Originally Posted by
noglider
OK maybe people are used to this by now, but I'm somewhat in shock. I found the best price ($65 each) for the Schwalbe tires on
Wiggle, a company in the UK. I ordered them on Wednesday. Shipping was free. Huh? OK, great. For an extra $6.62, I could get tracking for the shipping, and I don't normally pay for these extras, but it's nice for an international shipment. I got the package yesterday, Thursday, i.e. THE NEXT DAY! The package was sent and then moved from England, through Leipzig, Germany, and to me in New York City, in ONE DAY.
I've been similarly surprised by shipping costs and speed from England and China. I suspect both countries are heavily subsidizing their postal systems to support export business.