Hi, all...
Well, I really don't want to open up a controversial can 'o worms here but something has been bugging me recently and I wondered if anyone else has an opinion on this.
Over the years I have purchased many Chooch resin scenery and car load products in HO.
A while ago I was, let's say, mildy amused at the little gold sticker on the bottom of the resin that you can see only after the package is opened and the item turned over.
MADE IN CHINA
Well, OK... we all say. Why not, everything else is. BUT aren't products imported to USA supposed to be conspicously marked country of origin?
1. When must imported goods be marked to show country of origin?
Answer: Section 304 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended [19 U.S.C. § 1304] requires that, unless excepted, all articles of foreign origin, (or their containers) must be marked permanently, legibly and in a conspicuous place, so as to inform an ultimate purchaser in the United States of the English name of the article's country of origin. The three basic requirements of marking foreign-origin articles deserve special mention. A marking must be:
Permanent -- the country of origin must be noted permanently on an article or its container, and must be designed to remain on the article or container until it reaches the "ultimate purchaser" in the U.S.;
Legible -- the marking must be in lettering which is clear, and which can be read without strain; and
Conspicuousness -- the marking must appear on the article or its container in a place which is readily accessible, and where the marking can be found upon casual examination.I would just like to see the manufacturers play by the rules, that's all. If I choose to NOT buy Chinese goods I'd like to know where something is made BEFORE I buy it...Thanks for letting me rant!
Conspicuousness -- the marking must appear on the article or its container in a place which is readily accessible, and where the marking can be found upon casual examination.
I would just like to see the manufacturers play by the rules, that's all. If I choose to NOT buy Chinese goods I'd like to know where something is made BEFORE I buy it...
Thanks for letting me rant!
gmpullman wrote: ...so as to inform an ultimate purchaser in the United States of the English name of the article's country of origin...
...so as to inform an ultimate purchaser in the United States of the English name of the article's country of origin...
Well I guess this doesn't apply to me since my name is not of English origin. It's funny to me, not ha, ha funny mind you; that a lot of our laws and legal documents were written with obvious racism and bigotry, U.S. Constitution ring a bell?
Anyway, did the container that the product was packaged in labeled "Made in the USA" or anything? If it didn't say anything at all on the outside package, then yes, Chooch may be trying to hide the country of origin in fear that someone may not buy it since a lot of people are "boycotting" Chinese made products.
If the container did say "made in the USA", maybe they were referring to the container itself and not necessarily the product inside said container. Again, chooch trying to hide the facts of where the product came from.
These are my thoughts though, your results will vary.
TONY
"If we never take the time, how can we ever have the time." - Merovingian (Matrix Reloaded)
If you don't want to open a can of worms, don't throw a can opener on the table!
I had Chinese for tea tonight, I live in Australia, it was made in Australia by Chinese, I hope the cats weren't imported from the USA, I would hate to have to complain, as the tail I picked out had no label on it!
Teditor.
Teditor
I'll still buy Chooch products, as well as Brass imports, BLI, etc... I'd just like to be able to discern the place of manufacture BEFORE I buy the item, not after opening the package.
Why is it important to me? Well, as a consumer, I expect certain regulations to be adhered to. Truth in advertizing and all that. It just seems that more often than not, manufacturers are able to skirt these regulations and the consumer suffers in the long run.
Thanks
jasperofzeal wrote: Well I guess this doesn't apply to me since my name is not of English origin. It's funny to me, not ha, ha funny mind you; that a lot of our laws and legal documents were written with obvious racism and bigotry, U.S. Constitution ring a bell?
joz:
Fer gosh sakes, since when does informing the consumer equal racism and bigotry? Maybe some of us just like to support our own country. But in this case, I doubt there was any subterfuge on Chooch's part. The sticker was probably applied at the factory, the parts came in a big carton, and they just took 'em out and packaged them without bothering to mark the package. It's not strictly correct, but these things happen. I think a friendly E mail would do more than posts on a forum in this case.
I just assume everything is made in China. Jerry
jerryl wrote: I just assume everything is made in China. Jerry
jl:
It's not, though.
My understanding is products need to be marked with the country of origin when they come through customs. If the product was packaged subsequent to importation then I do not think the same rule applies provided the product still carries its label.
Chris
My experience with Chooch has always been just fine, and I appreciate their very prompt response via email on a question I once had regarding one of their products. Thier products are quality (you don't have to open a box generally to see what it looks like--you can see the detail through the packaging. I've always felt price was reasonable too.
Granted I try to not be a nit-picker, but service and price are important to me.
shawnee wrote:Well, it is true that Chooch is nothing but a diabolical front for the People's Liberation Army. They evidently plan to take over the world by first subverting model railroad clubs across the world. Ah! - their inscrutable ways!!!!
It's not the Chinese we need to worry about. But those *** CANADIENS. They're amassing large amounts of troops on our border as we speak!
JUST WAITING to invade. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
They'll change the national drink to Moosehead beer, and before you know it we'll all be saying " How's it goin eh?"
gmpullman wrote:...A while ago I was, let's say, mildy amused at the little gold sticker on the bottom of the resin that you can see only after the package is opened and the item turned over.MADE IN CHINAWell, OK... we all say. Why not, everything else is. BUT aren't products imported to USA supposed to be conspicously marked country of origin?
...A while ago I was, let's say, mildy amused at the little gold sticker on the bottom of the resin that you can see only after the package is opened and the item turned over.
Take a closer look at the packaging.
IANAL, but if there really is a problem, it's not Chooch's. It's an issue with US Customs. With respect to country of origin, if USCBP consider the labelling to be consistent with their interpretation of 19 CFR 134, the product is admissable, and Chooch is considered to have played by the rules.
edit: typo
Driline wrote: shawnee wrote:Well, it is true that Chooch is nothing but a diabolical front for the People's Liberation Army. They evidently plan to take over the world by first subverting model railroad clubs across the world. Ah! - their inscrutable ways!!!!It's not the Chinese we need to worry about. But those *** CANADIENS. They're amassing large amounts of troops on our border as we speak!JUST WAITING to invade. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!They'll change the national drink to Moosehead beer, and before you know it we'll all be saying " How's it goin eh?"
Well that's why I carefully check the origins of all my potatos. Who knows where they're coming from, or what their putting in them! I know, it's a terrible burden to be living constantly in the shadow of the Canadian hordes...any minute about to descend upon us!
I never did trust that CN taking over WC and IC thing. Aha!
I thought the US invadad Canada. There's a movie about it.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/canadian_bacon/
Opps, we really did invade Canada in 1812
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Canada was part of england then.
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
jasperofzeal wrote: gmpullman wrote: ...so as to inform an ultimate purchaser in the United States of the English name of the article's country of origin...Well I guess this doesn't apply to me since my name is not of English origin. It's funny to me, not ha, ha funny mind you; that a lot of our laws and legal documents were written with obvious racism and bigotry, U.S. Constitution ring a bell?
Tony,
What they mean is the name of the country has to be spelled out in English, so Americans can read it. For example, if something is made in Japan and sold in the US, it has to say "Made in Japan" in English letters, not in kanji, which most Americans can't read.
As for the issue about Made in China - I'm not an expert, but reading the excerpt from the CFR, I wonder if they are talking about the packaging when they mention "container?" If the packaging is not the same as "container," then it would seem the sticker on the product itself follows the rules. I could be totally wrong about all that, though.
I actually attended a model RR club meeting last year where the owner of Chooch (forget his name) was our guest speaker. He spoke very candidly about the Made in China issue, and stated that was the only way they could stay in business and remain competitive. I could be mistaken, but I believe he said he's actually visited the factory in China where they make Chooch products to ensure everything was being done to their standards (i.e. no sweat shops or child labor). I also believe he may have said the stuff was shipped to them in bulk, then packaged in the US by someone else (as somebody else mentioned above), which may account for the discrepancy between the packaging and the sticker on the product itself.
At any rate, I seriously doubt there's any intentional deception going on, as I don't believe they would try to hide the fact that some of their stuff is made overseas. If there is a problem, it's probably just an oversight. If it concerns you that much, I suggest e-mailing or calling Chooch and asking them about it. The owner was a very nice guy and I'm sure they'd be happy to explain it to you.
Dan Stokes
My other car is a tunnel motor
stokesda wrote:I actually attended a model RR club meeting last year where the owner of Chooch (forget his name) was our guest speaker. He spoke very candidly about the Made in China issue, and stated that was the only way they could stay in business and remain competitive. I could be mistaken, but I believe he said he's actually visited the factory in China where they make Chooch products to ensure everything was being done to their standards (i.e. no sweat shops or child labor).
That's the thing about China that a lot of people don't acknowledge. China will make exactly what you want. If you want a cheap product, they'll find a way. If you want a high quality product, they'll find a way. There's a lot of unscrupulous shenanigans in China, but there are a lot of well run businesses whose output couldn't be produced with cheap sweatshop labor. It's a real industrial revolution over there.
Really? I always thought that was the reason for the sudden proliferation of Chinese resturants and take out places in this country. There's practically one on every corner where I live. I imagine that some night while I'm loitering at the buffet the head-waiter will walk to the middle of the room and loudly announce that we are now all prisoners of the Red Guard. Those of you who ordered "to go" will receive the same admonition when you open your fortune cookie.
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
shawnee wrote: Driline wrote: shawnee wrote:Well, it is true that Chooch is nothing but a diabolical front for the People's Liberation Army. They evidently plan to take over the world by first subverting model railroad clubs across the world. Ah! - their inscrutable ways!!!!It's not the Chinese we need to worry about. But those *** CANADIENS. They're amassing large amounts of troops on our border as we speak!JUST WAITING to invade. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!They'll change the national drink to Moosehead beer, and before you know it we'll all be saying " How's it goin eh?" Well that's why I carefully check the origins of all my potatos. Who knows where they're coming from, or what their putting in them! I know, it's a terrible burden to be living constantly in the shadow of the Canadian hordes...any minute about to descend upon us! I never did trust that CN taking over WC and IC thing. Aha!
That is why I enjoy Idaho Potatoes. Ive hauled the stuff and know exactly where it comes from and seen the piles of potatoes on the ground being sent by conveyor to the washer.
Ive also enjoyed the Canada business at the exhange rate of about .70 C to 1.00 USA, very favorable; not to mention profitable, for loads into and out of Ontario.
Frankly I dont care about the China problem any more. They are deploying a million or more active duty at once domestically plus another million villagers to handle floods etc. We need a draft to strip the USA to make that happen.
That friends, is the difference between our 300 million people to China's Billion or more.