...while some others cheer on their arrival
Evi Mariani and Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Consumers across Greater Jakarta have welcomed the arrival of "made-in-China" products to the Indonesian market as they feel they have benefited from cheaper prices, albeit concerns over low quality remains.
Customers of various consumer products, from sewing kits, textile fabrics, snacks, and motorcycles, say that cheap Chinese products save them money.
"I could save hundreds of thousands of rupiah if I buy made-in-China toys, rather than those made in Japan or Taiwan," said Arif Rahman Hamzah, a 25-year old who collects gasuphon, Japanese animation figurines.
He said that the original made-in-Japan gasuphon could be worth from hundreds of thousands to millions of rupiah. Since the Japanese toy factories decided to give licenses to Chinese manufacturers, the toys' prices have dropped to around Rp 15,000 to Rp 50,000.
A buyer of a made-in-China cellular phone, Haier, said that even though the popularity of his cellphone was low, the function was similar to other products such as Nokia, the most popular mobile phone in the country.
"I can buy a cellphone with a unique shape, which has the same functions as other cellphones. Moreover, a new one costs less than Rp 1 million, while a new Nokia product costs from Rp 1.5 million to more than Rp 10 million," said Didit Marsudi, who owns the slim shaped Haier D 6000 costing Rp 660,000.
Haier, a Chinese manufacturer popular for its home appliances, offers four types of cellphone in the Indonesian market, each costing less than Rp 2 million.
Apart from consumers, hawkers are also happy with cheaper Chinese products adding to their sales and income.
"I've been selling Chinese goods for three years. I can earn Rp 100,000 or even more a day, which is quite a healthy sum for my single life," said Herry, who sells the goods on buses in Jakarta.
"I worked in factory before. My income as a worker is meager compared to my income now," he added.
Herry was selling belts for Rp 10,000 and Rp 15,000 each, from which he said he made a Rp 5,000 to Rp 7,000 margin per belt.
"I prefer selling goods with a price above Rp 5,000. The margin is bigger. But I got lots of revenue when I sold a shaver a couple months ago. The thing was a hit. Unfortunately, my supplier does not import the shaver anymore," Herry said, adding that his supplier in Glodok changed products every once in a while.
Separately, Hardi, a hawker from Serang, said that although competition among hawkers on his turf at two junior high schools was stiff, he still managed to earn Rp 100,000 to Rp 150,000 a day.
"I work seven days a week. On Saturday and Sunday the school buildings are used for religious teaching, so I have customers at weekends," Hardi, who has been hawking for four years, said.
"I've got some loyal customers in the schools," he said, smiling happily.