'Lions Not Sheep' Apparel Brand Retagging Imported Shirts as 'Made in USA'

[GoWestRob]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/utah-based-company-ripped-out-made-in-china-tags-replaced-with-made-in-usa-officials-say/ar-AA10rg6E

[Frog]

Not the first time the MAGA folks have been swindled by unscrupulous grifters "Lyin' to Sheep". $200,000 is also probably just viewed as a less-than-significant part of the cost of doing business.

[3Deep]

What's new about that, that's been going on for years, like Andy said just something to talk about

[tonypep]

Particular sore spot for us as our Indigo Apparel and Struttin Cotton brands are 100% Made in America. Cotton grown here and the knit sew/dye factories all here in the Carolinas. We offer full service pckgs including tag/fold/bag for all interested parties BTW. Not sure if any other company can make that claim and yes, all this comes with a premium price tag but thats our target market.

[mk162]

Stuff like this happens a lot more than we all realize.  One of the worst offenders is the olive oil industry. That and honey.  Even my dad in rural South Carolina knows a guy that cuts his "farm fresh honey" with corn syrup.

People are crappy, especially if you can make an extra buck.

[GoWestRob]

I think it's a trashy and sleazy move, however how do you think they caught him?  Maybe he left the 'garment care' instructions tag that included the RN number? 

[Admiral]

I think it's a trashy and sleazy move, however how do you think they caught him?  Maybe he left the 'garment care' instructions tag that included the RN number?

Maybe an employee doing the work ratted the company out.  I definitely wouldn't work for a company that did this...

[Frog]

I seem to remember a video from a couple of years back in which he mentioned how easy it was to do just this. Not the best way to stay below the authorities' radar.

[3Deep]

From what I heard over the years, it's also impossible to make an all American make product here, so I guess some people think pulling to wool over peoples heads/eyes is the way to go until they get caught. Oh yeah not to mention the markup and profit from fake made in the USA!!!

[ebscreen]

https://www.lionsnotsheep.com/pages/ftc-response

Response is dictated below the video so you don't have to lose fifteen minutes of your life and some of your dignity.
Dude's been on hold with the escalated cringe department for too long now.

As printers we all know (or should) how much of his response is utter and complete horse puckey.
Hell, he even partially tries to pass blame to his printer. Wouldn't surprise me if he's pointing that ET finger.

The grift is real.

[Frog]

Ya know, I can not believe that any of us here who have been in the industry for any time at all, whether hippie commie liberals, or gun toting white supremacists have not come across the basic pricing of blanks at three levels.
In the past, I had to deal with white T's running about $1.50 for an import, $2.50 for a U.S. made version (usually from the LA area), and/or for certain political applications, I needed union made for around $3.50. Now, the prices may have changed a bit, but those three classifications have not! It was not hard to figure out. I don't believe for an instant that slapping ink on an imported shirt ever qualified for "Made in USA", and this guy, no matter what his political beliefs are, can't be that dumb either.

[inkman996]

He is not trying to convince us with that BS, he is convincing the MAGA crowd with it. And as long as he keeps his beard full, his MAGA hype strong and claim a Biden controlled government witch hunt his people will believe him.

Back in 2000 there was a huge MAGA rally here in New Haven and I was driving by and seen a huge vendor set up. So I got out and went and snooped around a bit. NOT one item not one was American made. NOTHING! Apparel, cups, knives, flags. Flags with Trump on it, flags of the US, Don't tread on me flags. All imported. Its just greed. The MAGA crowd is so involved that if you took the time to create a retail line of 100% American made that crowd will pay every penny for it. But the supposed super MAGA people selling MAGA crap are so greedy they just import crap and sell it to you at the highest profit. And that is exactly what this guy above is as well.

[GoWestRob]

We do a lot of re-necktagging here, it's a huge tasking keeping up with the different fabric content and country of origins.  Re-tagging a Central American made Next Level #3600 as 'Made in the USA' is an obvious grift, especially when there was the USA Made Next Level #3600A available as well.  His explanation is that you needed '3 points of contact' in the USA in order to consider the piece 'Made in USA'.  He explained that as something like 'printing, folding, bagging, fulfilling'...that is such a stretch.  He was fully aware that what he was doing was shady.

[mk162]

I seem to remember a video from a couple of years back in which he mentioned how easy it was to do just this. Not the best way to stay below the authorities' radar.

It's amazing people film themselves admitting to or even committing crimes.  And then post them on social media.  Never underestimate the stupidity of people.

[Frog]

From what I heard over the years, it's also impossible to make an all American make product here, so I guess some people think pulling to wool over peoples heads/eyes is the way to go until they get caught. Oh yeah not to mention the markup and profit from fake made in the USA!!!

Perhaps some of the ink ingredients were mined in another country and/or even developed in a foreign lab, but I think that a USA-made shirt, printed in the USA would satisfy the requirements of "all USA" for most people.
Hell, if you wanted to remain honest, even advertising "Printed in the USA using USA labor" would carry some weight.