Poorly Made in China - Book Review Revisited

Poorly Made in China - Book Review Revisited

From Awesomers.com by Awesomers.com

August 25, 2025 · 11 min

About this episode

A review of Paul Midler's book 'Poorly Made in China' highlighting critical concepts about manufacturing and trade with China.

I released Episode 53 of the Awesomers.com podcast some time back, and it's a deep dive into a book that I consider absolutely essential for anyone involved in manufacturing or trade with China: Paul Midler's "Poorly Made in China." If you're doing business there, this isn't just a recommendation; it's a necessity. Paul Midler is a brilliant author who has genuinely lived the stories he outlines in this book. With over 15 years of my own experience trading with China, I can tell you that many of his anecdotes are eerily familiar – often both funny and tragically so. This book offers an extraordinary, in-depth look into how China's export industry truly operates, and indeed, how China itself works. In this episode, I break down some of the most critical concepts Paul discusses, which resonate strongly with my own observations: • Quality Fade (or Product Fade): This is real. Factories subtly reduce product quality over time—thinner shampoo bottles, changed formulas, subcontracting to cheaper facilities, or reducing material weight or thread count. These changes are often hard to detect visually, making vigilance crucial. • "Price Go Up": You've probably heard it. Factories…

Topics covered

  • manufacturing
  • trade
  • China
  • quality control
  • intellectual property

Keywords

  • Paul Midler
  • Quality Fade
  • Counterfeit Culture

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Poorly Made in China

Books & works: Poorly Made in China

Places: China

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