Hmm. Regardless of legality, I just plain do not understand how you can manufacture a USB SD card reader for US $1.03 and make any profit. It must contain at least a USB connector, PCB, interface IC, SD socket, and a few caps and resistors, as well as a plastic case which is probably injection molded. If the total markup is 50% including all middlemen, that means $0.50 for the parts and assembly. If the assembly cost is half of this, there is only $0.25 left for the parts. Assuming that the cost is evenly divided among the USB connector, PCB, IC, and SD socket, that is 6 cents each! Also, even in China, an injection mold tool for a little case like this is probably $5k USD. If you can allocate 5 cents per unit for the plastic parts, and 2 cents of that is the cost of the actual plastic and labor/machine time involved in shooting the parts, then that's only 3 cents for the amortized cost of the tool. That's 170 thousand units just to break even on this element. Sean On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 11:04 AM, Spehro Pefhany wrote: > At 09:54 AM 18/09/2009, you wrote: >>Does anyone know how this place makes any profit?! For example, they >>are selling a USB-bluetooth adaptor for US $2.46. Also, a USB SD card >>reader for $1.03. Looking over their prices on more substantial items, >>I think those are more in line with typical prices, so I would guess >>that they make all their money from the items which cost more than $10 >>and the rest are loss leaders. It just seems to me that people are >>much more likely to buy lots of the trinkets from a place like this >>rather than trust them when buying a $100 digital camera. >> >>Sean > > Their prices are not out of line with "street" mainland Chinese prices pl= us > postage, (postage in padded bags is cheap from HK) but you have to keep in > mind that you =A0will be getting Chinese retail quality and things like M= P3 > players and Bluetooth sticks may well not have officially licensed > firmware/software. Such items could theoretically be seized by customs du= e to > patent or copyright infringement. > > In general, small stuff sold in the developed countries has an enormous > markup, whereas bigger things can often be found for about the same price > (maybe less) in developed countries, in my experience. Where there is a > bigger difference, there is often a justifiable difference in the offer. > >>Best regards, > > Spehro Pefhany --"it's the network..." =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0"The Journe= y is the reward" > speff@interlog.com =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Info for manufacturers: http:/= /www.trexon.com > Embedded software/hardware/analog =A0Info for designers: =A0http://www.sp= eff.com > > > > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > -- = http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist