🚀 go-pugleaf

On 10/06/2012 03:34 PM, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
> Phil Hobbs wrote:
>> Sounds like a bargain to me.  Very few other organizations would leave
>> money on the table like that.  I sure wouldn't.  Would you?
>
> It depends upon wat you consider a fair price and what you want people to do.
> If you want people from the US to NOT export cheap items then you keep your
> postal rates high.

A fair price is what a willing buyer will pay in a competitive market. 
If you were a logistics company, or for that matter a unionized 
proletarian, you charge what the traffic will bear.  That works as long 
as there's competition--the more the better in general.  You can't keep 
jacking up the price if your customers can just go down the street to 
your competitor.

>
> If you want everyone to have a small business selling items over the internet
> then you keep your postal prices low.

If you want to have economic efficiency, you avoid state enterprises and 
subsidies except where there's a compelling interest at stake--for 
instance the French pay more for food because they in effect subsidize 
small farmers, in order to keep the life of rural France alive.  I'm 
quite fond of rural France, so I can understand their point.

Postal services?  Well, sure, folks in the boonies need to be able to 
send in their tax returns. ;)

>
>> Plus they save on duty by claiming that everything is a gift.  Such
>> generous folks, those Chinese.
>
> The only gift is to the customs officers receiving the packages. If it is
> a gift and the price is low, then they can pass it without inspection, and
> if it is inspected just look for the diamonds, guns, drugs, etc hidden
> in it.
>
> For example,  just ordered about several each of 10 different items
> (around 40 items in all), from a vendor in Hong Kong. If he sent it to a
> US address and lists it as a gift, the US customs can do a quick inspection
> if they do any at all.
>
> If he declares each item, and they inspect the package, they have to figure
> out which is which, measure and weigh them and ascertain that they are
> what is claimed, and the weight matches.

They say it's a gift regardless of how much it costs.

>
> In this case most of the items were some some sort of USB fob, so good luck.
>
>> What treaties are those, and do they guarantee the same rates for everyone?
>
> They are international postal treaties and the guarantee the same rates
> between signatories. Or in plain English, each country pays the other
> the same rates, but are free to charge their internal customers anything
> they want.

Do you have a link?  I'd be interested to have a look.

>
>>
>> Depends what's important to you, of course.  Mostly when I'm in Europe I
>> do my calling over wifi using UMA, so it costs the same as at home.  But
>> I only go there every couple of years.
>
> Assuming you can find WiFi. Some places think free wifi is a right, others
> charge you high rates for it.

Generally the places I've stayed have had free or at least cheap wifi. 
That's in Flanders, Artois, and Florence, most recently.  And anyway, 
since I'm on vacation when I go there, I don't really want to be in 
constant touch with home!

Cheers

Phil Hobbs


-- 
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net