You know, I've been hearing this here and I have to say I think this is incorrect information. In my other life, I used to provide technical/customer support for HP. Every holiday season, and when new products were introduced, less expensive HP products always showed up in the big box stores. They aren't any different than the more expensive HP products. Same place of manufacturing, same guts, same ink, same etc. But, they do have fewer options, like econo ink (smaller amount but the same quality ink), or different software packages, or different memory. It doesn't make good economic sense for any manufacturer to have some models made in one country and others in another. Would I buy a sewing machine from Walmart? If it was what I wanted and could afford, you bet! Just as I would Joann's or Costco. I purchased my brother from a LQS for the same price that the dealer was selling it for and for what I was seeing it online. I decided to buy from the LQS because I like to support local businesses. Spend your money where you feel most comfortable and make sure you like their return policy.