I love a good rugby shirt. They’re kind of out of style, but I still want to own a few more. So recently I did a search on Google Shopping looking for some. I found this one for a good price:
It was sold by the Bronson Mfg. Co., which I’d never heard of. But it sounded all-American.
When I checked out, I thought it was odd that their site didn’t allow me to enter credit card info, but rather insisted I use PayPal. That should have been a red flag, but I wanted that shirt and I went ahead. Instantly, I got this receipt from PayPal:
Whaaaaaaaat?
I’m betting The Bronson Mfg. Co. is just a name that some anonymous Chinese factory uses to sell its stuff directly to consumers, cutting out the need to deal with the likes of JCPenney or Kohl’s. The Chinese text in that receipt translates to “Oude (Luoyang) Network Technology Co., Ltd.,” in case you were curious.
I’ve noticed that lots of goods on Amazon, particularly durable goods and light electronics, have odd brand names like Yosuda and Huion. I’m betting those are Chinese companies as well, selling directly on Amazon.
I suppose it doesn’t matter much how Chinese goods come to me, whether directly or via Kohl’s or whatever. I just don’t like the deception. On the other hand, I can’t imagine that I’d buy a rugby shirt from an online store called Oude (Luoyang) Network Technology Co., Ltd. It just doesn’t shout “quality clothing.”
