Buying only U.S.A.-made goods can be 'next to impossible,' but some Americans find ways to get close to the goal

Many items are no longer made in the U.S.A. (Adobe Stock photo)

Even when consumers want to buy purely American-made products, it can be tough, if not impossible, to get everything on the list. "Many Americans say they want to buy domestic products, but global supply chains built over decades of outsourcing have made it challenging," report Natasha Khan and Rachel Louise Ensign of The Wall Street Journal. "No matter how committed these shoppers are, some products just aren’t made-in-U.S.A."

Domestic-only shoppers are tenacious about their choices and often face uphill battles to get U.S.A.-made products. "Dianna Huff has been on a decade-long quest to buy only 'Made in America' goods," Khan and Ensign write. "She recalls crawling inside her fridge in search of a manufacturer’s label only to see the tiny words 'Made in Mexico,' and returning a bathroom scale because, despite the assurance that the company made products in its U.S. facilities, it didn’t."

Huff was able to purchase linens and socks made in the U.S.; however, "for things such as her phone, glasses and weed whacker, it was next to impossible," the Journal reports. "Manufacturers moved production overseas where labor costs were much lower, spurred in part by free-trade agreements."

While many Americans would prefer to purchase U.S.A.-made products, their higher costs can be a deterrent. Khan and Ensign add, "In a May Morning Consult survey of about 1,000 U.S. adults, more than half said they intentionally bought domestically produced goods at least sometimes, but only 11% of those who were willing to pay more for U.S. goods could stomach a price increase greater than 15%."

Scouring for American-made goods has become hobby for some folks. "Anne Collins took up buying domestic after she retired," the Journal reports. To help others, she founded a Facebook group that promotes not shopping in China. She's taught group members how to sleuth for hard to find domestic products, such as, "mops, foil pans and artificial flowers."