Finally The "slow Boat" Has Arrived.

[Doc]

All the new merchandise has arrived.

New Aussie green camo Covers for the:

AXIOM
Xterra Pro
Manticore
Gold Monster
GPX6000
Equinox 700/900
Qwipple Bungees
Soft Cowhide leather Nugget Coin Pouches 3.5 X 5.5 approx.  

1200 lbs of merchandise and my back is killing me.  My wife and I and a helper spent three days unpacking, repackaging and labeling everything.

Thank you for your patience.  Backorders are on the way.

Doc

[Valens Legacy]

Looks like about a weeks worth of work for you on that trailer, and I hope the rest of your order gets to you real soon.

Just kidding and I know how long items from Australia takes to get here, I ordered some knitting yarn for grandmother a few years ago and thought it would never show up.

Okay I will let you get back to work now.

[phrunt]

I see they're made in China, I don't blame you, it makes complete sense price wise and made to your specifications they should be good solid products.

I wish they were sold in NZ at our local dealers, you design plenty of good stuff.

Fitting topic :) "On A Slow Boat to China" is a popular song by Frank Loesser, published in 1948.

 

[Doc]

I have used the same factory in China for 25 years.  I know the owner very well and they are extremely skilled.  I'd love to use a factory in the U.S. but there are none.  And if there were, the cost would be what I sell them for now.

I just had a chair and ottoman reupholstered at my wife's insistence, by a local company.  Material $79 a yard, total price, with labor $2,679.  A freaking chair!  I said why don't we just buy a new chair.  NO, she wanted the frame completely re-built and made right and wanted high end Tempur-Pedic like firm foam for the cushions, etc etc.  Why do beautiful women always have such good taste and expensive requirements?  So basically this is like a custom made chair I guess.  Hell I'm afraid to sit in it, I don't want it to get dirty.

I tried several different companies in China 25 years ago and just could not find one that understood the quality I wanted in a cover.  Either that or they didn't have the technology to do such precision work.

I saw this company I deal with and they make purses.  So I ordered some of their purses because I wanted to see the quality and workmanship.  Think about it.  Women are buying purses, they are not going to buy something that is shoddy looking.

So I asked this company would they be interested in making detector covers for me.  They said, well send us an example of what you have in mind.  So I sent them a cheap detector, and some sketches of what I wanted.  I just wanted to see what they would come up with.  Well miracle of miracles, the cover they made was amazing.  Beautiful seam work, perfect design and fit.  So that started my long relationship with them.

The owner and I have become friends even though we have never met in person.  But we use Messenger and Skype all the time.  He is a good family man.  Hates what the Communist Chinese are doing to his country.  He is located in the Hong Kong area which was under British rule for many years.

The other thing I love about this company is there was an order of one product that somehow was made completely wrong.  It was not made like the prototype I had approved.  Someone dropped the ball.  I notified the company and they fell all over themselves apologizing.  They got right on making a new batch correctly and shipping them to me by air, all at their expense.  No excuses, no bickering just apologies and making it right.

I even tried to get plastics molded here.  I spent $2500 years ago for a mold and $2.50 for each piece I ordered 2000 pieces to an American company, Total $5000.  The merchandise arrives and someone did not repackage one of the boxes and I find out they had everything made in China.  There was an invoice in one of the boxes.  The mold charge from the Chinese company was $900, and each piece was .33 cents.  So basically I paid this American company a ridiculous amount of money to do nothing but place my order with a Chinese molding company.

So yes, I have some of my things made in China, because of long term relationships, and amazing workmanship.

Find me an American company that can do the same quality at competitive prices and I'll be happy to give them a look.  As it stands now because of the sanctions against China I am charged a 30% import duty on goods coming from China.  I don't see how this hurts China, I'm the one who has to pay the import duty, and ultimately the consumer.

Doc

[phrunt]

Thanks for the back-story, Doc, we are all people regardless of where we happen to be born, and good people are born everywhere, and good products come from everywhere, bad products and people come from everywhere too, you've clearly found a great place to manufacturer your stuff and they obviously do a good job of it as I've only seen positive reviews from your customers.  

I think it's great you've found a way to bring good products at good prices to your customers, well done and thanks for putting the effort in to do so, where would they be without you?  

The sooner people work out that we are all the same, regardless of where we come from the better.  All countries have good and bad people, it's pretty simple really.

Thanks Doc, I appreciate your honesty and am very supportive of your position on this on a people side of it, nothing political, but just everyday people doing their thing which are the people making your stuff.

I hope someday you can broaden your product reach into the Asia-Pacific region which includes Nz/Australia, I'd be a customer.

Very few products are made entirely in their country of origin, most assembled somewhere from components made somewhere else., some packaged somewhere to say they come from somewhere but entirely made elsewhere. 🙂