Hi Jens,
I don't dictate the pricing, I just asked if they would provide a discount
and this is the pricing they provided. In regards to the shipping price,
the problem they run into is the same one that we run into. Shipping
prices outside the US can be both cheap and expensive depending upon where
the destination is. Without a shipping calculator that is smart enough to
identify the country and calculate the exact shipping price at the time of
check out (in the case of online purchases) you have to charge the highest
possible price for shipping to cover every possible country where someone
might want a book shipped. It's a problem, but not one easily resolved.
Amazon, Barnes/Noble, and other large suppliers have software supplied
from carriers such as FedEX and UPS which they use to accurately calculate
shipping costs. We use PayPal, and they do not offer that service (at
least that I am aware of).
In regards to discounts for orders headed outside the US generally, Mike
Stachiw said, "The real "trick" is the shipping. In the US I think we
cover our costs, but international in some cases we are giving the book
away due to shipping costs..."
Those are his exact words. I can sympathize with him because I recall Ray
Keefer shipping one of Kittredge's books to a remote location which cost
as much in shipping, as it did for the book. The book sells for $10 and
after the cost of packaging and shipping, poor George ended up with
nothing. You can check this out yourself by going to FedEX, UPS, or USPS
and checking the cost of shipping to various places around the world.
You'll see how much it varies.
In regards to the difference in price of the book itself, I also
recognized that and raised it as an issue with Mike Stachiw suggesting
that the pricing for the book be the same regardless of destination, but
just bump up the shipping as necessary. He may have been reluctant to do
this since $100.00 for shipping would definitely be extreme. However, I
don't believe there are any evil intentions here and that he is simply
trying to ensure that in extreme cases he has some buffer in the sales
price of the book as well as the shipping, to ensure they recover their
money.
So here is an alternative for you. If you become a PSUBS member and you
want to purchase the book, go to www.usps.gov and figure out what the
shipping cost is from zip code 03281 in the USA, to your location. Then
you can buy the book at the $140.00 price, pay $15 in shipping to have
Stachiw send the book to me, and then pay the shipping costs from me
(03281 in USA) to you. Based upon your experience buying books in the US,
that sounds like it will cost you $140 for the book and about $35 in total
shipping. However, be aware that I will only ship via US Postal Service.
The nearest FedEx and UPS facilities are an hour away from me and it is
not feasible for me to offer that option to you.
Jon
Jens Laland wrote:
Jon
I guess I'm still considering to become a fully, qualified member of the
psubs organization by paying my annual $35.
However, I have real problems believing what you just said about the
negotiated member discount.
I buy one or two books from your country each and every month, and most
of
those books are being send to me in Norway by USPS Global Priority Mail
(i.e. Flat-Rate Envelope) for about $15 to $20. However, the exagerated
shipping cost on the Handbook of Acrylics is not my main issue here. My
main issue is:
How can I ever become a fully, qualified member of the psubs organization
when the organization do not practice (negotiating) equal member rights
(discounts)?
Furthermore, how come the extra $25 if you buy a single copy of the book
from across the border of the USA?
Best regards,
Jens Laland
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