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Subject:RE: Cost of doing business From:KMcLauchlan -at- chrysalis-its -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 2 Aug 2001 14:10:53 -0400
Hi all.
A number of replies that I received off-list have
agreed that:
a) it's not so much the cost as it is the VARIABLE
cost -- i.e., surprises or the inconsistency from
one event to the next and,
b) probably MOST of that variability is directly
(and almost exclusively) due to petty bureaucrats
being petty bureaucrats (i.e., customs officials).
So, it's not so much laziness or inefficiency on the
part of vendors in determining what shipping methods
to use, and what bureaucrat-soothing phrases to use
on the shipping docs. Rather, it is the fact that no two
customs officers will (nor are they required to...) react
the same way to the same package carried on the same
truck. Throw in variables like time-of-day, day-of-week,
whether the individual is short of sleep or shy of
her/his monthly quota, how annoying/satisfying the
immediately-previous transaction was, whether the official
"got any" last night... etc., and it's literally a
crap-shoot as to how much we'll pay for a book or
software, or whether it'll be delayed/not-delayed at
the border.
If the drug-sniffing dog sneezes, then the whole truck
carrying your little package of books is impounded for
the duration. God forbid that doggie should get the
hiccups...
The best-seeming advice I received was to deal as much
as possible through local bookstores for ordering. Let
them deal with the headaches. Good advice.
/kevin
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Thomas Neuburger [mailto:thomasn -at- twelfthnight -dot- com]
>Speaking from the vendor side, it does take extra effort (i.e., hand
>crafting which many aren't willing to do) to work
>international shipping to
>the customer's best advantage.
>
>I feel for all of us who have to buy internationally, but
>especially the
>Aussies, who are hit twice, once by the exchange rate and again by the
>distance. So I'm willing to make some of that up; other vendors feel
>likewise, but not all, as Kevin points out.
>
>Request -- If there is a best/cheapest way to ship to
>Australia, feel free,
>anyone, to post it so we all know the magic words. US Postal Service
>Surface is inexpensive, but sometimes the trans-Pacific boat
>makes many
>stops first. I've been shipping USPS Air International, but
>that seems too
>costly and doesn't provide tracking. UPS and the others are
>*way* costly.
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