Re: End of a historical manufacture

On Jun 23, 12:53 pm, "Donn Cave" <d...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Quoth 1st-line Equipment <alt.cof...@xxxxxxxxxxxx>:
...
| Since we just added the Gaggia line to our web site, how much would
| customers 'care to purchase Gaggia' that the machines were made in
| Romania at current prices? or second scenario, at lower prices made in
| China?

It's only a remotely hypothetical question for me, as probably for
most of us, but I believe it's a factor. Maybe only a small factor,
but much larger than it would be in the cheap drugstore appliance
market, where long life means nothing and saving $10 means everything,
and everything is Chinese.

Donn

I bought a Chinese equivalent 32" LCD/HD tuner for $500. The same
picture quality in Sony is $900. Picture quality. That's what the
reviews say. To me, a quality nice enough to forgo CRTs, being I've
never seen a Sony LCD. I'll just have to take their word (the
reviewers). QC is as you say another matter. I can't decide if it's
an out of the norm fluke mine broke (red horizontal scan lines and
blacks that progressively turned into splotchy reds). Maybe.

Saving's meaning isn't solely a nationalistic edge - but connotes
quality, long life, and everything else nice. You can't say $10 on my
$400 (less than Sony, but more like $600 at the time) meant nothing to
me. At least while an updated model warranty replacement unit doesn't
fail. People denote value - like water to the lowest level. People
don't return to a cheap value if an extended lifespan or services
rendered are nonexistent, no more than manufacturers wouldn't account
profit holes while effectively committing corporate suicide.

The same unit produced in a Italian espresso maker, DeLonghi's Chinese
facilities, is priced at retail distribution centres for $200 in
direct competition with Gaggia, I, however, obtained the DeLonghi unit
for a "fair market" discounted value at $40. But, when I went looking
for a similarly cheap bargain on the Gaggia, there's no way anyone is
going to to let me drive one down for less than $150 (retail boxed,
warrantied, and with a full can of Italian ground espresso coffee).
While supplies last, value determines the market price people demand,
not the manufacturer, on a level field of goods and services no single
player dominates.

.