I want your opinion

How much of a premium would you pay for a similar/superior quality, equal functionality, American made product.

Like say a bicycle. If you could get a cheap one at walmart for $150 would you pay $200? $250? Feel free to answer in percentages or $ value.

Price range is in the $100 to $300 range.

EDIT: The thought is an American made, and domestically sourced where possible bicycle. American companies like Trek still have all their frames and stuff made in Asia, (depending on bike they are 100% built, not here). It is to directly compete in the big box stores China crap. Volume is key and LBS won't cut it.

I'd pay between 20% and 30% depending on all of the differences in the products. Oddly, I wouldn't for a car or motorcycle, but something like a wrench set or piece of furniture I would.

For that product in that price range, I would pay an extra 100-200 dollars.

In your example, I would probably pay at least 25-30%.

Although it would depend on the individual product and it's intended use.

I would pay a 5% - 10% premium to buy an American made product given EQUAL quality to a foreign competitor in that price range. As the price goes up - that percentage comes down. I'm already compromising by not buying the best one... so this isn't a thing I want to spend a fortune to acquire in the first place. A couple bucks to support the home team, though, sure.

If I am looking for the BEST quality or performing product my money can buy then I don't distinguish by where it's made or what it costs. If it turns out to be the home team, sweet.

EDIT: In the very low end of the spectrum... like guitar strings or picks, grinding wheels... you know the < $30 range I've paid 100% more for things. A 12 pack of grinding stones from MI is $20, HF sells some for $3. In that case they are better AND more money but ... I guess it just depends on the thing.

For around 150, I would be willing to pay 250 for a better made bicycle. My opinion would vary quite a bit depending on what I'm buying and what the prices are, how much I need it, and how much money I have at the time.

I think it really depends on the expected use of the widget. For example, I'll buy the junky HF thing to save 25% for something that I'm not going to use a lot. When it comes to something that I expect to use regularly for a long time, I've paid 5x the cost of the cheapo version.

If you want a market, make something that is both better and cheaper. A business plan should not need to rely on patriotism ahead of practicality and economy. So I would pay more for a better product if I had to, but I would rather pay the same or less for a better product, and I would not really care where it came from.

But then I am a Canadian.

bearmtnmartin wrote: But then I am a Canadian.

Get the hell off my 'merkin internet!

EDIT: Totally agree about the patriotism stuff - but I do allow for the fact that sometimes it costs a little more to do business here and throw a few (not many) bucks in support of it when I'm offered the choice. I'm not sure I'd call it patriotism - it's the same "feeling" that makes me buy things at the local hardware store instead of Home Depot when I can even though they offer me nothing in terms of quality or convenience in return.

Bicycles are one of those things where the money is well spent to get something over bare bones. The "cheapo" specials are walmart will make you hate bicycling.. but a good middle of the road or high end bike will have you really enjoying it

0-10%.

If i'm shopping for something, i've already got a budget, and i'm going to buy the best i can in that budget, and not give a single E36 M3 where it comes from.

But if quality is equal and within "margin of error" pricing, i'll buy 'Murican.

I'm not sure you really want my opinion since I'm about to dump around $5000 on a new race bike, but even in the high end market, American made is getting hard. A few companies sell US-made aluminum frames, but all of the carbon fiber frames are made overseas. The MSRP on the frame I'm getting (carbon fiber, full-suspension intended for enduro racing) is over $3000 and not made the the US. I am looking at a US-made frame with an MSRP of around $1800 to replace the medium to high-end hardtail I'm currently riding.

There are also some boutique manufacturers building steel and titanium frames (usually hardtails), but often those prices are eye-watering, even by my standards. A friend I've known for years in Philly dropped his steel line and is only offering Ti. The base price for one of his frames starts at $3250 and can easily get up to $4000 with options. Frame only, mind you, but they are gorgeous and even at that price he's not making much per hour on them since he's a neurotic, detail type..

Also keep in mind, other than a few things - headsets, hubs, stems and seat posts by a handful of high-end makers, no components are made in the US. If you're willing to pay, some of the high-end stuff is still made in Japan or Italy. Just about everything else is made in SE Asia.

Are we talking about superior quality or similar quality? Big difference to me. If we're talking same quality, I would pay maybe 5% more? If it was locally built (like my town/state), I would pay much more but that benefits me more and also adds an intrinsic value.

If were talking superior quality, which is often the case with anything not chinese, then a bijillion % more.

• this is all in reference to a ~$150 bike. %'s vary for different products.

Better Quality but similar functionality.

Think Harbor Freight 12mm vs S&K 12mm. Both turn 12mm bolts but one stands up better doing it.

Swank Force One wrote: 0-10%. If i'm shopping for something, i've already got a budget, and i'm going to buy the best i can in that budget, and not give a single E36 M3 where it comes from. But if quality is equal and within "margin of error" pricing, i'll buy 'Murican.

This right here. Now, if the quality is better (even a little bit), I could definitely see spending an additional 10%.

It varies, but based on that price range, probably 20 to 50% more. For me, it's not just that it's made in America, but rather that it's NOT made in China or some other economy known for atrocities against humankind.

HiTempguy wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: 0-10%. If i'm shopping for something, i've already got a budget, and i'm going to buy the best i can in that budget, and not give a single E36 M3 where it comes from. But if quality is equal and within "margin of error" pricing, i'll buy 'Murican.

This right here. Now, if the quality is better (even a little bit), I could definitely see spending an additional 10%.

Count me in this boat as well. I'm buying what I can to fit into my budget. With an economy as global as it is, buying American doesn't have the same meaning it used to. What if it's made in another country, but I go to a retail location to buy it? I'm supporting the American retailer and the American employees working there.

Others have tried it and failed, in the BMX market Standard tried to hang their hat on local/US made frames and while it lasted awhile they ended up under and now making boutique stuff under a vary name. Their frames weren't that much more money ( I know I bought a couple) but the quality was much higher; in this case I couldn't break it.

I wouldn't pay much extra at all. For equal quality? Maybe a couple bucks.

Problem is, it doesn't really matter if its manufactured here, there, or anywhere. Even if an American working in an American factory, building a bike with parts manufactured in America, it really doesn't mean much anymore. The reason is, there are so many hundreds of levels of processing.

So you take American steel (produced in an electric forge from Germany powered by foreign fossil fuels), transport it to the American factory (in a European truck driven by a Brazilian guy who spends his paycheck on socks from Pakistan and video games from Japan), manufacture the part (on machinery from South Africa with circuit boards from Taiwan) in a factory that is built with copper wiring from Singapore. Then the American worker cashes his paycheck to pay his natural gas bill for the house (which is called something American but is actually owned by a company in Turkey or Liechtenstein), and buys hamburger (From Bolivia) and makes Manwiches with a can of sauce that came from Canada and onions that came from Mexico.

In the end, an American worker in an American factory with American parts really doesn't mean that any additional money actually stays here in the States.

I think Honda still tops the list of American dollars, right? If you want to buy a car that keeps the most amount of dollars in the US, get a Honda built in Ohio. One of the worst was GM since they have such a strong holding with Vauxhall and Holden. Ford also has a huge representation in Europe.

If quality was in essence 'equal', I'd pay up to 15 maybe 20 percent more. If quality was vastly superior there is virtually no limit assuming it is affordable to me. I've bought hand tools 5-10 times more expensive than Chinese tools because I know they'll last, provide superior performance and where they were manufactured is important to me. Look at some of the stuff at Harbor Freight, and you can easily point out items that you've paid much more for elsewhere and are glad you did so.

There is a company in the capital district Albany NY that make high quality bicycle frames.

I think they sell to Trek among others.

I don't care where an item is made. I want quality. I am willing to pay more for quality. If I pay 25% more for a well-made item, but it lasts me twice as long as the crappy Walmart brand, didn't that, in effect, actually save me money?

It just so happens that quality items are usually not made in China.

For same products with same quality I will not pay anything more for "Made In USA".

I often pay 10%~30% more for locally small business' products. I believe in supporting local companies and unique ideas (local companies are often unique because they cannot compete head-to-head with large international conglomerates).