Searching for “Not Made in China”

In my ongoing efforts to never buy anything “made in China,” I’ve had some challenges lately.* But thankfully God always provides what I need. 

This summer I really needed a pair of sunglasses. Every store I looked in only had sunglasses “made in China.” (I found ONE pair that was “made in Taiwan,” but the lenses were blurry.)

So then I went online. After much searching I found a few brands that are “made in the USA.” However, I can’t afford to pay $80-$150 for sunglasses! So I kept looking.

Finally I found some that were “made in Italy” for less than $10! It sure felt like a miracle to me. =)

The good news is that for most products there ARE still alternatives to “made in China.” It’s just a matter of reading labels and trying a different brand. For certain products you have to work harder and really search. But so far I’ve always found what I needed. 

For example:

cotton T-shirts – made in El Salvador

shoes – made in Italy

multi-colored pens – made in France

double-stick tape – made in USA!

spiral notebooks – made in USA! 

Bible – printed in USA!

I’m very glad that some companies are still choosing to sell products not “made in China.” However, if we don’t make a BIG effort right now to support those companies, then eventually we’ll have no other options. 

So please, if you aren’t already, join me in this commitment of NOT buying “made in China” products. Take a little extra time and effort to find better alternatives and know that it will be worth it! 

*There are several reasons to not buy “made in China” products. The Health reason is that almost all products “made in China” are HIGHLY toxic. Whether this is from poor internal regulation or some other reason, I don’t know. But the products have high levels of formaldehyde, aluminum, mercury, and other dangerous toxins. So for the health of yourself and your family, I encourage you to avoid all “made in China” products.