Scrapdiva 29 Counterfeit Issues

Can't say I've seen monthly subscription dies but then I'm also not looking for them or even know what they're like. If you can't find an exact dupe, odds are there'll be something similar. The only reason I know any limited stuff shows up is that some of it will have the advertising intact saying as much.

Thank you for clarifying, Embri .

Thanks Embri - very complicated

SSS New Release Dies

This is a store I frequently buy from.  I've never had bad product from them and they sell stencils too.

ETA: They already have the Pink Fresh Studio products that were released yesterday.

I don't know much about how the actual manufacturing process goes for etched dies, other than it's a chemical resist with a printed stencil, so all you need is an image of the correct size. It does seem strange that SSS stuff shows up virtually guaranteed.

So, I am now reading package labeling some more. Pinkfresh stamps AND dies are marked "thoughtfully designed in the US" (I wonder if they use Macs), but only the stamps are labeled "made in the US." TSM stamps and dies are both labeled "made in the US."

SSS stamps AND dies are labeled "made in the US of globally sourced materials." I am thinking that this is code for at least some part of the process, possibly so much that you or I would say "all" of it, is being performed in China and then the process is finished in the US. From the perspective of quality standards like ISO 9000, packaging and labeling are "manufacturing" processes. They may or may not be doing a little more than that here in the states. But I don't believe for a heartbeat that those designs are getting from Ohio to China through an elaborate corporate espionage ring.

So NOW I'm feeling kind of ripped off by SSS's pricing and really tempted....

I am reading the actual package labeling on sets in my craft room, not website FAQs.

I’ve had my own businesses in the past. My two youngest sons have their own business. Some of their suppliers are American, some are Chinese companies.

American businesses that use American suppliers are at a financial disadvantage when it comes to costs, compared to the Chinese companies. Why?

US government regulations are overly abundant, and I personally experienced how those regulations can push costs up. In many cases, businesses then have to increase the prices of anything they sell in order for them to make even just a small profit. While many regulations and laws are intended to protect consumers, sometimes the regulations do absolutely NOTHING constructive, resulting in American small businesses having extra costs that Chinese companies may not have. To those who have never owned or run a retail business, it’s probably easy to assume that the American companies are just greedy. Sometimes that may be true, but if I were a betting woman, I would wager that most of the time, retail prices are based on expenses that an American company can’t control.

In some cases, the American companies may also charge higher prices because they know that the popularity of their products may be short lived. Between the time the design work is begun on new paper craft products, to the time they are on the market, there are a lot of costs involved. They may or may not make a profit, depending on how popular those products are.

Most American companies are at a disadvantage as a result, but they accept that because they want to support other American businesses. It’s a gamble, though, and it’s surprising to me how many survive as long as they do. In some cases, they feel like if they just hang on a little longer, they will become profitable, and in other cases, they feel they can’t afford to quit just yet, or too soon. The owner of the LSS where I worked was in that latter category. It can take several YEARS for an American business to turn a profit.

However, we live in an age where a global market is a reality, and consumers will spend their money the way they want. That’s your right. But if you have never had to start and run a business here in the USA, please don’t assume that American companies are just greedy. I think most are just trying to survive and provide a living for their families that’s above the poverty level.

The Ali store that was linked above has a TON of the Greetery dies.

I wonder if Greetery dies are showing up as pre-orders like the SSS dies do on Ali, per previous poster. To me, that would suggested they are manufactured in China. If coming after the release, they could just be legit counterfeit. I know in the handmade community (among Etsy/IG art sellers), counterfeiting is rampant from overseas companies, so I just assumed it was happening the same way when talking about dies/stamps.

It's weird how SU products show up before the catalog comes out. Stamp and die. I know dies are made in China, but I believe the stamps are made in house. So do they get the pictures from the printed catalog what maybe comes from China?
I was always wondering about this.

I have a stamp/die set from ali that's a copy of a set from SU from a few years ago -it's not the same size, it's maybe about 75 percent of the size of the SU set, which is actually why I got it, I wanted the smaller one. So, don't try to order a die set for stamps you already have, it might not fit . I also have an ali version of a Simon Says die that's quite a bit larger than the SSS version. Again, the larger size was what I wanted.

Then again, I have a name brand die where they released additional parts to go with it later, and I cannot even tell which parts were from the name brand and which were ali anymore, they work absolutely seamlessly together.

Can't remember which company it was, but I was shopping a website and none of their stamps and dies were photographed straight on, they were at an angle - to make it harder to steal the designs.

The regulations and difficulty we put on American businesses is one of the reasons I try to support US businesses.

I have not bought nor plan to buy from these other sites. For me it’s an integrity issue. I can’t say I support American or small businesses and then makes excuses on why it’s ok for me to buy from sites I know rip off other designers/companies.

Though my huge dislike of the misti person does tempt me for that and only that product.

On the iPad and can’t figure out how to quote, but, yes Embri, my only AE purchase to date has been a MISTI knockoff.

And gmcwife1 I agree with you about supporting US businesses. For that reason, companies like Pinkfresh, who openly manufacture in China, I’ll continue to buy from.

I have defended and been willing to pay SSS’s outrageously steep die prices because they were made in the US. Now that I no longer believe that claim is completely truthful, I am considering shopping AE for their designs as well.