Originally Posted by
Cari-in-Oly
.... she got a new similar one(with newer! better! features) for less than $400.Cari
And it is the desire for EXACTLY this which drives the quality down... (more features, "better", features, LESS money)
The only way that can occur is if the labor in the process makes VERY little money and the components are farmed out for the lowest price (again labor to produce paid next to nothing)
The quality difference between an 1880's Singer and an 1880's "new home" is significant, so was the price...
My research into the sweatshops of the day (and today) has really opened my eyes to the self-induced down spiral of price and quality that we created and are living through still.