Why sell cheap ****?

[lynnbilodeau]

Garage Door Rollers
I do not understand.
I am replacing my garage door opener. Decide this would be a good time to replace all 12 rollers.

Go by Home Depot. They have some steel “ball bearing” rollers in stock. They are priced around 4 ½ bucks for a two pack. I pick one up and roll it. Feels like it is full of sand or something. Try a few more, and they all feel the same; very rough. It is like the balls aren’t even balls, which is why I put the words above in quotes.

I look at the back of the package, and of course, they are made in China.
Look at their nylon rollers. Hmmmm. No ball bearings at all; just a nylon roller that rides directly on the shaft. These are also made in China, and are priced at $7.49 a pair. They only have three pair in stock. I need 12 rollers.
So, I go down the street to Lowe’s. Same exact rollers to choose from, packaged under a different brand name. But, I am pretty darn sure they are the same rollers. I went ahead and bought 6 pair. Total bill is $48 and some change with tax. I figure I will look on line and see if there aren’t some good American made (at least Taiwan, Mexico or something) ones available at a decent price. I can always take these back, right?

Much to my surprise, I find high quality, Made in USA, nylon wheels mounted with ball bearings. Twelve pack is priced at $19.99 with free shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/121201660537?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I just received them today. Very smooth rollers. They are light years ahead of what was available at the big box stores at less than half the price.
I am thinking that if I can buy 12 for $20, HD or Lowe’s can get a much better deal on them in bulk. They could sell them for less than they are selling the Chinese turd balls and still make a profit while helping to employ American workers.

Anyone know a buyer at HD or Lowe’s?

It is like they are so conditioned to believe the only place they can get good prices is China.

 

[southalabama]

I think sometimes suppliers like dealing with a handful of distributors.

 

[djjsr]

Thanks for the link. I was just looking for a set of those.

 

[jd_1138]

It's a function of whatever factory in China can produce them the cheapest, so then the middlemen can buy them as cheap as possible and slap their name on it. They don't care if they are selling ***** matter.

Labor/hassle is the largest part of a job; best to buy quality parts and do the job once rather than keep installing crappy parts.

For how large these big box stores are, they ironically have a bad selection of stuff sometimes. I usually go to the local Ace and get better products/service.

 

[lynnbilodeau]

I agree; I try to go to Ace whenever I can.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I normally find better quality at Ace then either of the big box stores.

 

[ishiboo]

How did you know they are Made in USA? Listing shows COO unknown and it doesn't state anything about USA...

 

[Crazyjake8493]

If you want the cheapest price possible, go to Home Depot or Lowes.
If you want quality parts/service go to a supplier specializing in what you need.


At least that's how it usually works out. Jd1138 is right, for the big stores it's all about getting the cheapest possible product onto the shelves and into the customers hand, to maximize their profit. They don't care about quality. However, most of the big box stores can and will special order better quality products for you. They only keep in the store what is going to move quick and make them the most money as quickly as possible.

 

[MushCreek]

The sad part is is that HD and Lowe's aren't the cheapest price. After building an entire house, the only thing I sourced there that was cheaper was Romex cable, and certain Simpson connectors. Everything else was more expensive, sometimes way more expensive than other sources. I only go there when I need it NOW.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

The big box stores are cheaper on many of the higher priced items, and many of those are lower quality.
The prices are higher on a lot of hardware type items.

 

[mrrooG8]

9 times out of 10 I go to Ace or True Value. Even TSC and Farm and Fleet are better for some stuff. The Home Depot around here is usually cheaper that Lowes. The China junk is really starting to get on my nerves. So much junk anymore.

 

[NUTTSGT]

How did you know they are Made in USA? Listing shows COO unknown and it doesn't state anything about USA...

Seeing as they are a cheaper price, maybe Lynn ordered them and saw it on the packing after they arrived ?



In the last few years, I think there have become three types of shoppers,

one who looks and checks everywhere before buying to find the best deal

the second, who only buys what they can physically put their hands on

and the last, who buys almost everything online.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

The sad part is is that HD and Lowe's aren't the cheapest price. After building an entire house, the only thing I sourced there that was cheaper was Romex cable, and certain Simpson connectors. Everything else was more expensive, sometimes way more expensive than other sources. I only go there when I need it NOW.

Romex is always way cheaper at the big box stores here. MHF is usually about the same, and anything bigger than that is cheaper at the supply house. Also, the last time I bought a roll of aluminum coil stock it was $25 cheaper at the lumberyard than HD/Lowes.

 

[maxpower_hd]

I have to agree at least in part. I do buy some things at HD/Lowes because it is convenient and they have most of what I need. But I usually prefer to buy thinks like tools from my local True Value where they have better quality tools and supplies.

It does seem there is more and more cheap **** that isn't even worth buying. The business model seems to be changing for most stores. It's becoming a disposable society instead of being able to fix things when they wear or break. You think the environmentalists would get on board with that.

 

[egnorant]

My Father had a discussion about this very thing in the 1970s. We were looking at hinges and I made a comment about quality and prices. A local "Home Improvement " store with 11 stores scattered about had several different brands, styles and prices that would serve the purpose and I commented that this large store could buy in bulk and possibly got better prices. Well, most stock was determined by contractors that DID buy in bulk at the lowest price and were only slightly good enough to get the structure sold and not caused problems...for the contractor.

Floor stock is often pulled from these bulk buys and reflect, at a considerable markup, what the contractors are buying.

I had a third job when I was younger where I installed doorbells, intercoms, garage door opening wiring and TV hookups...low or no voltage stuff. Had a big argument over doorbell buttons! Contractor thought I was gouging him at $1.50 per doorbell when he could find them for 39 cents! Of course I had tried that brand first due to price, but most did not survive installation even when I was careful so I found some for 89 cents that sold for $2.25 on the floor. I actually checked back after 35 years and only one of the cheap doorbell buttons was still installed...but it did not work. 23 houses with bad doorbell buttons! Of the 6 I did with more expensive and durable doorbell buttons only 2 had been replaced!
I was fired/replaced after the 29 houses and was replaced by and hourly flunky installing contractor supplied parts.

Bruce

 

[cut twice measure once]

I AM an industrial buyer and I can tell you why this stuff happens. We have only so much time to spend on sourcing and our bosses determine that by the workload for actual buying: typing in and placing orders etc. I worked with a guy that bought for HD and he said the place was a giant cluster F*ch. They ended up ordering thousands of pieces of stuff they already had in stock and later found things that were out never got ordered. etc etc.

In a good environment your boss will fight Mgt. for enough people to do the job right, but the assholes in upper management can't seem to grasp that buyers add value and they shouldn't cut our manpower down to the point that all we can do is enter orders and act like high paid clerks. It is a simple matter of headcount and they are too lazy, stupid, or un-educated, (or all three) to figure out they need to shape their organization. Every department gives up a head because we aren't making money, thats fair. Actually managing would require them to understand where the problems are in the organization and that is beyond them! Grrrr.

 

[pmiranda]

Management is a talent. Not everybody has it. I certainly don't have the patience to be really great at it. Sadly B schools turn out lots of folks that go into management because it's all they can do with their degree, even if they somehow get through university without having learned anything practical.

 

[lynnbilodeau]

How did you know they are Made in USA? Listing shows COO unknown and it doesn't state anything about USA...

I may be absolutely BUSTED on this one.

I think I started out my search and came across this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/American-Ma...379716?hash=item2c7ceba7c4:g:mucAAOxy4fVTC6Or

But because I needed 12 (not 10) I ended up where I did. I also wanted nylon. So, for the record, I cannot say for certain that they are made in USA. What I can say is that the manufacturer is definitely not the same one that made the HD & Lowe's rollers.

My mistake.

 

[four.cycle]

Home Depot has 2,274 retail locations *
Lowes has 1,840 retail locations *

(* source: Wikipedia)

Why would you expect them to do anything other than use any means possible to get the lowest prices from vendors on any given item?
They're called "mass merchandisers" for a reason: volume, volume, and more volume.
They don't give a **** about product quality - it's all about moving container loads of product - the more container loads they can sell, the bigger the numbers on the bottom line.
This is not rocket science.

 

[manwithtools]

I bought the nylon covered sealed ball bearing type off eBay for my three doors. Changed the openers to Liftmaster 8500's and lubed all moving surfaces. It made all the difference in the world noise wise. The doors opening and closing is almost silent now. The garage is right below a bedroom, occupant of bedroom is very thankful.

 

[reader2580]

The sad part is is that HD and Lowe's aren't the cheapest price. After building an entire house, the only thing I sourced there that was cheaper was Romex cable, and certain Simpson connectors. Everything else was more expensive, sometimes way more expensive than other sources. I only go there when I need it NOW.

Where are you shopping that is so much less than Home Depot?

 

[INSP380]

Just ordered the eBay rollers, Thank You...My new well lubed garage door sounds like hell, can't wait to quiet it down. The Mrs. is even excited about this purchase!

Steve

 

[PeterT]

I know some don't care about COO, but I always check before I buy and I almost always start my search online, looking for local (USA) made stuff. I usually can find what I am looking for and it makes me happy to be supporting my American brothers & sisters.

 

[INSP380]

Received the rollers yesterday, nice parts. Installation took about 10 min, added some spray grease and bingo, quiet. I re lubed all my hinge points and now question if there is a better made hinge? Bearings would be nice, expensive but nice.

Thanks for the post..

Steve

 

[Norcal]

Why sell cheap ****? Because a lot of people just want a low price & don't care how low quality it is, and where it came from, that is why Harbor Freight, WalMart, HD, Lowes, and other fundraisers for the Chinese People's Liberation Army do well.

 

[nh_yota]

Home Depot and Lowes are geared toward weekend warriors and DIYers who only care about getting the job done and not about the quality of the stuff they buy. Real contractors shop at supply houses and lumber yards because they often get better support and can buy professional quality products that you won't find at a big box store. Although contractors are concerned with price, they are also concerned with having to go back to the job and replace faulty products on their dime.

 

[R6 Racer]

I like this.

Kinda appropriate here I think.

Steve

 

[Showkey]

Why sell cheap ****? Because a lot of people just want a low price & don't care how low quality it is, and where it came from, that is why Harbor Freight, WalMart, HD, Lowes, and other fundraisers for the Chinese People's Liberation Army do well.

^^^^^^ this nails it........Any tool dicussion confirms it .......with HF being the answer in the first five posts.

 

[MushCreek]

Where are you shopping that is so much less than Home Depot?

When I built the house, lumber and sheet goods were 15% less at local lumberyards. That adds up when you're building a house. HD wouldn't match the price- I asked. I sourced all of my electric and plumbing components on-line for much less. Hardware in particular is much more in the big box stores. I needed 500 galvanized lag screws. They were $1.47 each at HD. I paid $.27 each from McMaster-Carr, a savings of $600 on one line item. I also used two tons of re-bar building the house, sourced from a local supplier. That would have cost a fortune at HD. I could go on and on.

 

[James-W]

In the case of garage door rollers, I doubt most people care about how quiet the garage door goes up or down, they just want the garage door to go up or down. People who frequent this forum are a lot different from the "normal" homeowner in that we care about stuff like this. Also, stores sell what people buy. If nobody bought the cheap junk, you wouldn't find it on the shelves.

 

[stihlntime]

Why sell low quality inexpensive merchandise? Because that is what 80% of the consumers want. Lowest price possible, that is all that matters. Remember this is an enthusiast site. It represents a very,very small segment of the consumer base. I saw it first hand throughout a retail career than spanned over 25 years. The vast majority of consumers care more about price than lasting quality or coo.

 

[jomobco]

I may be absolutely BUSTED on this one.

I think I started out my search and came across this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/American-Ma...379716?hash=item2c7ceba7c4:g:mucAAOxy4fVTC6Or

But because I needed 12 (not 10) I ended up where I did. I also wanted nylon. So, for the record, I cannot say for certain that they are made in USA. What I can say is that the manufacturer is definitely not the same one that made the HD & Lowe's rollers.

My mistake.

Haha, possibly a fantastic made in China roller? It would be ironic.

 

[cpttuna]

many people never check a second place for price or quality when making a purchase. This is the way society lives today. the $250 snow blower may be a piece of **** but the bottom line is we got one. Wal- mart did this just recently. I bet very few stopped to think that if Wal Mart was selling a $500 snow thrower for $250, they weren't taking a loss on it.

 

[pmiranda]

Most people don't even know you can get better quality.

 

[reader2580]

I look for Made in USA as much as I can. If I am at a store I will look to see if there is a Made in the USA choice, but I do have my limits. I am not going to spend a week looking for Made in USA plastic scrubbies. Walmart only had Chinese ones. I am pretty sure if I had gone to Target or the grocery store they would also not have any made in the USA.

 

[rharman]

It's sad that sometimes HD & Lowe's seem to be in a race to the bottom as far as price point. I have no problem with low prices but the parallel race is to the bottom of quality.

 

[az45]

Haha, possibly a fantastic made in China roller? It would be ironic.

If you want something built in China that is engineered around price, they can accommodate you at whatever price you desire. Its not like they are tricking anyone into thinking the product is anything more than it is, its just they have a lower level of quality available than what you can typically buy in the US.

China has some very high tech factories capable of building quality products, you just have to pay for it.

I'm not defending China by any means, but their production of this junk is driven by the demand. The demand for the low price junk was created by its availability in Walmarts and others resellers, so it is now the standard.

 

[Roberts210]

Why sell cheap ****? In business school, certain principles are taught with zen-like sayings. One of them is, "Fast nickels are better than slow dimes".

 

[James-W]

I'm not defending China by any means, but their production of this junk is driven by the demand. The demand for the low price junk was created by its availability in Walmart's and other re-sellers, so it is now the standard.

That is pretty much how it is in the real world.

I hate to say it but I believe the quality of any product is, for the most part anyway, determined by the consumer. If consumers quit buying cheap junk and only bought high quality stuff, there would be no demand for cheap junk and the stores would not have it on their shelves simply because they could not sell it. Manufacturers would quit producing junk because they could not sell it to the stores. Stores would only have high quality merchandise on their shelves, but we would be paying a premium for the merchandise.

This concept of clearing the shelves of junk and only having quality merchandise sounds good but in reality it won't work because a lot of people would have a problem affording high quality stuff. Besides that, in the case of the garage door wheels and bearings, most people don't care if their garage door isn't super quiet when opening and closing. They just want it to work and since the cheap stuff does work, that is all they care about.

 

[avalancheMM]

My grandmother, God bless her, used to say, " it's only the rich man that buys cheap, because he has the money to buy it over, and over, and over..........

Regards