Dave@daami.vnet.van-bc.UUCP (Dave Allen) (12/04/87)
The Joy of Export....
If you are not interested in the WEDGE hard drive interface for the
AMIGA then you may wish to ignore this message. I feel I should post
it to give you some idea of the problems I have in getting a low
priced product to the US.
I shipped my first WEDGE to the US this week and the cost was a
nominal $5 including insurance. I filled out the appropriate papers on
this side of the border and sent it UPS. The WEDGE and Software is not
dutyable as it is not in a case and is not a mother board.
This morning I got a call from UPS's broker in Seattle Washington
telling me that there was a $35 (US) broker charge for clearing the
item in the US. (surprise) He called the purchaser in OHIO (thanks
Ethan and it will get to you if I have to drive there myself!) and told
him of the cost. Ethan called me a said that he would get UPS to send it
back because it was just too much with the extra costs. I agree! Now it is
on it's way back from Seattle and I must pay another $5 for the return
charges, drive down to the US Border, clear it with another $5 fee for
doing business in the US (when did they start that?) and send it UPS
from there, again another $5. Add on another $5 for gas and (maybe,
just maybe) a few cents for my time.
I love the idea of Amiga owners getting a reasonable priced hard disk
system for their machines as it means more productivity and more
programs, which will help our favorite computer gain ground against
the A....s and I..s of the world BUT why when I can send a letter half
way across the world for less than a dime, do I have to go through
this garbage?
Perhaps now you will see why Canadian stratup companies like myself,
have such difficulty, even when we have such a good product.
For those that have tried to send me UseNet mail, please note the
changes in my .signature address. I will be posting a WEDGE update in
a few days with answers to many of the more technical questions I have
been getting. Who knows, we may have the makings of a spec. sheet!
--
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+ Dave Allen - President of PANORAMA - Pacific Northwest Amiga Association +
+ - "I can't stop Multitasking" - Write: 9651 Alexandra Rd. +
+ // Richmond, B.C. Canada V6X 1C6 +
+ // or: Dave Allen UUCP: dave@daami.van-bc.UUCP +
+ \\// or: {ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision,uunet}!van-bc!daami!dave +
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+john@bby-bc.UUCP (12/05/87)
. . . > nominal $5 including insurance. I filled out the appropriate papers on > this side of the border and sent it UPS. The WEDGE and Software is not > dutyable as it is not in a case and is not a mother board. > > This morning I got a call from UPS's broker in Seattle Washington > telling me that there was a $35 (US) broker charge for clearing the > item in the US. (surprise) He called the purchaser in OHIO (thanks UPS did the same thing to me (in my case I was returning merchandise originally from the states). They MUST know this is going to happen but the people here in Vancouver never said a word - serious piss off! john
richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (12/09/87)
Wouldn't it be easier if you guys just drove the stuff across the
border and UPS'd it from the states ?
And don't you just love how Canadian whiskey, made in Canada is cheaper in
the States ?
--
Richard J. Sexton
INTERNET: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM
UUCP: {hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, ihnp4, nosc}!crash!gryphon!richard
"It's too dark to put the keys in my ignition..."brant@alberta.UUCP (Brant Coghlan) (12/10/87)
In article <2517@gryphon.CTS.COM> richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: >And don't you just love how Canadian whiskey, made in Canada is cheaper in >the States ? > >-- >Richard J. Sexton >INTERNET: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM >UUCP: {hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, ihnp4, nosc}!crash!gryphon!richard My complaint is with Amiga software and hardware pricing in Canada. Why is Canadian produced hardware and software sold for higher prices in Canada than in the States? (including currency differences) Is there some problem with software distribution in Canada? It seems that Canadian prices are from 1.5 to 3 times the price of the software in the US. Are the local shops just ripping us off? Two examples of this are: Test Drive, a game produced in Vancouver, BC. Easyl, a drawing pad from Rexdale, Ont. The distributors must be acquiring the stuff throught the States. ARRRRGGGG!!! Amiga software produced in the US is also priced quite high here. Does this situation occur in other countries? Is UK software cheaper in the US than it is in the UK? Where is German hardware the cheapest? Can anything be done to correct this situation? Where is the problem? Suppliers wanting quantity orders for big discounts Two levels of distributors Greedy Canadian distributors Greedy Canadian computer stores (I would have provided $ amounts, but I have been working in assembler for several hours and didn't think you would understand the FFP or IEEE values I would give.) RTS -Brant Coghlan Comp. Sci. Grad Student, UofA, Edmonton, Alberta. brant@alberta.UUCP or ...!ihnp4!alberta!brant -- Brant Coghlan (403) 487-3619 ...{ubc-vision,sask,ihnp4}!alberta!brant Dept. of Comp. Science, 615 GSB, U of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
john@bby-bc.UUCP (john) (12/11/87)
In article <2517@gryphon.CTS.COM>, richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: > Wouldn't it be easier if you guys just drove the stuff across the > border and UPS'd it from the states ? Well that is what I was pissed about - if they had told me before hand I would have done just that - getting a call three days later saying "oh we need $35 from you ..." john
alex@.UUCP (Alex Laney) (12/21/87)
In article <968@pembina.UUCP>, brant@alberta.UUCP (Brant Coghlan) writes: > In article <2517@gryphon.CTS.COM> richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: > > Where is the problem? The federal government slaps 12% sales tax at the border, no matter what the item. (This won't change under free trade). And 4% if it is the CPU unit, no tariffs on accessories. Then, there is customs brokers fees. And shipping. These in total are the biggest contributors. But the stuff usually goes to a distributor, then gets shipped to a store. So we really get stiffed. My rule of thumb is: price in U.S. magazine times 2 is price you'll see at any store in Canada. Commodore CPU's seem to be a little under this, but it seems all accessories follow this rule. For price alone, it makes sense to buy US mail order. But then you have to do the work of getting it home, and there is the occasional faulty item. If you have a dealer on just the other side of the border, then you reduce some of the risks. And your car becomes the shipping truck! You just have to DIY, and not everyone can. Check your local user group if anyone is going to be in the States. -- Alex Laney alex@xicom.UUCP ...utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!xios!xicom!alex Xicom Technologies, 205-1545 Carling Av., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada We may have written the SNA software you use. The opinions are my own.