Would you pay more to see Made In The USA

Hi

the question is not how much we want to pay, the question is how much will cost you to produce it here. If the production price is reasonable maybe we dont need to pay more for the same product.

Andre.

Yes, but Weaver are made here and their prices are comparable as with the detail.  Nick 

Mike wolf has stated the cost to mfg. in the USA would be 35-40% Increase.  I doubt people would be willing to pay that price to have them built here. 

Prices now have reached the " do I really need that category " much more of an increase and the answer will be " I don't really need that "

You would pay the same. But the profit margin for the manufactures would be way less.

The import computers and TV's work and may be cheaper, the import automobiles work, not necessarily cheaper, and not without recalls, either, but the choices and

variety are, not good, but better.   Import electronics in trains....works not so well, but why under our govt. and corporate bureaucracy here would trains be even affordable? Most were chased overseas because they were not affordable if made here.  And they'd HAVE to be better.  IF made here, the choices would be greater due to less turn-around time and better understanding of the market...elimination of pre-ordering and glacial delivery?

....maybe not, although turning something out "fustest with the mostest" would have

a competitive advantage.  This last does not now seem to be a market concern.

There are multiple posts on this forum that ask where can I get this or that item for the cheapest price.   People may say that they would be willing to pay more for a comparable item made in the USA.  When it comes to making a purchase decision, however, they seldom do it.

A classic example is airline fares.  People select an airline that is $10 dollars cheaper on a $300 + ticket even when the  airline with the higher priced ticket may have a more direct flight, better leg room, free bags, etc.  Lowest cost on comparable products seems to be all that matters.  

Joe    

I do,      Weaver Models

I would but I'm not sure how much more. 

Art

DING.... DING.... DING.... DING.... DING...  Give that man a prize!!! 

Make no mistake about it folks... moving manufacturing overseas (all industries -- not just toy trains which is insignificant in the "big picture") has ALWAYS been about finding the lowest cost producer so that profits and executive level compensation could be maximized.  That has become the American way in Corporate America.  It was seldom -- if ever -- about generating lower consumer prices, and anyone who actually believes otherwise has swallowed the kool-aid...  hook, line, and sinker.   

Now having said that... if by some small miracle, production would return back to the USA (highly unlikely in my lifetime), companies would undoubtedly try to push prices upward so as not to lose the gravy-train profit margins that were first achieved by using overseas suppliers.  Consumers would most likely push back, resulting in a glut of inventory -- which, by the way, we're pretty close to seeing anyway these days... between new products just arriving from overseas plus pre-owned product on the secondary market.  It's the double-edged sword of having it all right now.

David

Of course not.  In the grand scheme of things, our toy train market is insignificant compared to the "big picture".  But scaled down, the business model (and all its benefits) works the same.  The real trick is how products are marketed... with the most successful companies convincing consumers that it's OK to spend MORE on something (i.e., think Nike, for example) even though the cost of manufacturing overseas is a fraction of what it would be if the product were made here in the USA.

David

Approx. 70% of Weaver's products are made in the US, not all of it.  And those that are are consist predominantly of their plastic-bodied diesels and freight cars.   The die-cast trucks on the freight cars are made & imported by MTH.  And as to the bulk of those Weaver USA-made cars & diesels being comparable to the detailing on the majority of scale items from Atlas O, MTH, & Lionel within the last decade or so, well, let's just call that debatable.

To expect that the manufacturers would be willing to sacrifice profit margins by making the average price of domestically made products the same as their imported offerings is completely unrealistic.  So I would disagree that one would "pay the same" as they do now across the board.

A lot of people always like to hold their heads up high, chest puffed out and proclaim that they would pay "a little bit more" but that begs the question, how do they define "a little bit more"?  I suspect most think "a little bit more" would be along the lines of around $10 more for freight cars and maybe $50 more for engines.  Well, if MTH's claim on their Facebook page of a potential 30% increase holds any merit (which I think it does) then these same "willing to pay more" crowd may sing a slightly different tune. 

Oh, I'm certain some of them will stick to their guns and continue to buy with that increase in price, but I suspect that the quantity of new train purchases they make now will actually decrease in relation to that.  Most definitely will cause a decrease in consumer spending on average to be sure, and that's something that won't bode well for the importers/manufactures.  They get enough hollering on how much the prices on their products are as it is; to invest in moving everything back to the States en masse and slap a 30% increase in pricing to make up for the extra overhead would be entrepreneurial suicide.

Of course people would be willing to pay more for trains made in the U.S.... Right after endless threads on how expensive they've become and where they can be purchased the cheapest.

Rusty

Quality and ease of repair trump cost regardless of who makes what. USA goods don't necessarily stand up to that criteria. They used to. I just read where the US has to relearn the basics of manufacturing that was lost in the zeal to move everything overseas.Buy USA programs such as Walmart are struggling to find manufacturers to make basic stuff here.

Ok, now a smart a** remark.  I don't remember a lot of items that got cheaper but Corporate profits went up as did unemployment.

YES, I will pay more for made in America!!

Brent

I hate to say it, but NO.

Finally, an honest man.

Rusty

Yup. Fully agree with you on that. You would have to prove to me that it would be worth the extra money. Made in the USA and quality don't go together like they used to. I think problems with overseas made trains have more to do with logistics than quality control. I don't know if it's true, but someone once told me that US firms don't or didn't want to be bothered with the small precision level castings needed to do steam engines for example.

But to answer the original question if the quality was better I would gladly pay an additional 10% or so. Maybe a little more if tech support improved to go with it.

Probably not.

No

Nope, not a chance. 

This country has been pushing for more tolerance, more diversity, more global perspective and embrace.  We apparently don't want to be exceptional.  Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

So, now that our manufacturing choices are global, and we've helped totalitarian regimes taste the fruits of capitalism that was once our domain, you want me to be a hypocrite and say, 'Gosh, I had no idea how painful this global kumbaya could be to my wallet and well-being!  I think its time to return to the good ol' days that my parents tell me that their parents told them once existed around here!'?

And every time you open the packaging for your new made-in-China veeblefetzer  and sort through the instructions provided in any one of 7 or more global languages, remind yourself of how wonderful this global altruism really is.  We've made so many other people in the world so happy for the jobs we've given them, the least we can do is say 'Why, you're welcome!  It's the least we could do for you!'.

Oh, and to the chap who claims all of this is for the benefit of a greedy company/corporate executive?....   How convenient to not mention the global-leading menu of financial homage American businesses pay to the far-sighted government(s) WE elected to lead us into this global kumbaya.  Profit=Greed?  Yeah, right.  How's YOUR Kool-Aid tasting?

Admit this all a mistake?  Never!  WE made this...WE live with it.  

Oh, and kids!?......I'm sorry for the mess WE've left you.

Pogo was right.

I would pay more, but then I would expect better quality and service.

Clem k  

Round-a-bout way of answering the question, but let's forget about fair trade in favor of equal trade. For every dollar we import, the trading partner would have to accept our exports in the same amount. We are so out of touch that we are allowing those who export to us and are making huge bucks off of us to dominate our economy.

If the trading partner fails to meet the "equal" standard, we should tax the dickens out of the surplus to provide jobs and new technologies and use the tariff income to promote our economy.

It is not just model trains that are effected, it is the future of our country and if we allow this to continue, the future is pretty scary.

It is indeed sad to have to use this thread as a soapbox, but it is about time we woke up. The cost of the trains we buy and just about everything else we purchase from imports would take care of itself if we as a country get smart.

I was going to get on a soap box but

No

is enough of an answer.

Pogo was right.>>>

I agree, Pogo was right..

Joe

My rolling stock roster reflects my satisfaction with the Weaver product line. All things being equal, sure I'll buy "Made in USA" first. That said, I have a lot of off shore products that are extremely nice as well.

Gilly

To make a sweeping statement and expect that all of the various products used by model railroaders could simply have their manufacturing transferred here is unrealistic.  Different countries have different specialties.  Here in the United States, we CAN do some production on a competitive basis.  Injection molding might be one of them, and there are a number of plastic products that are made here such as Weaver's plastic car and engine shells.  OGR's Ameritown buildings and Korber buildings are also made here.  But things like microelectronics are way beyond our capability in mass manufacturing. 

So, yes I would encourage our manufacturers to produce what they can on these shores, and I would support that by choosing USA made items.  To a limited degree I would pay more for such products, perhaps as much as 50% more.  But the decision that I make when I buy RR products is whether I want or need a particular item, not where it was made.

Automobiles, real ones, are a different matter.  Here I can choose which car I buy and I will always choose to buy an American car.

Paul Fischer

Yes.

(I'll pay more just to have it not made in China. Such as my KATO HO stuff)

I would love to see everything "made in U. S. A."  However, I don't think that will ever happen.  I really don't care where my stuff is made as long as it is made well.

Rick

Only if they made what I want (and that would be..."correct" for Seaboard Air Line).

I expect many of us on this forum have way too many engines and rolling stock as it is.  A new company that would start fresh here in the US and expect to sell at a higher price while the overseas items are still being pumped out would be crazy as there's an overflow now.

If the current makers stopped production overseas and brought it back to the US and folks still wanted trains...then we'd have no choice but to pay more.  Maybe Lionel, MTH, Atlas, Weaver, and 3rd Rail/GGD can convince congress to help them by placing a heavy import fee on model trains from overseas.

I watched a show the other night that showed a group in South Carolina that had renewed an "apprenticeship" program, training people how to "make" things.  What a concept (I've been thru 2 apprenticeships in my life, what happened to this country to make companies stop training people?).  From what they were saying it is a huge success, there's a lot of people in this country who don't mind working with their hands (according to the program).  These folks (young and not so young) were making $10 or more/hour and getting paid while going to school.

Lionel is now nearby in NC, maybe they ought to make a step towards training people here to "make" things again.

My answer is yes and no...hopefully that clears it up.

Jeff C

This subject seems to bubble up every couple of months.  

In the end, nothing is resolved.

Rusty

My answer is YES, on trains and everything else. We need to get this country back to work.

A huge ditto from me! Bring manufacturing back! Bring jobs back! Everything mass produced doesn't have a homespun quality....

Mike Maurice

I'd rather see that come back, when it does the PRIDE we used to feel will come back too!

 I would like Weaver to make more of the modern rolling stock. I asked before too. I dabbled in a coupler of their tank cars. I wish they had more to offer me. I can't help but like Atlas and the latest modern Lionel cars. I wish they were made here. I would buy them.