School supplies not made in China

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Concerned Mom

School supplies not made in China

Post by Concerned Mom »

With the back to school season approaching does anyone have advice on how to shop for back to school supplies not made in China?
steve
Site Admin
Posts: 97
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:43 pm

Re: School supplies not made in China

Post by steve »

I've actually been meaning to write a blog post about this. I've been trying for years to source from manufacturers only made in the USA, but it's getting more and more difficult.

The best advice I have is to BUY THESE IN PERSON at Walmart or Target or Staples and not sight unseen from Amazon. Better yet, support your local stationery story (if you still have one near you). This way, you can CHECK THE LABEL for yourself.

What happens often with high volume, low cost, low volume products is that manufacturers will try to find the "lowest bidder", which in most cases will be China. This is because of unfair trade practices by the CCP to make their manufacturing more appealing than other countries in Asia and South America.

Occasionally you'll find a conscientious company who doesn't allow China to monopolize all of their manufacturing (like Crayola), but in most cases you'll find that companies pouring everything into China or that they'll switch between China, Vietnam, and other emerging countries. And make no mistake--just as China is trying to monopolize the demand side by flooding the American market with their cheap products, they're trying to monopolize the supply side by subsidizing their own manufacturing to make other countries more expensive to big brands. By making the conscious effort to buy only stuff not made in China, you can do your part to fight against them.

Here's what I found so far, as of 2021:

Crayons:
As far as I can tell, all "regular" Crayola crayons are Made in the USA in their Easton, PA headquarters
https://amzn.to/2TrrEfj

Colored Pencils:
The Crayola colored pencils I bought are Made in Brazil, but some people on Amazon are reporting Made in China. CHECK THE LABEL before purchasing.

Markers:
Crayola markers (broad line and fine line) are Made in the USA. Again, CHECK THE LABEL, as other Crayola products are being outsourced quickly.
https://amzn.to/3qJwsc5

Pencils:
AVOID Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils, which are Made in China.
Opt for these USA Gold #2 pencils made in the USA (Lewisburg, Tennessee). You can bet that this company is under intense cost pressure due to undercutting prices from China, so support them to keep them afloat!
https://amzn.to/3wboF7S

Here are the same pencils with a different brand insignia, but the same Tennessee birthplace
https://amzn.to/2SMlaXP

And some great natural wood pencils:
https://amzn.to/36dcM72

Glue:
We're kind of out of luck with glue sticks. Avery Gluesticks are Made in China. Elmers Glue sticks are Made in China. Elmer's School Glue appears to be made in China.

You may have some luck with Elmers Glue-All--recent Amazon reviews indicate that this is still made in the USA (and is the glue most of us used growing up before Elmer's started getting cute with the brand line extension). But again, CHECK THE LABEL.

https://amzn.to/2TyZPBC

Scissors:
The Fiskars blunt-tip scissors I got were Made in Vietnam, but again CHECK THE LABEL.

Paper:
Happily, there are still a ton of paper manufacturers that produce paper made in the USA--this is thanks to the USA's rich natural resources and the fact that try their best, the CCP can't subsidize their own manufacturers enough to make up for the costs of shipping across the ocean to flood our market (although you can bet they're working on it). So you can't go wrong with top brands like :

Hammermill: https://amzn.to/3dKuByq
Boise: https://amzn.to/2TzgWTU

Avoid brands like Amazon Basics--even though their listings claim their paper is made in the USA, they have destroyed so many other categories that you can bet they'll destroy this one as soon as they get a chance.
User avatar
Paul
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2021 5:10 pm

Re: School supplies not made in China

Post by Paul »

I was able to put together a complete set for my son who was going to high school.
The set consisted of a compass, triangle, books, pens, backpack, earbuds, calculator, eraser, sharpener, pencil case, pencils and a binder.
All the products I've bought, most on Amazon, are NOT made in China.
Most items are made in Europe. The pencils are made in Mexico, the Casio calculator is made in Thailand and the Samsung earbuds are made in Vietnam.
If you need tips, let me know.
Fighting a lonely battle... People, please stop buying Chinese crap!
steve
Site Admin
Posts: 97
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:43 pm

Re: School supplies not made in China

Post by steve »

Thanks for sharing, Paul, and great work!

By all means, I would love to hear some of the specific models and brands you were able to find. Thanks!
User avatar
Paul
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2021 5:10 pm

Re: School supplies not made in China

Post by Paul »

This is the stuff I bought for my son, nothing from China :D

Scissors, Victorinox, made in Germany: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IAZD1I
Cardboard registers, Falken, Made in Germany: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B000KJOYGC
Compass, Farber Castell, made in Germany: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B0765WSK9T
Calculator, Casio, made in Thailand: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B07KJZM3QP
Markers, Staedler, made in Germany: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B000KJP6AA
Pencils, BIC, made in Brasil: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B000WH2XLA
Eraser, Staedler, made in Germany: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B007JTFWHQ
Sharpener, KUM, made in Germany: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B07D3BLT75
Geometry-Triangle, Herlitz , made in Germany: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B000UCPVBG
Ballpoints, Stabilo, made in Germany: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B00C1A2DS4
Headset, Sony, made in Vietnam: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B00I3LUQPW
Fighting a lonely battle... People, please stop buying Chinese crap!
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