think of German cars or japanese electronics. Generally made of quality materials and craftsmanship.

   There are definitely some gems that I find here and think, wow I can't believe we don't have this, or I can't believe how cheap this is compared to the US". However the majority of the time the products for the chinese market are essentially disposable.

   For me I try to find a quality product, preferably with a track record of reliability. So do your homework, preferably with a native speaking Chinese person, if you plan to buy domestic Chinese products. They will be the first to tell you that a lot of it is cost cutting junk.

   However let me look around because there are definitely some good buys here (as there are everywhere). Could be a good thread about international products. Its actually quite simple for me to get anything from anywhere here because of Taobao which is like amazon but with individual sellers who either import or buy things while abroad and then sell them here.

   Posted 10 months ago #

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