Our Part Selection Philosophy

In light of recent news that the US, citing humanitarian concerns, will be barring the entry of all cotton products and tomatoes from China’s Xinjiang region into the country, we’d like to take this opportunity to discuss the origin of Snap Supply’s products, as well as our philosophy when it comes to selecting the parts that we offer on the site.

First, a little background: according to a variety of sources -- from The Washington Post to CNN and beyond -- the Xinjiang cotton and tomato ban comes as a result of concerns of forced labor in the Xinjiang region of China. US Customs and Border Protection cite “information that reasonably indicates the use of detainee or prison labor and situations of forced labor” in the region as the reason behind this ban.

It’s no secret that at Snap Supply we pride ourselves on our 40+ years of combined experience in the appliance repair parts industry. Doing business for so long has left us with a refined sense of responsibility to our customers and to the world. 

A large majority of Snap Supply’s selection of appliance replacement parts comes from trusted manufacturers located in the United States, Mexico, and Europe. We have chosen these manufacturers specifically, not only for the quality and longevity of their products, but also for their dedication to safe, humane, and considerate work standards. 

These work standards are extremely important to us when it comes to selecting a manufacturer. Not only are we committed to maintaining a rigid, high standard of quality for all of the parts that we offer, we’re also committed to ensuring these parts are manufactured ethically.

A small portion of our parts are manufactured in China. In cases where we do select Chinese parts, it is only because certain OEMs rely exclusively on Chinese factories to manufacture certain parts.

China has long been criticized for its unethical treatment of laborers. Even before the recent Xinjiang controversies, the country has come under fire for its intense labor and business culture. 

With this in mind, we realized from the beginning that it was necessary that we be highly selective in choosing which Chinese manufacturers that we purchase from. On multiple occasions, members of our team have personally traveled to China to investigate the factories that manufacture these parts. We choose to examine first-hand the working conditions in these factories and the treatment of their laborers. 

We have, as a result of these investigations, been forced to walk away from deals with certain manufacturers. When someone does not meet our standard of ethics, as well as our standard of fair and humane treatment of laborers, we will not do business with them. It is as simple as that.

For example, we recently cut ties with a Chinese manufacturer that provided us with the 316455400, 5304518660, 316455410, 5304518661, and w10144820. This manufacturer did not meet our ethical standards and therefore we were forced to walk away from our dealings with them. Although this resulted in a temporary loss for us, we feel much better having switched to a North American OEM manufacturer that meets our standard of ethics.

As the American-Chinese trade situation develops, we will be watching it closely. As it stands, we support the ban on all products of unethical labor. We will continue to ensure that our products meet our standards for quality and ethics.