August 19, 2008 3:22 PM
Bootlegged
If you're old enough to be reading this blog, you've probably figured out by now that China makes at least 90% of the things you own. The other 10% is made in Taiwan, which, technically, is still part of China, or Mexico, which China would probably buy if it had the chance.The great thing about having these things made here in China is that they also sell here for absurdly cheap. Many of the products sold in markets aren't fakes; they're just got some sort of tiny malfunction. The red dot on the cashmere sweater, if you will.
DVDs are no exception. Here's how one DVD store owner explained it to me: the Chinese factories tend to occasionally produce defective products. But the problem isn't usually with the DVD itself; it's typically with the packaging. When that happens, the DVD won't be sent back to the States. Instead, managers at the factories leave the DVDs in boxes for workers to take home.
So a few workers got smart and started selling DVDs to small stores for major profits. Then, those stores resell to consumers for even larger profits.
What's most amazing about this is that in the end, a single DVD disc still only costs 7.5 or 8 yuan (slightly more than a dollar).
One DVD store I visited -- which is both unmarked and accessible only by a hidden elevator -- had a few fine typos on their products. Their "Curb Your Enthusiasm" one is the best bootlegs I've seen. I'm sure Larry Dvid would be so proud.
August 19, 2008
4:33 PM
Flip Washington writes:
Fack Huuuuuuuuuuuuuggggghhhhhh. God I love that show. Will you be buying a bunch and selling them for obscene profits back here?