American-made vs. made in China: why buying locally matters

We've heard it a million times: buy locally, purchase American-made products, but why? Take two simple utility carts: they may look similar and claim to accomplish the same tasks. The one from China is even cheaper, which seems like an attractive selling point. These carts differ immensely, though, in regards to quality, standards, convenience, and more.

Here are our top 5 reasons for buying American-made products rather than equipment that is made overseas:

1.The quality of our USA-made equipment far surpasses the quality of similar equipment that is made in China. They simply do not have the quality control standards that we do to produce a safe, sturdy, and reliable cart that can last decades. Although it's enticing to see a lower price tag on a unit that comes from China, the money is wasted when the same cart needs to be purchased over and over again due to poor quality. Not only do Rol-Away carts have a 1 year warranty, but many of the parts on our units are easily replaceable after years of use. We see carts that are still in use from the 1960’s, an investment that continues to deliver.

2. There is a large environmental impact when it comes to buying overseas. When buying products that are made in the USA, this mitigates a lot of pollution from transporting the products long distances across the ocean. At Rol-Away, not only is our equipment made in the USA, but our materials are sourced locally-many of them from the same state.

3. Buying American-made products simply creates jobs for American workers. As mentioned previously, Rol-Away not only provides jobs directly with our employees, but we also support the local companies that supply our materials.

4. Customer service is exceptionally better when purchasing equipment that is made in America. We at Rol-Away make our customers our top priority. We are there through every step of the design, manufacturing, and shipping process. We pride ourselves in having quick response and turnaround times with our customers. When purchasing equipment from overseas, there may be no contact number and no way to know where your order stands and when it will ship.

5. Although COVID-19 has lead to slightly increased lead times for everyone, our USA-made equipment still offers shorter and more reliable lead times than our overseas competitors. When buying product from China, there may not only be excessively long lead times to ship the product, but shipping can take up to 30 days by sea. Once a Rol-Away unit is finished, our carrier picks it up the same or next day for shipment to the customer. All shipments can be easily tracked, and delivery dates are clear.