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Simple, the internet shifted power to the consumer and the Chinese. Consumer: I can check prices at different stores in 1 minute Chinese: why do business with
by expedition32 10mo ago
Simple, the internet shifted power to the consumer and the Chinese.
Consumer: I can check prices at different stores in 1 minute
Chinese: why do business with the Sears agent in Hong Kong when I can sell directly to the West?
Rule numbero uno: there is no customer loyalty in Ba Sing Se!
- shever73 10mo agoThank you for the unexpected ATLA reference!
- stevenwoo 10mo agoNot just the internet for the Chinese portion. First the USA made this happen in living memory of many of us when they supported bringing China into world trade without trying to buffer the effects, nicely summarized here: https://www.npr.org/2025/12/29/nx-s1-5660865/why-economists-got-free-trade-with-china-so-wrong https://www.npr.org/2025/12/29/nx-s1-5660865/why-economists-... Consumer goods got cheaper at the cost a few million decently paying jobs and manufacturing capacity directly and due to second order effects. Maybe in alternate history we could have saved some of this onshore manufacturing capacity but we’ll never know now.