Campaign to Halt the Import of Chemical-Emitting Smelly Plastic from China

[deuem]

Hi Dave, Did you ever contact Harbor Freight and ask them?

It seems these products are dipped or sprayed for a reason. What the reason is I don't know yet. If you could, could you ask them if they have a problem?

Deuem

[The Matrix Traveller]

I have imported Chinese Electric Cycles in the past, but No Smell, on the bikes or in the Containers they were in.

There were many plastic panels but they had next to no smell, other than the normal plastic smell.

But we had to strip completely, every cycle and rebuild them again.

Quality Control was virtually non existent and had to either repair Components or
have replacement Components shipped to us on a regular basis.

And often parts were missing. Lacking quality inspections during Manufacture and Assembly.

The Chinese Company was a Contractor to a Large American Company involving American
input.

Electrics and Mechanical design was Not good, especially switches and connectors.

We also imported petrol powered Quad bikes and motorcycles, including "Pocket Quad bikes" and "Pocket bikes".

These too had their design faults, and in some cases we had to redesign and manufacture some parts.

The manufacturers were always willing to oblige though and fairly promptly.

One thing that was prominent though, and that was the use of poor grade Steels.

[Littleenki]

Dueum, Ive asked the manager what the smell was, I went there yesterday for some casters..LOL!...and she told me it was from the packaging they use in China, and that it actually is some sort of plastic they wrap everything with and apply an oil to it to keep it from rusting while coming across the sea in poorly sealed vessels.

She also told me that some of their items stay on the docks for upwards of a year or so, and remain in that very same packaging as long. She suggested that the oil was a unique type with a real nasty smell that permeated the plastic parts of their products, and as I walked through the store, I sniffed around a lot.

Everything plastic had a different smell, some bad some not and there was no rhyme or reason..some items didnt smell at all, and what I noticed was the worst ones were with the rubbery or flexible plastic they use for softer parts.

The tires had a distinct odor of rubber, but not like a tire..kinda like the smoky smell I smelled on my bungees.
Nasty!!!

When I thought about it, I got nauseous and I got the heck outta there right quick!LOL!

The casters I bought have hard rubber tires, and no smell at all, save for a bit of oily residue which I wiped easily off.

I agree with Matrix though, the materials and manufacruing is very subpar in the Chinese products, and this country as a whole needs to just stop buying the stuff until they make it to last more than one use, like Harbor Freight's tools seem to be made.

Walmart and others have the Chinese products packaged more nice that Harbor Freight, but inside is the same old crap..cheap cheap, cheap.

Oh well, I guess it just involves some personal awareness of what your buying these days, and sound decisions to not further the cause of greed.

Cheers!

[deuem]

First of all, I think everyone in every country should support their own country when ever possible. I do not like to see millions of people forced out of work just so a couple of elite can get richer. I do like international trade if it is done right.

We would not have that nice hot cup of coffee in the US with out it. Nor a lot of things we like. So trade is great for sharing things world wide as long as it is fair. So what we like and what we need have to change. Yes, we need coffee! That has to stay on the list for me.

I have shipped many things both ways across the pacific and I tell you it is very hard to keep the salt air out. Even if you put your container inside it still gets hit. I have never seen an air tight sealed container. Metal goods either have to be sprayed or plated. Nickel works. Every part needs to be platted if it would rust. Just a flash plate works well. I had many tools done this way with nothing rusting. Otherwise oil is the key. Now, just don't think China to the states has this problem. Any ocean cargo from anywhere has it.

All those bananas would be a pile of rust if they were metal. Coffee beans would be rusted balls and so on. Even cars take a hit and they are shipped inside. A lot of work and money needs to go into the rust prevention process.

What happens to the product, like matrix says... Most of the companies are being beat over the head every day to make it cheaper. Then cheaper again! So they start to skip every corner they can. On the other hand I have seen products produced her with exactly the same quality and material as at home. 100% can't tell them apart. Then comes greed!

The bosses what to maximize profits and start telling them to cut corners to make it cheaper while they make more.

I have a friend that was being beat up on prices so bad he went out of business. The Buyers would start at a good price and then continue every day to get it down. Telling the owners lies. This one buyer was telling the owner that because of the high price, he was not able to sell the product and it needed to be cut again and again. The price finally got so low he was losing money but the buyer said this is what you have to do until the market changed.

This went on for over a year, and then the company folded. The owner latter found out that all during this time the buyer was always increasing his selling price and lowering his buying price until he was making almost pure profit.  This practice is done here daily. If you don't know what is going on outside, you will be taken for a ride. So you, the end customer had to live through it also. The product, getting cheaper and cheaper every month until it just falls apart on its own.

In the states we have a saying of Tail light guarantee. Here it is once the money changes hands, you're done. Not all the time but most of it.

Slowly I am seeing things change and the people are fighting back and not buying the junk. As I always say, that is the easy way. Just don't buy it....Deuem

[Littleenki]

Just dont buy it...wise words!

Our problem here in the states is we need a device or apparatus to do everything for us..a million little things bubble packaged and hung on the walls at walmart, to be bought, used for a year, then sent to the landfill when they break or fail.

Then, as we have become so enamored with the way these little plastic gizmos make our lives so much "easier" we buy the same thing again and go through the cycle of planned obsolescence or planned failure. And heres a culprit of this mentality right here....



No, not the store itself, the dummies shopping there.

I could go for a campaign nationwide to shut down every Dollar Store and throw their entire stocks of crap into the sea!

Of course we cant make everything here, many parts for our American cars come from japanese and chinese suppliers, the electronics to be specific, but if the US made a concerted effort towards making more and more of their own materials and products ..heck even 30 percent more..our economy would make a return from the brink.

People dont realize its their own greed and laziness which has created this sad state of affairs, most just coast through life unaware of how and why they are perpetuating the whole fall of the American economy.

And, planned obsolescence should immediately be defined as a crime against mankind by all nations..that would be one of my first goals as a leader of any nation..to root out those who use planned obsolescnece for greed and profit, and shut their asses down.

Like the old guys say, myself included to a degree.."I remember when cars used to last fifty years"..and its true.

Cheers!
Le

[deuem]

Did not planned obsolescence start in the states with the great light bulb planned obsolescence kick off. No money to be made. In answer to your planned obsolescence question, In my mind it all depends on where it ends up. If it is a land fill then it is not OK b any means. If it is re-cycled then it might actually help everyone. Work means jobs, even the re-cycle jobs. Trash means waste and I think we have all seen enough of that.

Look at those new juice boxes that were designed in the states. What 7 or more layers of product, you can't get apart. That stuff ends up in the land fill. I drive my wife crazy all the time because I do look for things in the same product family that can be re-cycled. If I can get it in say Stainless steel, OK, buy it.

It will last me my life time and yours and then it can be re-cycled. Glass is better than plastic and paper over mixed foils. So what to buy and what to toss,

Easy, just look in your garbage every week and make a list. If you try hard, it should get smaller every week. All of our food garbage gets purchased by pig farmers. You toss it out. They buy it here...My garbage, actual garbage is now maybe less than a tenth of what it was in the states. At home I used to need my pickup just to haul it all away. Just my mailbox would be a ton a month.  Start there. Change your box so it can not fit junk mail and tell the post man you don't want it anymore.

Change the way you buy and collect garbage. Garbage in, Garbage out.  Deuem

[Littleenki]

Right on Dueum, Zorgon will tell you about what to do with that garbage...burn it!

Every year I save until the first cold snap, then we have a massive bonfire, and everyone in the hood joins in. We have to stroe a few bags of paper for about six months but its fun and worth it when we all come together for a neighborly gathering.

last year we had thirty bags of just junk mail, and about forty phone books...with some oak on top the fire burned all night!

This year, Ive got three big bags of junk mail, and ten phone books already..wheres that cold front?

Cheers!

[Somamech]

Well for the thread I had to work on fixing some chinese made proto's tonight and there was no smell in box or parts.  These are air frieghted so whether that equates into the equasion of what some are smelling who knows ?

Although this wont help the thread getting down to the smell reported.  In a thread I started with some mil gadgets, the bumper bar was made in China and took many moons too straighten out due to it being warped from the supplier packing it in a box that it didnt fit into.   

I am honestly over quality in this regard.  If I want to make stuff in Asia I would get the Japanese, Taiwanese or Sth Koreans to make my stuff if I had stuff to be made.  Always nearly get a part from those companys that are base in the forementioned that is well beyond expectations. 

I work for an American company now and have seen some of the flimsiest manufacturing that ranks highly in the Fail catorgery.  Thats not a picking on America statement either... just saying what I have seen with nearly 12 years experience in protoyping 

[Littleenki]

Yeah Soma, thats why America had started to buy up the japanese cars starting in the late 60's..our factories were churning out crap, too!

As for these days, when something is made here, the manufacturer hires the cheapest possible labor..there's just no pride for the average working man here anymore.

Thank goodness Im self employed, and can grow my business through quality and excellent customer service. For me there's no alternative.

Our corporations could be so much more successful if they would just stop taking so much profit and offering a bit more to the consumer in the way of hiring quality employees and extending the life and quality of their products.

Yeah right, then the executives would have to step down to a cheaper rolls royce!LOL!
Cheers!

[Amaterasu]

There's no pride for several reasons:

1.  Money/profit is legally the most important goal for all corporations
2.  The labor has no vestment into the product - no recognition
3.  Labor is most often treated poorly

[The Matrix Traveller]

When I lived in China, I was surprised to see many products being Manufactured
in China, by overseas Companies, many of which were American.

Overseas Companies do this, to get their prices down, using cheep Labor in China.


But I also remember, Japanese products were once seen to be rubbish, but today
it is much different.

I suspect Chinese products will change also, in years to come.

There are some awesome products Manufactured in China, especially High quality
Wooden Furniture, (some items above 30,000 $US) Jade products, (some more than
30 Kg in weight) large urns and other Ceramics etc. but there is also a lot of Low Quality furniture
produced at the other end of their Manufacturing as well.

[Amaterasu]

I love jade...

[deuem]

Hi to Matrix,

You hit one nail square on. It all depends on if it is mas produced or made to order.

They have 3 standards here just like in the states. Poor middle class and rich. depending on who it is made for will determine the quality. Almost every mass produced item is so beaten to death for price it is a wonder why it stays together. Most of the time if you can still get it home with out it falling apart, you are lucky.

But I have many things that are going on years now. My fridge and TV are still in original shape and never serviced. My Chinese built SUV was made to international crash standards and has only had very few minor problems so far ( 4 years old )

I do suggest to have most people start their own work like Dave does. It is worth it in the end. When you are the owner and cheif bottle washer, you get things done better. Remember Bill Gates started in his garage....

Latest smell index is Zero. Been wiffing everything.

Deuem

[Amaterasu]

I have had reports from People here in the states that many of the Chinese imports are exuding this smell, and I conclude that it must be that such tainted item are sent only to the US...

[deuem]

I have had reports from People here in the states that many of the Chinese imports are exuding this smell, and I conclude that it must be that such tainted item are sent only to the US...

There are two things you can do,  find out where they really came from and complain over and over till it stops or never buy them. Pick a product made in your country and go with out it.

All of this might be coming from just one shipper who is doing it for hate or rules.