How to Get Your Invention Made and Sold in America
We’ve been contacted by many inventors who have decided to take the plunge and start making and selling their inventions directly. After the decision is made to get started, the next step is figuring out if the product should be made in America or overseas somewhere?
There are advantages and disadvantages with using a domestic supplier just as there are advantages and disadvantages with going overseas. It depends on many factors including what the product is, how big is the order and what price point you want to hit in the marketplace. You’ll often hear that it is less expensive to use an overseas manufacturer. That may be true in many cases but not always. You have to add in the cost to ship the products and get them to your warehouse. If you are dealing with large items or a very small order, the shipping cost could be more expensive than producing the product locally.
Many inventors insist on having the product “Made in America” because they want to keep jobs from being outsourced overseas. That is very noble and we applaud their patriotism. Unfortunately, it can be a major uphill battle for some products. If the cost to produce a product here exceeds the price people are willing to pay for that product, producing it locally will not benefit America in any way. On the flipside, if you could produce that same product in China, for example, and hit a price point that consumers are willing to spend on that product, then making it China can benefit America and even your local community.
A viable, selling product helps create jobs in America regardless of where it is originally made. As you look through the supply chain, American jobs are needed to help get your product in the hands of a consumer. The potential jobs are endless if you consider everybody that would be involved with getting your product retail ready. To name a few, there are: truck drivers, warehouse workers, web designers, graphic designers, salespeople, etc., and don’t forget tax revenues.
We don’t advocate exclusively looking overseas or domestically. We recommend looking at all of your options before making a final decision. The best choice may very well be in your hometown if you’re lucky.
For those willing to take on the risk, we’ve developed relationships with manufacturers both locally and overseas. If anybody is interested in making and selling their invention themselves, please let us know and we’ll be happy to assist you.
