Amazon isn't manufacturing these products either. They're just cutting out the middleman and going straight to the source in exactly the same manner as grocery stores do with their private labels.
Right - if you are already having a product made in China, you are the middle man. If you are actually making the product yourself, then Amazon might come to you and create an off-brand version with some trivial differences. But, in any case the designs of simple products are not nearly as sacred as the actual manufacture of them.
Unfortunately, it does have a depressing effect on new design and innovation. And it certainly seems that the low-cost Chinese manufacturers haven't got the knack for originality yet.
