gmason

The Swedish thread finally motivated me to start this long thought of topic.

I have lived over here for more than four years now. I do a lot of business with firms in the U.S. However, I am also a tad peeved about some companies. Especially as I use either an AMEX Gold card (which saves them from any losses) or a U.S. bank debit card, which will credit them immediately upon placing the debit with the bank. And, in almost all cases, shipment is to a U.S. address as well!

To be fair, many companies have no issue, and it works a treat. Others are too financially or technologically challenged to have a Web site that looks beyond state names and U.S. zip codes. Others seem to have no reason at all.

For example - Amazon, Branfordbike, Chef's Catalog, and ExcelSports (after a few Email exchanges) are fine. Performance used to be, until the end of 2002 (I think that is right), when they changed their policy and no longer will do it. Others just never got it at all.

The state of Internet secure payment these days does not allow that as an excuse any more. The responses I do get from the non-dealers are usually couched in chauvenistic terms that essentially say "we don't need anyone else, we are the U.S." No wonder we are so well loved around the world.

Cheers...Gary

Berodesign

I live in Sweden and have the same problem. I tried to order stuff from a small US company but they wouldnt ship to Sweden, refering to "company policy". I wonder if it is just like qmason says, they are chauvenistic, or if there is some kind of tax-, accounting problem for the companies not shipping outside US. Would be nice to find out.

I also ordered a frame from a english gentleman and he was (atleast I believe) honest and said "I dont have any international contract with my shipping agent so I would have to send it royal mail which would cost you a fortune". That is atleast a reason I can agree on. Is it maybe the same with some US companies? They are to lazy to go to the USPS and therefore refuses to ship internationally cause their doesn't have a contract with their shipping agent?

Please, someone, straighten this mess so that we europeans can stop hating the americans. As we were taught at political science here in Stockholm (capital of Sweden), US as country, ideas and people got a good reputation among intellectuals in the arab world, it is the administration they hate. Same here, we love US, you are after all "cousins", but we hate your shipping departments

Lectron

Well. I live in Norway and experiance nearly no problems what so ever.
Performance, Excel, Bulltek, Cambriabike……..They all ship.
Maybe it’s because I’m an extraordinary nice person. That could in fact be it.

Anyway though. That does not mean I have to like an arrogant aristocratic behaviour.
You’re not doing that great over there in the free world with your low taxes and capitalistic system leading to greediness.
Making money is great and not a craime. Greed is.
This coming from a guy living in a country with 33% income tax, 24%VAT, free health care,
free pension, low criminality …….

And yes. We love you guys. Your high on education and a lot of other things
Think University of Chicago has like 12 Nobel prices.

But part’s of your system really suck. And, sorry to say, it’s just showing to good in the rest of the world

Best regards

Pfoot

I represent America and I apologize: https://72.3.131.10/gallery/1/

Lectron

Now of a sudden I feel sorry.

gmason

I find this particularly interesting because while I used to buy from Performance, in November, 2003 (I think I got the year wrong in the first post), they refused an order. When I asked why, they said approximately "our board changed the policy, and we will no longer do it". I sent a long Email explaining that I was a good customer, etc., but they reiterated the "new policy" to me.



Not ALL of America, you don't!

Cheers...Gary

Lectron

Recived an order from performance late fall 2003, earlyer than nov. though.

And gmason's unfotunately right. Pfoot hardly represent all of America.

gcasillo

I'm not sorry.

I've had lots of requests to ship stuff I sell on eBay overseas. It's all about the falling dollar. American goods are great buys for folks in Europe right now. It's just smart to look for deals here.

I prefer to ship domestically because it's a little simpler, but for some items I'm willing to ship overseas. As long as what I'm selling is small enough to meet the USPS requirements for Global Express Mail and/or Airmail Parcel Post, I can do it.

However, I would guess a lot of companies have accounts with major shippers like FedEx, UPS, or DHL, and considering the volume they're moving, it would cost them way too much in time and costs to ship with those folks.

gmason

But only recently. The good news is that the U.S. markets are about keeping up with it.

Cheers...Gary