Harley Davidson 'El Camino' motorcycle jacket, $25.

There are Harley jackets, and there are Harley jackets. Let me explain. This El Camino is an authentic Harley Davidson jacket because it sports a Harley Davidson label sewn right into the jacket. It's very important that you pay attention to this fact, because that's what makes it a Harley jacket.

The fact is, you can take the cheapest piece of trash Chinese jacket you can get your hands on, and cover it with as much Harley Davidson stuff as you like, but it won't be a Harley Davidson jacket. I see loads of these cheapo Bike Week mementos at yard sales and flea markets all over the place, and a look at the label inside the jacket usually reveals a name that means nothing to anyone.

Unless you see the actual Harley Davidson label sewn inside the jacket, it's not a Harley jacket. I'm harping on the Harley label thing here because the Harley name - or the absence of it - inside any jacket can spell the difference between profit and loss for you. There's something else I'd like to address here.

Notice that sewn into this jacket right beside the Harley label is a little tag stating that... *gulp!* it's made in Indonesia! As you may already know, Indonesia is not on my top ten list of countries known for producing high-quality goods. And outsourcing to anywhere, much less Indonesia, is not a step you'd expect from a company that's been an American icon for over 100 years and literally embodies the spirit of the hardcore, patriotic American. But I guess the Harley folks have their reasons for doing what they do.

I can honestly say, though, that one thing I immediately noticed about this jacket is that regardless of its origin, it's really well made. I can only magine that the Harley folks laid down the law on just how they wanted these jackets made, and the Indonesians had to turn out the goods or lose their customer. In other words, even those countries that are renowned for spewing out shoddy goods can produce high quality merchandise if the customer specifies it. It's when they're left on their own to manufacture the cheapo, no-name stuff for export that you have to worry.

And what about the 'made in Indonesia' stigma that this label may project? Is it possible the Harley Davidson name is so powerful that it's impervious to the 'Indonesian effect'? I don't know, but I bet things would be different if Harley had tried to leverage their name by trying to get top dollar for a shoddily-constructed product, which is obviously not the case here.

I believe the reason this particular jacket didn't sell for more than the $125 it closed at is because it's a ladies' XL size, which may not be the most popular size among the folks searching eBay for Harley jackets. If this were a man's jacket, though, things probably would've been different. This jacket retails for around $400, and in a man's size, it probably would've sold for twice the hundred twenty five bucks it sold for.

So, the next time you find yourself looking at a fancy motorcycle jacket you think you could sell on eBay for a profit... be sure to look at the label!