Beware of Chinese-Sold products.

[NikonDude]

Beware when buying "Genuine" Nikon, Canon, etc products on eBay.

Remember, the Chinese counterfeit just about everything. If something is normally $14.99, and you see it for $4.99 from China, then odds are it's fake.

Always buy from reliable sources. I do not recommend buying anything from China.

 

[unpopular]

... or just count on it being fake.

I've bought tons from China. Does it really matter if my M42 extension rings are cheap? I'm putting them on cheap M42 lenses!

Chinese stuff is so inexpensive, it's practically disposable. I wouldn't recommend a professional use Chinese products, and it's important to remember that a small difference in US money makes an ENORMOUS difference in quality. But i have chinese monolights which are very good quality - good enough for adorama to rename Flashpoint, Chinese M42 and M39 adapters, chinese extension rings, a chinese gimbal head (ok, it kind of sucks). Provided that you don't look for the cheapest thing you can find, or try to find deals that are too good to be true, in many cases the products function OK.

Almost everything we buy passes through china, has chinese engineered and manufactured parts or is entirely built and engineered in china and relabled in english.

 

[Golfcart]

I bought a Yongnuo speedlight from Hong Kong, it worked for 2 indoor photo sessions. I realized I was paying much less than I would for a Nikon, but I tried it anyways. Everyone else seems to have luck with these flashes. I purchased only because of all the good reviews. However, mine was a different story.

I knew I was buying junk from the begining.

 

[NikonDude]

I also want to add...

When you buy stuff from China, that money goes right to China. It does not help out the US at all. Even though most stuff is now made in China, the stuff you buy in the US still has US HQs and distribution centers, which employ a few people.

You may not think it hurts spending $20 on something from China, but look on eBay at the hundreds of thousands of items sold from China. Your not benefiting the American economy by buying from them, your benefiting China. The US needs all the help it can get.

Same goes if you live in Europe, just keep your money local.

Also...some stuff is sold ONLY in China because it cannot be legally sold here. It may not be safe enough. Those cheap battery chargers and batteries sold only in China may present a fire risk. Although many batteries ARE made in China. The cheapest ones, sold only in China, do not meet UL standards. That's why they are sold there, and not here.

I never buy stuff from China. Anyone who does is taking money away from America. Like I said if you think a $20 purchase won't hurt, think of the thousands of items sold.

 

[unpopular]

That's capitalism. If American companies can't compete, why should I spend higher prices?

Unethical labor practices, perhaps. But Americans also have lifestyle demands which make it very hard to remain competitive.

 

[Patriot]

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA!!!!!!

I hate buying stuffing from China too, but to say that you never buy stuff from China is a little inaccurate. Your camera was probably made there. It's because humans are greedy so they sale their souls to the Chinese. Nikon, Canon, Sony, no matter what company you go with they all have at least one plant in China. I really wish these greedy fat Americans wake up one day in realize that the jobs need to come to America and Europe. The Chinese don't have health codes in their factories and most are very unsafe.Many workers kill themselves rather than work in those conditions.

It's the consumer's fault just as much as the companies fault. We have this mindset that we should all make lots of money and be rich. That is the reason the jobs have left our country because we refuse to work for less. So instead of paying us more the jobs are given to other countries that will do it for cheap at the cost of no insurance, health codes, lower wage, etc.

 

[unpopular]

Right on Patriot! That's exactly what I am saying.

 

[bratkinson]

I won't subscribe to the thought that everything that comes from China is junk or poorly made. Ignoring the factory conditions and lack of most health standards we in the USA enjoy, China has produced many good products at a far lower cost than what "good 'ole USA" can produce.

And, as stated above, many USA companies manufacture their goods in China. I'm wearing a pair of Chinese-made very well-known USA vendor boots as I type this! They have outlasted both USA-made and another pair of more cheaply made Chinese-origin boots by YEARS!

Have I unkowingly at the time (and some, knowingly) bought counterfit Canon batteries, battery grip, and a strap or two on ebay? Yes. Have they performed as well as real Canon gear? In my case, yes. Would I buy more of the doesn't-affect-picture-quality items from China? Yep! Just like everyone else, I want to save money when and where I can.

Have I been 'bit' by cheap Chinese-made goods? Affirmative. But not in the photography field, yet. If anything, the experience has made me much more aware of the old Latin rule: Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer Beware). How true it is.

And, for what it's worth, I recently purchased an obviously Chinese-made reciprocating saw (with an American name on it) for about 15% of what a well-known USA brand sells for. I only expected it to last for 20-30 minutes of use. But for $20, I couldn't go wrong. It now has well over 30 hours use on it and is still working flawlessly! So hey! I came out WAY ahead, in my book!

And, if one turns the clock back 60 years or so, just about everything made in Japan and sold here was considered COMPLETE JUNK! And most of it was.

Happy Canon, Nikon, and Sony to you, too!

 

[Mitica100]

OK y'all... You can make any comments about Chinese (or any other country's exports) but let's keep politics and religion out of this thread and Forum. Much appreciated.

 

[Patriot]

OK y'all... You can make any comments about Chinese (or any other country's exports) but let's keep politics and religion out of this thread and Forum. Much appreciated.

Who said anything about religion?

I cant stand companies that suppose to make goods for our military give those jobs to the Chinese. Parts of my uniform is made in China. Some of our flags are made in China too, why in the fking hell is China making our flags!

I myself don't care about saving money if I had to choose between a Chinese brand or Another brand made in another country. I got the actual Nikon grip($250) for my camera rather than get the cheap knock offs. I sleep better knowing that it is real. I did it to support Japan's economy and because I dont trust Chinese made good unless the factories are own by another nation. I would gladly spend more money for a better quality product and one that actually has a warranty.

China steals everything they can from other and try to pass it off as their own. They have no respect for someone else intellectual property. I just read yesterday on this site about how someone was cheated after buying a camera in China. They replaced the motor inside the camera with a cheaper one and sold it as normal. Let that be a reason why I wont buy from them if I could help it.

 

[NikonDude]

OK y'all... You can make any comments about Chinese (or any other country's exports) but let's keep politics and religion out of this thread and Forum. Much appreciated.

Who said anything about religion?

I cant stand companies that suppose to make goods for our military give those jobs to the Chinese. Parts of my uniform is made in China. Some of our flags are made in China too, why in the fking hell is China making our flags!

I myself don't care about saving money if I had to choose between a Chinese brand or Another brand made in another country. I got the actual Nikon grip($250) for my camera rather than get the cheap knock offs. I sleep better knowing that it is real. I did it to support Japan's economy and because I dont trust Chinese made good unless the factories are own by another nation. I would gladly spend more money for a better quality product and one that actually has a warranty.

China steals everything they can from other and try to pass it off as their own. They have no respect for someone else intellectual property. I just read yesterday on this site about how someone was cheated after buying a camera in China. They replaced the motor inside the camera with a cheaper one and sold it as normal. Let that be a reason why I wont buy from them if I could help it.

Your very right about the no respect for property.

The Chinese have been counterfeiting coins. I'm a coin collector and it makes the hobby much harder. They used to make some very crude fakes, but they have gotten much better, and it's hard to tell them apart from the real thing. They are even faking certified coins (coins put in a holder and graded by a reputable company).

They are also taking silver plated copper and marking it Sterling. They are also marking plated gold rings as real gold.
I deal somewhat in Gold and Silver. Years ago you had little worry about buying fake gold or silver as little was faked. Now, you would be surprised how much is faked. Even department stores have been selling fake sterling jewelry.

Sadly our laws have no jurisdiction in China.

I know every nation has it's flaws, but it infuriates me all all the fakery they pump out.

 

[zamanakhan]

Get Obama out of office! That'll help more than this! Lol.

no one is ever happy... First get Clinton out... Then get bush out.... Now get Obama out? Has there ever been a president in the last 2 decades that you didn't want out?

As for my money, it goes to the place where I can get most out of my money. You are telling me that the $3 Nikon wireless remote from china is worse than the $20 one from Nikon in USA? Plus taxes? Put them side by side and you can't tell em apart, hell take em apart and you can't tell em apart.

These companies charge waaaay too much for small accessories like such, and you are right in saying that there are distribution channels where there are employees that benefit from my purchase. However being a student, I would rather have that money go to me than some overweight and over paid middle management store clerk and some min wage on commission, underpayed so he is miserable and pushes products you do not need on you, teenage store clerk. On top of that the same amount of money is going back into china, the company probably buys the same remote for $1-3 as well so the same chineese company benefits. If you are buying from china, just be smart about it, there are things that are significantly lower in quality but then there are things that are built in the same factory as the original, for half the price. This is capitalism, if the American companies cannot compete than get ready for another recession. Oh wait most likely a new war instead.

 

[bianni]

IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED THE EARTH. After that, all was made in China

 

[Patriot]

Get Obama out of office! That'll help more than this! Lol.

U Americans are never happy... First get Clinton out... Then get bush out.... Now get Obama out? Has there ever been a president in the last 2 decades that you didn't want out?

U Americans?

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED THE EARTH. After that, all was made in China

6000 years ago, right?