Made in China

I bought some crankbaits today. Paid $8.99 ea because well... someone told me they'd catch a big one. Sounded like a bargain to me! I was disappointed to see that, at $9 ea, they were still made in china. I went to searching around and found a huge variety of crankbaits anywhere from $.20 - $1 ea and some of them look damn familiar. Of course there's a minimum order but the minimums are as small as 10 pieces so no big deal. Do you think China rips off the American company's intellectual property in this case or do the American companies just buy China's stuff and package it as their brand, pay a pro and then mark it up 2000% because people like me will pay it?

http://www.alibaba.com/products/F0/crankbait/CID100005453/2.html

Most crankbaits come from china and many look similar cause they are shot by the same company. Like basspro, academy, lucky craft....very similar. I think if they change them slightly inside the crank bait, they can pretty much recreate identically the outside

I'm convinced the Chinese are trying to kill us through their crappy products that either break causing injury or are toxic to human health.

I'm sure I have some Chinese made crankbaits...

Purchasing a known knock-off that has stolen intellectual property is the same in my mind as theft or purchasing known stolen property.

my $.02

Where do you think most crankbaits are built? Overseas mass injection molding has been the norm for years

That website looks all-American but it is obviously Alibaba, the Chinese version of Amazon, Ebay and Facebook all wrapped into one.

LOL!

I've bought motorcycle hard parts on there before. It's legit.

That's the way the world works now a days!

Just like coach purse , they are made in China! And us dumb as Americans will pay hundreds of dollars for them! I think the same people that make the knock off make the "real" ones!

Japanese crankbaits are made in China, too.

If you buy a Chinese lure, and you hook a fish with it, the hook/lure has Chinese chemicals in it that will tarnish the fish, the food, and kill us, just like using their toothpaste will. Yes, the Chinese are dang smart, and looking to the future!

Hey, I think "1" Chinese man, down on his luck several years back, started Alibaba...dang smart and nice to be one of the world's top billionaires!

More important than where it was made is where you buy it and what their customer service
and return policy is.

The Japanese got tired of being the cheap labor pool of the world years ago. As opposed to 40 years ago, finding something made in Japan would be a good product. Japan outsources to the new "3rd World" countries such as Malaysia.

Yes and yes. They design it then pay to have it made in China and mark it up to make outrageous profits. The company in China that is making it, takes the designs and makes their own to sell at lower prices. Like someone said earlier about Coach purses. The knock-offs that are sold in China are made by the same company and have the same stitching and everything. You really can't tell the difference between the two. Not the same as the knock-offs that you see sold in the USA.

I have ordered some things from China that I just couldn't find here and the sad thing is, they can make it across the ocean and to my home in a couple of days. I usually have a shorter wait time for those products than the ones I order in the USA.

I have looked into ordering my blanks straight from China to cut down on my cost in return I could offer lower prices and make the same money. I am using most of the same blanks now I'm just paying a middle man .50 cents to a dollar per bait depending on the amount I order. It's just hard for a small time painter like myself to order 500 to 1000 of the same blank. I found it interesting that they have some of the cranks that look identical to the bait balls and they are like a third of the cost.

Bill Lewis RatLtraps 100% made in America. The new square bill should but out soon. [video:youtube]Fishhound's How It's Made: Rat-L-Trap Lures: http://youtu.be/bp0eTsmy2yI[/video]

This makes me want to go out and buy some RatLTraps.

Amazing that they do them by hand. I would have guessed that there was more automation in the process. Great video.

I have seen this before and I too was amazed at the lack of automation. They have dozens of different colors and patterns that I hope will carry over into their crank baits. If the crank baits are sold at a decent price, they will get my money.

I didn't really notice just how many lures were made in places other than the US. Look at Academy, seems all the H20 line is made offshore!!!

there is good reasoning to buy american made. american made means that there is a job for someone here. when there is not anyone working here, who is going to have any money to buy the cheap off shore junk anyway.

bo

Rattle Trap Tournament at TB had some of the new square bills and they are made in America as well. Keep up the good work Rattle Trap at least one lure company has not out sourced and sold out to cheap labor & mega greed. Also American Rodsmith has new owners and the new line of rods are made in Houston Texas if anyone is interested in checking out American made fishing gear.

Made in America does not automatically mean its great quality. There is plenty of stuff made here that is junk.

I always heard that argument when I bought my first Toyota Tundra yet everyone at the factory in San Antonio, everyone at the dealership and bank that financed it were all American and getting paid from my purchase. In addition Toyota does so much if not more for bass fishing in Texas and the U.S. than any other vehicle manufacturer.

Heard the same argument about buying a Skeeter yet the 2-3 times I have been at the plant its all hard working Est Texans. All the guys at Fun N Sun were American too.

If American companies want our business they need to first make a great product. I am not paying more for an item simply because it was made here. Last I checked I don't get a discount for being an American. To me playing the buy American sympathy card will not get it done. Build a great product and back it with great service and I will definitely place it at the top of my list.

That's a cool video about Rat L Trap! Now I know to call Marilyn when the paint on my traps starts falling off prematurely.

All BS aside, cool to see their old school style!

The Rat L Trap has been one of my go to artifical baits for years and has helped catch thousands of fish.

There are numerous trap copy cats out there and more than likely they are mass produced by American owned companys that out sourced production to chinese factorys. I for one appreciate quality American made products.

Its not the Chinese that made this happen...its our gov't, and the Chinese, amoungst others, just filled the gaps. Our gov't has allowed foreign companies to undercut US manufacturers on just about any product you can imagine.
Examples I'm very familiar with: Semiconductors (Japanese companies dumped their cheap products on the US, with no response from our gov't. Now only a few major semiconductor manufacturers are left...Texas Industries is one).
Tires: Kelly Springfield plant in Tyler closed the doors. (Hankook tires filled the gap).
Steel: Tyler Pipe Industries is closed. Lonestar Steel..likewise. (Japanese steel filled the gap).
Auto: I worked for MAG Industries located in Detroit....made auto and heavy machinery parts...now making brake pads. (Japan and Germany filled the gap).
Poor Mexico needed a special deal from the US so our gov't made NAFTA a reality. (Mexico took IBM, HP, and many other computer manufacturers. Now Mexico is one of the largest producers of aviation technology in the world...(Mexico just filled the gap our gov't made)
How does the gov't protect our jobs? They make 15 year long wars so the sons and daughters of America's middle class have something to do.
Face it folks....its not the Chinese or the Mexicans or the Japanese or the Germans....its us we made this happen. We better wise up to the politicians and their political parties or all of us will be out of work and headed for the middle east. God Bless America...we need it right about now

Gov't and the Unions can probably share the blame equally.

Good grief! All of the sudden, 'buying American' is not the 'smart thing to do'?
Sure, want the best product, no matter what, for the lowest price but, I do want a quality product, not some 'knock off junk'. Remember, wasn't long ago, American markets were flooded with 'knock off/poorly made' junk! All kinds of stuff....made cheap to sell cheap and fit the bill,"You get what you pay for!"
When, where I can, if there is a good brand that is American made, you bet, I'll chose that every time.
I like the idea of keeping our $$ here and supporting American companies and American workers.
JMO
God Bless

Who is saying buying American is dumb? I see guys saying if the quality is there then by all means you buy it. Like I said earlier when I start getting an American discount I will happily pay a few bucks more to buy American. I know the Toyotas and Skeeters I bought damn sure supported a lot of really good American people. Some are really good friends of mine. That being said I bought them because they were what I wanted and because to me they are quality built. I will not buy anything because someone is waving an American flag trying to cater to my patriotism. I buy what I can afford and what I feel to me is the best bang for my money.

The stuff that is sold By American companies such as Strike King et al that buy from china are about the bottom line, profit. If they can get the chinese to make a quality product for half in America they are dang sure gonna do it. Its basic business 101. Not saying I agree with it, but that is life fellas. Don't know why someone thinks Government's fault, this is private companies choosing their market strategy. I personally use the lures that catch fish, regardless of where they are made.

People blame the government (or at least I do) because they over regulate and tax the hell out of companies which encourages outsourcing. Obamacare is the most recent example. That's the role the government plays, IMO.

The unions play a role because they try to, and in some cases succeed, strong arm businesses into overpaying for labor. Businesses ought to be able to pay folks whatever they want to pay them. If they can find people to work for $1/hr then they ought to be able to. Let the workforce dictate where labor rates should be.

Those that think the Gubment should tax, penalize or forbid US companies to deal overseas are ridiculous. Where's the liberty in that?

Those are good points, but our cost of living and our demand for higher wages to live like we do also play a huge role in this. Our own labor force drives prices up way more than the government does. Now, they sure ain't helping the problem by the points you made and I see where you are coming from, but when our poverty is their middle class you are going to lose business to them. That's not debatable.

I buy strictly on price and the quality that is acceptable to me. I really could care less where it was made. You don't have to buy American made to support American jobs. Americans are still being employed to ship, sell, etc. Sometimes it only makes sense for companies to manufacture overseas.

I remember old Harleys being touted as being all American but looking at the carb and you would see made in Japan.

It's a new world with global trade. It isn't going to change so companies learn to adapt and overcome or go out of business

^^^^Exactly..^^^^

sometimes greed can make it where there is not anyone to buy your product good or bad. if everyone takes the jobs out of the country, and there is not one person here working, who is going to be buying any product. i understand completely about turning a profit. but, some common sense needs to go with it, and i realize that it takes working people with money to buy a product. there are way too many people not working in this country because all the jobs went off shore.

true, some of the blame is our government, and that is exactly why we the people need to start doing a much better job of hiring and firing our president and congressional people.

bo

I just bought a bone Shower Blow for $38.00

Watched several Industries go to Mexico when NAFTA was passed. Then they went to China? Now it's Vietnam and India? Started a lure business in 2008. We choose to mfg in Terrell TX. Businesses dpt the USA for $$ reasons. Some come back, others don't! We are Gona find lures to make, sell for a profit, and do so in the USA. I think the lure mfg will come back to the USA!

Try to find 10 lures made in the USA next time you are at a box store?

This was about lures I thought, maybe I missed it somewhere. If you chose a Nissan or Toyota truck, fine that's your choice.
My comment was directed as to wondering why we do not see more fishing baits manufactured here, in America. Flag waving? Well, I only know of one company that did that, Walmart and I don't think they even do that anymore.
I was surprised to see so many brands, just one of which, i.e., KVD - made in China?? Many others....but, I can't remember them all. Like others here, I did take notice of Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps made here in the US. Nice to see that. I like buying American made products, hopefully to keep Americans working.
Wasn't meant to be argumentative, as I ended my comment, IMO In My Opinion
God Bless

One of the wealthiest companies in America is Apple. Do they manufacture here? No they build them somewhere else and then import them in. Think of how many U.S. jobs they create, not only in silicone valley but all the way down to the phone salesmen.

We don't have to have manufacturing jobs here to give people jobs but that might mean that people train for a career and not rely on someone giving them high pay to be an unskilled worker.

can't be all chiefs and no indians. when a country stops being a manufacuturing country, then there will be a day, you can not build the first thing to defend yourself. that is exactly why we still need to manufacture here so we have the infrastructure in place in case of an all out war. that is the only reason we have managed to win our wars, especially wwII, because we just flat out produced the enemy.

bo

The government, unions, EPA and of course the American people is where the blame.

Here's a thought. Germany has one of the strongest economies in the world. They charge taxes on imported goods, as do many foreign countries, in order to insure manufactured goods are bought and sold on a level playing field based on availability and quality, not only price. It protects German industry, German jobs and their national security. Look I'm not waving the German flag. Until 250,000 young German men storm the beaches of Galveston Texas determined to rescue Americans from a tyrant ruler bent on world conquest I won't be waving their flag. But it only makes sense for our government to honor their pledge to protect America and allow us to pursue life, liberty and happiness....get unemployed and see if any of those ideals are attainable. I'll say it again..... at the end of the day its, unfortunately, all about government. American Born and Texan till the day I die