[Istvan diVega]

The main reason cheap, Chinese goods are often crap, is obviously that they are cheap. That said, it's hardly a secret that Chinese manufacturing plants tends to require far more oversight for the output to be consistently up to spec than similar plants elsewhere. I know a few people who have various kinds of manufacturing done in China and they have all regaled me with amusing stories. Amusing for me who don't pay for the mishaps and wasted time, that is.

While I partly agree with Ankh, I don't think consumers should shoulder all the blame. After all, there's been a decades-long effort by basically everyone who wants to sell us something to make us buy more stuff and to buy it more often. The steadily declining quality of all manner of goods obviously greatly help in that regard. All in the cause of higher profit and screw the customer.