Economy They tried Made in the USA. It was too expensive for their customers

[curryjunkie]

I'd buy one if they made them here.

There's no reason Canada can't make resin printers, they're very simple machines.

But they don't, you rely on foreign manufacturers then, if they are simple why don't Canadians build them?

 

[BoomStronk]

Jaded cynicism can be useful. One of the pundits I admire is at the point of saying "we need an absolute lunatic. If there's going to be someone who will head up this movement, they have to be a legitimate maniac with charisma." Sometimes that's what it takes. Just remember what will kills us is complacency, but don't think big, think small. The easiest things for you to effect are the things you see very day.

I've recently finished a book by Naomi Klein called Doppleganger. It's an interesting book, about the sort of strange haze we are in politically, and culturally, where everything is sort of hard to identify.

Anywho, at one point in the book, she talks about the different responses to covid mandates, and she talks about a difference in fundamental conceptions of how the world works - and changes. She talks about the difference between collectivism and individualism in this sense - some of us look at individuals as the agents of change and progress - and also of the agents of destruction or regression. Others look at collectivist, structuralist causes of these. The individualistic stance is obviously tightly correlated with capitalist consumptionism, whereas the collectivist frame relates to things like legal protections, community solidarity over local issues, etc.

It's maybe a simple framework, but I've been thinking a lot about it lately. I think it makes sense to look at the traditional American cultural traditions as clearly very individualistic. This, of course, isn't some new revelation, but it is interesting to look at things from this lens.

How the Global War on Terror was about Osama bin Laden, the individual actor, and not about the system of military bases and economic and cultural aggression many people in west asia felt.

Or how Elon musk is the locus of attention. The very idea that the big, sprawling government spending aparatus itself is the problem and the solution to that problem is not collectivism, or more checks and balances, or a budgetary oversight committee - no, it's an individual, strolling in like the sherrif at the end of a cowboy movie.

Or how the criticisms of global warming tend often to relate to Al Gore being a rich hypocrite, and not the actual content of the scientific data, or even the arguments Gore would have made.

Individuals busting through the door guns a-blazin' to fix things is a tidier and more-welcomed storyline than a bunch of people sitting in a conference room, tabling resolutions, refering to case precedent, making compromises, funding studies for further understanding, etc.

 

[curryjunkie]

Unfortunately Biden was the least articulate man on earth BEFORE he entered advanced age, the guy was a gaffe machine during the Obama years and I’m assuming his entire career. He could have the best idea and will still end up in Instagram/TikTok clips for how he delivered it.

True, people vote on personality, not policy generally, which is dumb

 

[Islam Imamate]

.
you think these are even remotely comparable to macro factors like, say, oh, I don't know, maybe the decline of major industries? you're insane. but you do make the perfect DNC spokesperson and, no offence, but a great example of whats wrong with corporate democrats and how they cave to and/or perpetuate the interests of the wealthy by recycling RW talking points.

Of course macro economic trends matter too but that's not mutually exclusive to what I said. When macroeconomic factors are favorable to a city its officials can get away with mismanagement because of the strong underlying economic fundamentals. NYC is a good example of that today, incredibly strong economically so people will continue to move there but on issues like housing and public transit its horribly mismanaged.

But once those macroeconomic trends shift to become less favorable to a city that's when that mismanagement becomes salient. I doubt that will happen to NYC anytime soon but that's what happened to cities like Detroit and St.Louis.

My word, Detroit's decline caused by city-level mismanagement**, I have heard it all now. Do you think that, perhaps, city management may have become just a tad more difficult when the tax base shrank, maybe that was a factor? sorry to be obnoxious but, thats the worst example of DNC style simping I have ever seen on here.

How am I simping for Democrats by blaming them for mismanagement while you're making excuses for said mismanagement? If anything you're the Democrat shill here by acting like their mismanagement of the city was irrelevant.

 

[avenue94]

Ah I see you consume a lot of CCP propaganda

What propaganda are you referring to?

 

[Sinister]

I've recently finished a book by Naomi Klein called Doppleganger. It's an interesting book, about the sort of strange haze we are in politically, and culturally, where everything is sort of hard to identify.

Anywho, at one point in the book, she talks about the different responses to covid mandates, and she talks about a difference in fundamental conceptions of how the world works - and changes. She talks about the difference between collectivism and individualism in this sense - some of us look at individuals as the agents of change and progress - and also of the agents of destruction or regression. Others look at collectivist, structuralist causes of these. The individualistic stance is obviously tightly correlated with capitalist consumptionism, whereas the collectivist frame relates to things like legal protections, community solidarity over local issues, etc.

It's maybe a simple framework, but I've been thinking a lot about it lately. I think it makes sense to look at the traditional American cultural traditions as clearly very individualistic. This, of course, isn't some new revelation, but it is interesting to look at things from this lens.

How the Global War on Terror was about Osama bin Laden, the individual actor, and not about the system of military bases and economic and cultural aggression many people in west asia felt.

Or how Elon musk is the locus of attention. The very idea that the big, sprawling government spending aparatus itself is the problem and the solution to that problem is not collectivism, or more checks and balances, or a budgetary oversight committee - no, it's an individual, strolling in like the sherrif at the end of a cowboy movie.

Or how the criticisms of global warming tend often to relate to Al Gore being a rich hypocrite, and not the actual content of the scientific data, or even the arguments Gore would have made.

Individuals busting through the door guns a-blazin' to fix things is a tidier and more-welcomed storyline than a bunch of people sitting in a conference room, tabling resolutions, refering to case precedent, making compromises, funding studies for further understanding, etc.

Fascism first begins with atomization. I know a guy who is pretty brainwashed to hierarchical thinking who just said the other day that he read something about how the nuclear Family structure built wealth. WTF is he talking about? Most people who significantly build wealth do so through community, if anything the atomization of families has hampered wealth-building, saddled families with crippling debt (especially if the kids want to go to College and the parents cannot pay outright), and kept them from resources of extended family which also brings their own networks of friends and coworkers. It's also much easier to fill the brains of the atomized with nonsense as they become incredibly prickly to being challenged, especially if their views are hierarchical and hyper-individualistic, and their only social interactions come in the form of outlets with rigid heirarchies like Church and the workplace. Places that kill your dreams with "just comply" mentality:



Thinking about this show reminded me, I dont remember regularly seeing any of the Arnolds' Cousins. Aunts, Uncles, etc. Just submission to the rat race and how it effects the core family members. Stressed out complacent Father with and even more stressed out d*ckhead boss building that shareholder wealth, and likely a conservative voter because the one thing that terrifies him more than anything else is the sexual liberation of his daughter.

Edit: Jack's summation of his life:



One of the few contexts you ever see genuine passion out of the guy:

 

[IanEdwards]

How am I simping for Democrats

*corporate* Democrats, the DNC, is who you are simping for. If i am simping for anyone it is a party that doesn't exist in the US spectrum at all, or only very barely as a tiny fringe of the Dems. If you think the scale of problems caused by the ghuge loss of tax revenues is equivalent to that caused by 'City Mismanagement' I disagree strongly. Mismanagement of revenue can or will only, generally fuck up a % of revenue but a decent % just gets spent on the same old stuff much of which is rinse-repeat and can't go wrong, no real decisions to be made. Tax revenue lost is all lost. The loss of the tax base is by far the bigger problem, because it is macro, 'Mismanagement' is micro. 'Mismanagement' didn't make jobs and taxpayers leave the city in droves and the RW just love pointing to Dem City Halls as unsubtle dogwishtles that 'this is what happens when The Blacks' get power.

 

[ShadowRun]

More economy alarmism ,

How about those eggs and gas prices after WW3

Akso

 

[Islam Imamate]

*corporate* Democrats, the DNC, is who you are simping for. If i am simping for anyone it is a party that doesn't exist in the US spectrum at all, or only very barely as a tiny fringe of the Dems. If you think the scale of problems caused by the ghuge loss of tax revenues is equivalent to that caused by 'City Mismanagement' I disagree strongly. Mismanagement of revenue can or will only, generally fuck up a % of revenue but a decent % just gets spent on the same old stuff much of which is rinse-repeat and can't go wrong, no real decisions to be made. Tax revenue lost is all lost. The loss of the tax base is by far the bigger problem, because it is macro, 'Mismanagement' is micro. 'Mismanagement' didn't make jobs and taxpayers leave the city in droves and the RW just love pointing to Dem City Halls as unsubtle dogwishtles that 'this is what happens when The Blacks' get power.

To be clear of course macroeconomic factors matter but mismanagement leaves cities like Detroit and St.Louis vulnerable to macroeconomic downswings which is what I think happened. At the end of the day as economies move up the value chain you'll see the decline of certain industries and the rise of others.

 

[Beechwood]

There is that fellow who is a huge MAGA supporter, who is best known for selling pillows and bed sheets. He is always advertising, and supporting Trump. I believe his products are made in America but not entirely sure about that.

I've seen he sell dog beds that look nice for $40 to $50. His web sight ~

https://www.mypillow.com/pet/mypillow-for-pets

Saw this about MyPillow products ~

Where is My Pillow Made? 2025 Overview - All American Made

In this article, we take a look at where My Pillow products are made. We also share a lot of information about the company and its manufacturing processes that we know you'll find interesting.

www.allamericanmade.com

Over 90 percent of My Pillow products are made in the USA. Their pillows, pillowcases, toppers, and mattresses are made in Shakopee, Minnesota. Not everything that My Pillow makes has a US origin. Their towels, for example, come from Pakistan, and their slippers are made in Cambodia.

 

[PainIsLIfe]

By Siddharth Cavale

• Tariffs force manufacturers to choose between tariffs or higher U.S. production costs
• Retailers resist pricing increases, squeezing small and midsize manufacturers
• Companies explore alternative manufacturing locations amid tariffs

NEW YORK, July 2 (Reuters) - When Plufl co-founders Yuki Kinoshita and Noah Silverman pitched their "dog beds for humans" prototype to Shark Tank in 2022, they envisioned making the plush, snuggly, memory foam beds in China and selling them at retail in the U.S. for $299.

Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner invested $200,000 jointly for 20% of the company, which went on to make over $1 million in sales in 2023, selling beds on Amazon and their own website.

After U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 145% tariff on items imported from China in April, Kinoshita and Silverman sprung into action, investigating if retailers would be interested in selling a U.S. made version of their human dog beds.
The retail price might go higher, but they thought a "made-in-the-USA" label might be an attractive selling point and help ease some U.S. retailers' concerns about the impact of China tariffs.
Silverman and Kinoshita had previously toured a factory in Las Vegas that could make the memory foam beds for $150 per unit compared to the $100 overall cost to make the beds in China. But that $150 manufacturing cost didn’t include the faux fur lining for the cover, which would still need to be imported from China—adding another $100 per unit.

They pitched a sub-$500 made-in-the-USA version to Costco (COST.O), opens new tab, which it turned down, saying it couldn’t stock the product this year and might revisit the idea next year. Costco did not respond to a request for comment.

The duo behind Plufl are among tens of thousands of American small and midsize manufacturers facing the choice between paying steep tariffs on Chinese imports or taking on significantly higher domestic production costs. Even those willing to pay more to make goods in the U.S. are confronting another reality: retailers set prices for consumers and have been largely unwilling to budge in the face of tariffs.

On June 11, when Trump announced a deal to lower tariffs on Chinese goods to 55%, Kinoshita and Silverman decided to stay the course manufacturing their human dog beds in China and maintain the $299 retail price.

"We're absorbing costs in a number of ways, such as finding shipping efficiencies by shrinking the box down more and also taking some hit on our margin," Kinoshita said.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the Trump administration remains committed to reviving U.S. manufacturing, citing provisions in the Big, Beautiful Bill, which passed on Tuesday with a slim majority in the Senate, such as allowing businesses to fully expense equipment investments.

"These complementary policies will turbocharge growth and drive investment throughout the supply chain,” he said in an emailed statement.

DRINKING MARGINS​

Similarly, Aisha Chottani, another “Shark Tank” veteran, found that tariffs threaten her ability to sell her products in grocery stores.
Chottani, CEO-founder of Moment, makes her healthy, stress-reducing carbonated beverages in Wisconsin, but her packager, CanWorks imports pre-formed aluminum from China, and is thus subject to aluminum tariffs which raised the price of cans from by 20%.

When Chottani tried to pass on the 4 cents in additional costs to Albertsons, which carries her $3.99 “Strawberry Rose” beverage at about 30 locations in Texas and New Mexico, her answer was swift. "Albertsons refused any price increases," she said and suggested she either keep the same price or leave.

Albertsons did not respond to a request for comment.

In February, she launched Moment beverages in Sprout Farmers Markets across the U.S., but was forced to do so with higher-priced cans. "There wasn't enough time to shift production to factories in Vietnam or other places," she said.

For now, Chottani is keeping her wholesale price the same even as her costs have gone up. She's raising additional cash from investors and looking to cut costs. "Even in the short term a 20% price hike is huge and is going to wipe out all your cash," she said.

BABY TARIFFS​

It's not just startups that are struggling. Bugaboo, the Netherlands-based maker of expensive baby gear, owns its own factory in China and would seem to be well-prepared to weather tariffs.

The company's popular "Fox 5" stroller, which retails for about $1,500 in the U.S., is made at its factory in Xiamen, China, where 97% of strollers and car seats imported to the U.S. are made, according to ImportGenius, which tracks U.S. import, export records and shipping manifests.

But when Trump’s tariffs hit, Bugaboo started to reevaluate that strategy. The company had begun studying moving production to other countries in Asia to have more regional production flexibility as well as the U.S., but any move would be years away.

It took Bugaboo a number of years to establish its Xiamen operations. If it had to build a similar setup in the United States, it would take the same time. "Even if we start now, it would take several years to set up operations," said Chief Commercial Officer for North America, Jeanelle Teves.

The U.S. currently lacks a specialized manufacturing footprint for baby strollers that requires advanced tooling, high-grade materials, and a skilled labor force. "It's not just about assembling parts; it's about engineering performance and safety," she said.

In the meantime, Bugaboo decided to pass some of those costs onto customers, raising prices $50 to $300 on several products including high chairs, play pens, and a new version the Fox 5 stroller on May 20.

“The increases do not fully offset the tariff, and Bugaboo is continuing to absorb part of the cost in order to minimize the impact on American families and retailers,” Teves said.

​

So instead of making the bed at a lower profit margin they wanted to nump the price to $499? I can order the same thing from Amazon for $140

https://www.amazon.com/WROS-Washable-Napping-Orthopedic-Present/dp/B0BMK4VQJ5/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?crid=34P9QBMKW8UCK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZEXxonq4EhNDft48JcfQ7sCYsXKoJRiCkC5v832M6o3Argd5ghnG_tSoohxp6fs2hxGte5DiV_PF8jfi4PidPMUkDVRZ0wPfeTtU1qMCEojIcAPGUYbUy51LoEf2qiSLjfuNC1cMXpLQFMQL8LRGb9fJpZDgGlepVLZxj9kzeWn773NAtQ4RQpX93MnQyjRmKGfAQvMXJNyUAh7tf_ehhA.2daPHLEXQLIrlCH9FQpxjZUqp-mlZ8uabq4pblHjd8w&dib_tag=se&keywords=human+dog+bed&qid=1751578921&sprefix=human+d%2Caps%2C1627&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

I think they need to rethink their profit margin.

 

[Deleted member 592570]

But they don't, you rely on foreign manufacturers then, if they are simple why don't Canadians build them?

Because we don't have slaves to do it gor pennies

 

[Possum Jenkins]

I'd also say the midwest is partially to blame for their own problems. Just take a look at how the SF Bay Area has changed since the 70's. SF used to just be a pretty city with not much of a business community. NY, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and LA were all considered to have a bigger economic engine.

In just 50 years SF I think would now be second to NY. Now SF has the 3rd most billionaires in the world next to NY and Hong Kong.

I think this is an underreported success story and I suspect much could be traced back to the outstanding universities in California.

Well, it also reflects the transition from an industrial, manufacturing-based economy, to a post-industrial, tech/knowledge-based economy. The former had its base in the midwest and the latter in Silicon Valley.

It's kind of the natural, unavoidable effects of capitalist economies. Constantly looking for increasing profit and efficiency will inevitably lead to the decay of one area and the rise of others. Any politician that promises to "return jobs back to America!" is lying. Yeah, even Bernie.

Maybe a "radical" like Bernie can return some manufacturing back but there's no way it's coming back like in the early-mid 20th century. The inflation would be outrageous.

 

[curryjunkie]

Because we don't have slaves to do it gor pennies

So your argument that you can do it just as easily at home is bullshit then...concession accepted..

 

[Deleted member 592570]

So your argument that you can do it just as easily at home is bullshit then...concession accepted..

Lol. They actually do make resin printers in Canada but, much like the company this thread is about, they load them with all kinds of unnecessary features so they can charge more money for them and thus price themselves out of the market.

A resin printer is just a UV lamp, an LCD screen, a vat with a FEP bottom, a plate mounted on a threaded shaft, and a small motor and motherboard.

The Athena, which is a Canadian made resin printer, is loaded with all kinds of unnecessary shit like a heated vat and 16K LCD screen (which is complete overkill) and an 'air filter system' which can be achieved by just opening a window.

Athena II: a Canadian resin printer you should know about

The Atomic Layers: S6E21 (00168)

www.3dprintingjournal.com

They probably could make a budget printer like the photon mono 2 but without Chinese slaves to build it, it would still cost a bit more.

 

[curryjunkie]

Lol. They actually so many resin printers in Canada but much like the company this thread is about, they load them with all kinds of unnecessary features so they can charge more money for them and price themselves out of the market.

A resin printer is just a UV lamp, an LCD screen, a vat with a FEP bottom, a plate mounted on a threaded shaft, and a small motor and computer.

The Athena, which is a Canadian made resin printer, is loaded with all kinds of unnecessary shit like a heated vat and 16K LCD screen (which is complete overkill) and an 'air filter system' which can be achieved y just opening a window.

Athena II: a Canadian resin printer you should know about

The Atomic Layers: S6E21 (00168)

www.3dprintingjournal.com

They probably could make a budget printer like the photon mono 2 but without Chinese slaves to build it, it would still cost a bit more.

So stop supporting Chinese " slavery" and buy Canadian, oh , you don't want to pay more? Quelle surprise...

 

[Deleted member 592570]

So stop supporting Chinese " slavery" and buy Canadian, oh , you don't want to pay more? Quelle surprise...

I'll pay a hundred more for a comparable printer. There is no comparable canadian budget printer to the mono 2 which is an excellent workhorse without all the stupid bells and whistles the Athena 2 has.

For what I do, the Athena is ridiculous overkill.

I am consistent on this issue. I want our cars to have budget options too. They don't.

We can't get the Hilux here. We should be able to. Big government and big business collude to keep affordable trucks like the Hilux away from us.

 

[Deleted member 592570]

What propaganda are you referring to?

The propaganda you just regurgitated all over this thread.

 

[avenue94]

The propaganda you just regurgitated all over this thread.

What did I post exactly that was propaganda? The falling price of cotton? Labor being cheaper in SE Asia than China? Chinese factory wages outpacing rural wages? What?

Your lack of specificity when challenged strongly suggests you're flailing about and don't actually know much.

 

[avenue94]

I'll pay a hundred more for a comparable printer. There is no comparable canadian budget printer to the mono 2 which is an excellent workhorse without all the stupid bells and whistles the Athena 2 has.

For what I do, the Athena is ridiculous overkill.

I am consistent on this issue. I want our cars to have budget options too. They don't.

We can't get the Hilux here. We should be able to. Big government and big business collude to keep affordable trucks like the Hilux away from us.

A Canadian made and sourced 3d printer would be more like double or triple the cost. Do you not know basic math?

Also where exactly do you think the display panel and motherboard came from? I'm gonna bet not Canada. The printer you're citing as Made in Canada is literally made in China.