If we all start buying more American products...

It is very hard to find American made products here in The USA. I have looked, my dad has looked and US products are like looking for unicorns. It is magical if you should ever see one. It is discouraging to know that we are deepening the pockets of every country but our own. I looked one day and found a dog collar that was mad e in the US and right beside it was one made from Japan. Believe it or not the American one was cheaper in price. The reason I bring up the price is so many people say it is cheaper to buy foreign products. That has been the only American made thing I have found. I finally gave up. It would be nice if we could go back to American made.

Hey koaltatbs, you are so right! That's the problem! Try finding a product that is made right here in the USA! Every product that we have is made in China, Japan or as you have said somewhere other than the USA! How can we expect our economy to possibly improve when all we do is outsource the work to every other country and not make anything right in our own backyard! This has been going on for so many years now that it has finally caught up with us. Now we hardly have any products anymore that are made in the USA! How sad that is for us and how sad that is for the economy! No wonder we have such a high unemployment rate. We are so busy buying products elsewhere that we no longer have the jobs here to help our own people to stay employed. This is a sad situation and I don't see how we can fix it! Can you think of any products that are still made here in the United States? I can barely come up with one.

Its a great idea and your absolutely correct (in my opinion). But that would only happen if we lived in a perfect world. Some people live very posh lifestyles and buy expensive things, a lot of those things coming from different countries. Some people are big on brand loyalty which also plays a part in why we buy foreign products. Some products we buy come from foreign countries for a reason: outsourcing. Business owners do this to cut down on costs because others will do it cheaper. Nice idea and great concept, but until people can put patriotism over price and put aside their preferences (brand loyalty most likely this will never be, as much as that sucks.

It is hard, especially considering that some of us can't always spend an extra buck whenever American brands/in-country produced stuff companies require that. So, for the most part...I buy locally. That is, food, stuff...I buy it from regular people, whenever I can. I mean the people basically ARE the economy, so while I'm not sure it'd show up on statistics if we all start making our own businesses and doing business within out own communities...but I think it would most certainly boost the economy where it counts: right here at home. Consumers would feel a ton better, especially, since the wares sold would probably be cheaper. Imagine how much less prices would be if you hardly had to ship things for such long distances, use so many chemicles to perserve the stuff, plus all the other factors that apply to lobal business. There's signs of this starting to really pick up around the country I think...and I mean that's how all major American companies started right. With just some dude in his garage or some housewife in her kitchen. I can see it harming nothing, so it must help.

I try to buy American when I can. I appreciate the companies that have actually stayed in America. If I have to pay a little more, I don't mind. Surprisingly, you don't always have to pay more. Finding those products is another thing. One place I have found on the net is: http://www.buyamericanmart.com/index.html When I buy fresh fruits and vegetables, I usually go to local farms and farmer's markets. I also tell the management at the grocery stores I use that I want American products, local ones are preferable. Believe it or not, they will listen to you. You will be surprised what you can do by just speaking up! I do think it will help. Foreign trade is great if we get good and safe products; but I will almost always buy American first.

I ususally don't like to buy American products, they are so expensive. Although I gotta agree that on some stuff, the quality is better than other countries stuff.

I do my best to buy American made good only, but you are right it is rather hard to do. There are a few books out there that actually tell you what is and isn't an American products. Even if it is labeled USA but really parts of it are foreign.

I think it would help a great deal, but you are right. Most of what we buy in years past came from Korea and then everything came from China. Then many of our industries built factories overseas so all of our clothing comes from exotic places! LOL. You have to really hunt for things made in the US, but they are out there.

I feel it doesn't help because most products aren't made in USA. I have yet to find clothes (are there anyone?) made in USA, and I actually found my New Balance (you do have to look, though) that said they were made in USA of "foreign and domestic components" which means they probably imported a lot of the materials, but I almost fainted when I saw they were made in USA. Most electronics (TV, DVD, Blue Ray, Stereos, Computers) are made in Asia (Taiwan, China, Japan, Thailand, etc). It would be perhaps nice to buy some products from USA but I'm thinking that I don't see any of the products. I'm not sure if it would even help, either, right? Well you have a wonderful day. Pablo

Hi Koalatbs. I agree that this is what we should do as patriotic Americans to keep our country from going into a depression. But, I'm afraid that this will not happen, because of the greedy American business leaders and the consumers who are out looking for a bargain no matter what the true cost. Happy MyLotting....

hi loalatbs I do think buying american products would really help our economy if we can just find some that are reallymade in America. most of our clothes are made over seas, and our'electonic stuff all comes from Japan and China and India. sad that we dont make a lot more stuff right here in our' own country so we people can buy it. I am really going to start buying more American made products. here in Ca we do get home grown produce which is good.

I think that the economic crisis is not only about American made products, but it also has to do with our reliance upon large retail stores. I think that if we would put more money into our local stores, just small town stores so to speak then the communities that we live in will start doing better. The hidden agenda of the economic stimulus check was exactly for that. It was explained on many news channels, it was mainly intended for the smaller stores, because once once community restores economically then the trend continues with more and more communities. See just like a plant it starts with a little seed (our money) we put it in the ground (our community stores, mom and pop shops whichever) and then if bloooms (community) and then it flurishes/spreads out (surrounding communitites). I think that we just have to much reliance not only on large retail stores,but also upon things like foreign products. During the depression if everyone would have purchased just one gallon of milk it would have been enough for our country to pull itself back out of debt. Crazy how a little thing like that could make that much of a differnce. Great discussion.

We have the same problem in Australia, koalatbs. It is really difficult to find Australian-made products, as a lot of the time they are packaged in Australia, but sourced from elsewhere. Meanwhile, our farmers cannot find a market for their produce as it's apparently cheaper to buy sub-standard fruit, vegetables and fish from other places. It's heartbreaking, as our farmers are doing it really hard and often have to plough thousands of dollars' worth of produce back into the ground.

yeah it shows american product or made in germany but in rality made in china it sucks!!!!

the thing with international trade is that if american wants foreign countries to buy there products then they must import foreign products as well, and there has to be a balance.

Hi! I am a native of the Philippines but I live in the U.S. now. When I was about to go home for a vacation, I was looking so hard for any American-made products that I was supposed to bring home to my folks. I only found one item! You're right, it's indeed difficult to find genuine American-made products. I believe that buying your own country's product would be of great help to the economy. It happened in my country actually. The government tried its best to promote our own products and tried to improve them. It helped boost the economy somehow.

I do believe it would help if we would buy American made products. But as you say and I know because I have tried to find things labeled made in America and it is near to impossible. Everything you pick up is made in another country. It doesn't make any difference what it is you are looking at. When did it become so hard to find things made in our own country. Personally I think it is very sad. If I could find products made here that is what I would buy.

I believe that if the USA made it profitable for businesses in America to keep their companies IN America, then we would have more and better American made products to buy and choose from. Even US companies have gone overseas to make and build things at a cheaper cost to them to compete. Just isn't right. If you don't have the money to buy American made, you haven't got a choice these days.

i sure do think it would help but like u i don't know where u are going to find many of them because i think they are pratically non-existent.

As I read the first part of this discussion, I was thinking, Of course it would help, IF you could find American made goods. You are right, it is hard to find things made in America. We either outsource, because it is cheaper labor, or, we import. I bought a car on my father in law's suggestion one time, because he believed it to be American made. Well, the frame of it was, the rest was from other places. The car was a good one, it's just that I chose that car because it said it was an American made car, and in reality, it was not. Have you had a good look around lately? We are being bought out by other countries, seriously. We are in such debt that large and small companies alike are selling out to companies from all over the world. It is crazy, if you ask me.