I really am trying to buy British.

We took ages finding a British made toaster. It was, of course, so much more expensive. We don't have the marvellous reputation we used to for manufacturing. I have found a lot of things I buy reluctantly from China, are of better quality than British made.

I was pleased to find that a chunky cardigan I bought on Ebay was 'made in Britain', but then the scandal of the Leicester 'sweatshops' gave me pause for thought.
Toiletries made in China have to be tested on animals. I always check for the 'leaping rabbit' symbol on these products, or some other indication that such testing has not taken place.

I’m definitely trying not to buy Chinese, but it’s often very difficult when you are buying on line as it often doesn’t tell you the country of origin

I too am trying to buy British to help support jobs. I get particularly annoyed when cleaning products and toiletries are made in China. There are some really great products made in the UK. 'Astonish' cleaning products for example is very cheap but excellent cleaning range made in UK..
One thing I have noticed on some purported British products is ' designed in the UK' or ' developed in the UK ' I presume that this means manufactured elsewhere which is disappointing as I guess the number of design Jobs is far fewer than the actual manufacturing.

I am constantly surprised by people who say they are trying to buy British made products.

As a country new chose in the 1980s and 1990s to stop making things and outsource, or offshore manufacturing to the 'Tiger Economies' of the Far East. Because we wanted tax cuts and cheap products.

The UK's GDP is now made up of service sector and tertiary businesses by more than 75%.

We think perhaps that James Dyson is producing a 'British' product, or indeed 'Apple' - all of these are made in either China or another of the Far East manufacturing countries.

Rather like the OP, I too struggle to find say an item of clothing, household appliance, computer, tablet, phone, TV, or a car part that is made in Britain.

Even the steel for our "independent nuclear deterrent" is manufactured abroad. The on-board electronic systems were made by a French-German consortium, and now by a US company, which no doubt farms out the component manufacturing to China.

Still, I believe a JCB is still mainly assembled in the UK.

Actually, gerkesse, I do need very large jars. We have 2 pear trees that are so weighed down with fruit that I have to do something with them. The freezer, only a small one, is full. I am also using mayo jars but jam jars won’t do it. I keep them for marmalade anyway.

Yertiz, ??

Well, of course, the really responsible thing to do is to buy less of everything, wherever things are made. I doubt whether the OP had to have Kilner jars - recycled jam jars would probably do the trick. If we all used less of everything, the planet would be a healthier place.

We already make the choice to buy things, and whenever we buy anything, we keep a human being in work and contribute to a local economy somewhere. We also contribute to global waste and environmental damage and so on.

There’s no simple way of determining what it is ‘right’ to buy. Each of us makes our own choice. I was really just trying to explain to the OP that she had no reason to blame herself for the purchase - she said ‘must try harder’, but it’s a lot more complicated than that.

I am not buying anything from China.I alwaysxlook up the manufacture and sometimes the company address of the chairman to make sure the company i am dealing with his British.I also belong to a British website.I am determined not to buy Chinese tat

there is already a website promoting British made products, but so few products, and then they are quite expensive.

I try hard to buy British, what really peeves me is the face masks made in China.. good grief!

I confess I buy from Amazon, and so many times I will ask the question.. .which country makes this product, one reply was China,,, who cares!

so , yes, it is difficult, but I keep on trying.

Can we set up a Buy British campaign? A catalogue or website for British made goods would be useful. Listing stockists not a purchase opportunity. Also providing an advertising platform for small companies. ????

Jess20, about USA imports for foods, without provenance indicated. This is indeed worrying and a form of food dictatorship. I predict it will have 2 impacts : 1) a massive increase in vegeterianism and home growing 2) a massive increase, for those who can afford it, or will make other sacrifices so that the can, in buying from local butchers, farmers' stalls or markets, where provenance will be known.

Both good - however the majority will just continue to bux and eat *p, but much worse *p than before- with all the health implications that will bring.

geekesse, thanks for coming back and explain. Yes I had understood of course- and yet- it is time for people to staft thinking, as Pamela is, what they are buying and from where in such times of crisis.

If someone buys a British jar (or whatever) from a large supplier- surely they are not only making money for the shareholders - but they are supporting the British firm that makes the jars, here in the UK, and also supports the employees of that firm, and pays taxes locally, supporting the local services.

Could a smaller business not attempt perhaps to give a choice to customers - with a placard explaining why the British made jar is more expensive, but that it is trying to switch to local products?

Unfortunately we've been brainwashed into thinking "cheaper is better" (I like Martin Lewis but he's a big part of this problem) and so for too long price has been all anyone looks at. We are now horribly dependent on countries like China - just try to buy almost any non-food item that's not made there and you'll see what I mean) so we need a shakeup of our labelling system. If I see a union jack on a product now, I always look carefully at the label - if it says "packed in the UK" that means it came from another country so it goes back. We've started buying meat only from local shops who can tell us which farm their meat comes from - we need to hang onto our local butchers! This will become even more important when all that chlorine laden chicken and hormone injected beef from the USA starts arriving.

I’ve been trying to buy British made but so difficult! Toilet brush an example haha. Then decided maybe if it was made in China for a British company then it would be ok. It’s providing work for the ordinary person in China but not necessarily the regime. Also helping the British company. Sorry if I’m being political!!

makeitbritish.co.uk/made-in-britain/.

Sorry but that's not true about internet shopping not supporting local business, since lockdown we have ordered from the internet from a local fresh food supplier and watched a tiny local company go from strength to strength. In fact I would argue that accessing small local companies is easier on the internet. On the high street you are mostly supporting big chains.

I thought I was buying British too. Researched for ages and finally spent £2700 on a beautiful sofa and rise recliner as I’m finding it hard to get up and down from sitting. Was assured it was a British made G-Plan.

Turns out the company lied - it came from India and was broken in multiple places when it arrived. Took me almost 6 months and going through an absolute nightmare to get rid of it back to the store

The point about American imports, should we strike a trade deal with them with the Trump rules, is an interesting one biba70. If we can't tell where something came from we can't boycott it, and that is extremely worrying with food imports! I hope we don't just accept we have to live with hormonally stimulated and antibiotic laden meat that is grown industrially without what most of us would consider proper respect for the humane treatment of the living creatures involved. I try and buy what little meat we use from named sources, but I know that's a luxury of having enough money to pay a tad more. I know the UK isn't perfect in terms of animal welfare but America is even more industrialized and if we have no way of knowing where our food comes from it's very worrying.

kjmpde , my wrist is slapped. ?

Buying from a local store is good but so also from the bigger high streets who are also struggling with high rates and lack of sales due to internet shopping.
Internet shopping is great but does not support our local areas. Soon we will not be able to look and hold something before we buy as there will be no shops left!

union jack is on a jackmast - union flag is the correct terminolgy. but after me being pedantic , I agree that many signs are misleading. the other problem is that many parts are made abroad and only some (not all) of the assembly is made in the UK. For some items it is best to go to charity shops such as glassware - I even have some marked as made in England.

British consumers want cheap so they buy goods made in the Far East. They do not care to know that our cheapness means low wages for the workers in the these countries. British consumers trott out the usual platitudes that if we did not buy these goods they would not have jobs. It is nonsense.
We just want cheap.

Good point geekesse, at least I was shopping locally.
I was bought a bicycle bell for my birthday. Made in Sheffield but I had to really search for it. We didn’t support a local business but I have no problem supporting someone from Sheffield.

I think you are correct though, people can’t be bothered to source British goods because it’s so time consuming and difficult.
The ideal is buying British from local shops. Can’t see that happening unfortunately.

It is so difficult to buy British these days. Years ago Marks and Spencer used to advertise that all of their clothes were manufactured in Britain. This is not the case now and even with 'good' labels I sometimes wonder whether or not I am inadvertently supporting sweat shop conditions here or abroad. I think geekesse makes a good point that buying any goods in local stores supports local economy and I will try to make more effort with that. I know that local farm shops are one way of doing this and here in the North East of England our economy, like everyone else's I suppose, is going to need all the help it can get.