I personally never want hairsystems to be produced in the US (US citizen myself) as I could only imagine the cost to me as a consumer. We (US) gripe and complain when something is stamped “Made in China), but moan and groan when it costs more. Listen, US is fighting for $15hr minimum wage in even the lowest of trades whilst these workers in China and Korea barely make that in a day (last I saw Chinese manufacturing workers make around $3.50hr).
Hair systems are so far from essential it’s laughable. I actually can’t even comment further on that.
At the end of the day companies must look after themselves or shareholders and if lace isn’t what is profitable to them then they would be stupid to produce it. If their resources make other bases more profitable then they must charge more for the products that are not as profitable.
I am a lace wearer and believe me, like anyone else, I want their to be an abundance and at a cheap rate, but I am ok if it’s not. I choose to wear, no one forces me and obviously if I couldn’t afford it then I wouldn’t wear.
More power to the Chinese workers for sticking up for themselves
There is nowhere else in the world that they can pay so little, the wages in China have grown way past the level of paying someone to sit for a few days to make a hairpiece . I'm ~15 miles from NK haha, howse that for being so close yet so far.Well point is hair systems are a pretty essential product in the grand scheme of things imo and to think that everything is reliant on one area inside one country (N. Korea) is in fact bizarre. After this there should be a reassessment of how things are done. I mean it has been nearly a year at this point of shortages. That is just plain unacceptable. Don't you agree? Sure Covid was unexpected and turned the world upside down but throughout most of the world we have managed to move on a while ago, at least retail wise.
Maybe shady wasn't the right word. It just makes me nervous that god forbid something ever happens again in the future they'll shut down at the drop of a hat and the industry will be disrupted again.
When I first got my system, I actually pondered what would happen if some sort of catastrophe brought the global economy to a halt and I was stuck with a horseshoe dome and nothing to put on it! Less than a year later, Covid hit...
I know that it sounds laughable that someone might say that systems are essential items, but surely everyone on here can at least empathise with this point of view. It feels essential to those who wear them. Of course, to the rest of the world it's an absolute luxury!
The thing people have to realise is that this is not just any industry. One of the raw materials of this product is HUMAN HAIR. Not to mention the fact that these items are crafted by hand, and skilled hands at that!
I've never been comfortable with the set up we've got, where labour is exploited in places like China - as a regular consumer of the product, I guess I have no grounds for complaint. I hope that the prices don't go so high that I can't afford them, but I would definitely accept a fair hike if it meant that the people involved in producing them were paid a fair wage. Anyone complaining that they're paying too much for, again, HUMAN HAIR (!!!) need to ask themselves a few questions, and perhaps reconsider their definition of the word 'luxury'.
By the by, skin units are pretty good. I know some have an aversion based on how they feel but I like mine. They're easy to clean and, when properly styled and applied, are faultlessly realistic.
Yes I have been reading the forum, thanks. No need for the condescending tone.Why are you under the impression that "labour is exploited"? Have you been reading the forum? The Chinese workers are the cause of the almost weekly price increases and the lack of lace or complex systems.
It's also relative to the rest of the market in the country they are living and working in. I would say that if you are buying on Amazon you are certainly contributing to labour exploitation (in the USA, at least). Or any product you buy that is NOT union-made.
Do you own a mobile phone? Do you have any idea of the conditions that some of those workers deal with?
Worse, where is your clothing made? Bangladesh? The Philippines? Do you have any idea of how little workes in this industry make?
Yes I have been reading the forum, thanks. No need for the condescending tone.
When the workload is outsourced to countries like China, labour is being exploited. Fact. Listing other industries that do the same doesn't change a thing. Like I said, I regularly consume this product (in the same way that I purchase clothing and technology) and know that because of this I can't assume a moral high ground.
Yes I have been reading the forum, thanks. No need for the condescending tone.
When the workload is outsourced to countries like China, labour is being exploited. Fact. Listing other industries that do the same doesn't change a thing. Like I said, I regularly consume this product (in the same way that I purchase clothing and technology) and know that because of this I can't assume a moral high ground.
Why are you being so rude and defensive? I haven't set out to upset you.So what is your actual point?
Here's my question - There's no other place in the world that can make these things at the same rate of pay that North Korea does? I ask because god forbid there is ever a crazy thing like this again, maybe then it wouldn't create such a catastrophic disruption in the industry for so long since everything is dependent on one and only country in the world (N. Korea)I do indeed appreciate that you are one of the few that does understand why the prices are going up and the reasons for it.
Apologies - sometimes things get read a certain way...I was neither rude nor defensive, just direct.
OK, so let's separate the hair industry from the "Hair System" industry because they are indeed not one and the same.
I totally agree that there is probably much exploitation in that realm, especially since very few hair wholesalers provide the "provenance" of their hair. And the buyers need to trust where the hair comes from, and I believe they are more interested in the quality than if it is ethically sourced.
I did see something on TV about someone in Vietnam who is trying to change the hair sourcing industry by paying women fair prices for their hair. I know that Indian hair is mostly "Temple Hair" and this is ethically obtained. But I would not be surprised that some of it, is not.
Let's talk about the Hair System Industry. Outsourcing, so that was, North Korea, which for now is non-existent. Given the definition of outsourcing, this is now NOT happening in China since they are working with local workers, who are demanding and getting higher wages.
I do indeed appreciate that you are one of the few that does understand why the prices are going up and the reasons for it.
Yes, most of them are Chinese companies, based in China. There are other companies in Thailand and Vietnam.Apologies - sometimes things get read a certain way...
One thing I'm not clear on: are the companies that produce systems actually based in China? As in, are they Chinese companies?