A Play On Words

For some people, it's important to them on where they buy their products.  Some people like to keep their purchases local meaning that if they live in a certain country, they like to purchase things that are made in that country.  But the term "made" doesn't always mean that they are actually made in that country.  Rather they can actually be made in one country, but can be built in another.  It's the battle over made vs built, and there is a difference.

Almost everything that we buy has a stamp on it.  The stamp indicates where that product is made.  Let's say that you go buy a new toy car for a child.  They toy will most likely have a stamp on it that says, Made in USA, for example.  However, it doesn't mean that it's actually built in America.  It could be, but maybe it's not.

By definition to make something is to come up with the concept for it like an idea.  The actual definition states that to make something is "to bring into existence by shaping or changing material".  That's why when we have an idea we say that we made it up, because we made it in our heads.  When we produce the parts then we have made them.  When we put it together or we "assemble" it, then it becomes built.  By definition to build something is "to construct (especially something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials".

Car dealerships use this "play on words" to sometimes mislead their customers so that they can get a sale.  For example, let's say that you walk in to a Mercedes-Benz dealer.  Your friend just bought a new M-Class and you like it and you want one.  The only problem is that you want to buy a car that's made in the United States because that's where you live and you want to keep things local.  You state this to your salesperson and he says, "No problem.  All of our M-Class models are built right here in America in Vance, Alabama".  Wow, you think.  That's awesome.  You go ahead and decide that it's the car for you and buy yourself one.  So were you fooled?  Yes and no.  No in the fact that what the salesperson said was true, but yes in the fact that he only told you half of the story.  While it's true that the Mercedes M-Class is built in America, it's actually made in Germany.  Germany produces all the parts necessary to build the car, then ships those parts to America so that the car is built in America.  Do you see the difference?  Like I said before, many dealerships use this play on words to mislead their customers.  By doing this they can increase their sales all the while being able to honestly say that they never lied to you.  So next time you want to buy a vehicle, keep this in mind, especially if you truly want to keep things local.  Just remember that this isn't exclusive to vehicles, but a ton of other products as well.