The American-Made Illusion: When Patriotism Becomes a Sales Gimmick
I recently reached out to a company, letting them know I could supply them with high-quality trailer axles at a lower price than what they were currently paying. Simple conversation, right? Who doesn’t want to save money—especially in a business where every dollar counts?
But instead of a rational discussion, I got hit with a classic knee-jerk response:
"We only sell American-made products."
Now, at face value, that statement sounds patriotic, responsible, and even admirable. Who doesn’t want to support American manufacturing? But when you actually know this industry inside and out—when you've physically torn down and examined these so-called "American-made" axles—you start seeing the cracks in that story.
The “American-Made” Scam
The company this person was referring to is one that proudly advertises that all their products are made in the USA. Wave the flag, roll out the marketing slogans, and boom—customers assume they’re getting a 100% American-manufactured product. But let’s be real: that’s nothing more than a carefully crafted lie.
Want proof? Take apart their axles, like I have. Dig into the components. What do you find? Bearings, hubs, spindles, and seals that are very obviously NOT made in America. Yeah, sure, maybe some of it is manufactured here, but the vast majority of their parts are sourced from overseas—China, India, Mexico, and other countries. It’s all hidden behind smoke and mirrors.
So, what we have here is a company leveraging patriotism as a marketing strategy while secretly relying on foreign-made components to build their products. And yet, somehow, I’m the bad guy for offering a better price on axles because I don’t slap a misleading “Made in USA” sticker on everything?
The Irony: He Only Sells a Handful of Products
Here’s where it gets even more ridiculous. By saying, “I only sell American-made products,” he’s essentially admitting that he only sells a handful of products—because literally 90% of all trailer parts are imported. That’s just the reality of this industry. If he actually stood by that statement, his entire product catalog would be tiny, and he’d be scrambling to fill orders.
And you know what else that tells me? He doesn’t take the time to do the research, inspect products, or do the legwork to find the best-quality parts at the best prices. Instead, he blindly takes a company’s word at face value, assumes their marketing is the gospel truth, and then charges his customers more without a second thought.
It’s Not About Where It’s Made—It’s About How It’s Made
Here’s the truth that some people don’t want to admit: quality isn’t dictated by where something is made. It’s dictated by how it’s made.
China, India, Mexico, along with the rest of the world, manufacture some of the highest-quality components in the world. You know who else sources from these countries? The same "American-made" brands that pretend they don’t. The difference is, they mark up the price and trick customers into believing they're buying something entirely homegrown.
Meanwhile, I come in with full transparency, offering a product that meets (or exceeds) industry standards at a lower cost, and suddenly, I’m the problem? That’s not logic—that’s blind brand loyalty mixed with marketing deception.
The Takeaway
If you’re in this industry and you’re buying based on a sticker rather than actual quality and price, you’re doing it wrong. If you’ve never torn down and inspected the products you sell, you’re just taking someone’s word for it—and that’s a mistake.
Don’t fall for the illusion. Do the research. Follow the parts. Because when you do, you’ll realize that not only can you get the same (or better) product for less money, but you’ll also stop feeding into one of the biggest marketing scams in this industry.
At the end of the day, business is about value, not slogans.
I’m the type of person, and we’re the type of company, that puts in the work, does the research, goes the extra mile, and goes around the world to find the best quality products at the price point needed to provide all our customers with exceptional parts and prices they can afford.
Written by Kaleb Carter
3/7/25