Read this, FYI:

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/s...y6.html?page=1


Why did they all of a sudden become profitable to make in the USA and be
sold at such low, low prices?

The article says:

Though technological developments have made his work easier, Padilla says
the cost of labor is just too high to continue manufacturing sails much
longer.


He expects to end the manufacturing operation within five years.

As labor gets more expensive and the cost of importing sails go down, giving
up the practice of hand-making sails has become an enticing choice for
Padilla.

Padilla plans to reduce staff as he begins importing sails from China.
Buying sails in China, he says, won't cost him any more than making them.

"That's definitely the trend of what's going on with sail making, and
everything in general, it's going overseas," said Tom Staples, an Appleton
resident who has been a customer of Somerset Sails since 1994.

"Workers' compensation rules and insurance make it very hard," said Padilla,
"the government has made it expensive to have labor."

Padilla says that each year he pays about $2,500 for workers' compensation
and more than $3,000 for insurance.

Padilla, 53, concedes that he's also ready to take life a bit easier. "As we
get older, we tend to want to make the job easier and want to stop
manufacturing," continuing to adjust another sail just rolled out on the big
floor.

Padilla says repairing sails will still be a big part of the business, and
he'll continue to sell sail hardware and the imported sails.