Digikey domestic shipping is free (their choice, for any shipment) if you send a check with a snail mail order.
No minimum order, either.
The GSP is often the only reasonable way to buy in EU from US. Shipping + duties + handling fee is often the same or more what I would pay normally, if the seller was even willing to ship internationally. So for us here, it is actually a nice thing to have.
Check? Snail mail? Seriously? Which century is this? Would you like my fax number so you can send me your response? 🙂
Tom
Sadly no FAX or even electricity here, but if you send a fast horse rider with a trained pigeon nesting at your castle, I can send you my handwritten answer , using a split goose feather and china ink on vellum of course.
PS: even today, many "serious" Companies still use FAX; on the other side they have no use for E-Mail.
Check it by yourself.
EDIT: 2 free samples, rest assured it repeats all over the Heavy Players, with a vengeance:
* Coca Cola 😱
They only offer Phone access, through an 1-800 number:
https://www.coca-colacompany.com/contact-us
* Ford Motor Co. 😱
https://www.ford.com/help/contact/
they offer Phone contact (again 0-800 type) , chat, Social Media, SNAIL MAIL 😱 to a couple P.O. Box addresses (Dearborn and Omaha)
That for mere mortals like us, rest assured that for Commercial contact FAX is alive and striving.
Yes, in THIS Century.
PS: even today, many "serious" Companies still use FAX; on the other side they have no use for E-Mail.
Check it by yourself.
EDIT: 2 free samples, rest assured it repeats all over the Heavy Players, with a vengeance:
* Coca Cola 😱
They only offer Phone access, through an 1-800 number:
https://www.coca-colacompany.com/contact-us
* Ford Motor Co. 😱
https://www.ford.com/help/contact/
they offer Phone contact (again 0-800 type) , chat, Social Media, SNAIL MAIL 😱 to a couple P.O. Box addresses (Dearborn and Omaha)
That for mere mortals like us, rest assured that for Commercial contact FAX is alive and striving.
Yes, in THIS Century.
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True, but what they mention: legal weight in Court and easy-to-prove authenticity, one-on-one communication not relying on ISP providers, etc, still holds.
Also the "universal" FAX protocol comes to mind.
No "Windows version", "Unix/Linux vs Mac", and similar problems.
I still phone some Company or Industry and if outside Office hours get the beeping whistling FAX sound after it rings for a minute, sometimes straight away.
Some Lawyer or Accountant office? ... all the time.
One current example: Jazz player LOVED Polytone amplifiers:
http://www.murchmusic.com/polytone.htm
in their contact page
http://www.murchmusic.com/murchmusic/Contact_us.html
they DO show owners Email addresses but also (like they did for the last decades):
I loved the old style "how to get here" instructions 😉
Even if everybody and his brother has everything delivered 🙂
Even massive Online Musical Instrument Retailer Sweetwater does.
https://www.sweetwater.com/help/ordering-information.php
Also the "universal" FAX protocol comes to mind.
No "Windows version", "Unix/Linux vs Mac", and similar problems.
I still phone some Company or Industry and if outside Office hours get the beeping whistling FAX sound after it rings for a minute, sometimes straight away.
Some Lawyer or Accountant office? ... all the time.
One current example: Jazz player LOVED Polytone amplifiers:
http://www.murchmusic.com/polytone.htm
in their contact page
http://www.murchmusic.com/murchmusic/Contact_us.html
they DO show owners Email addresses but also (like they did for the last decades):
I loved the old style "how to get here" instructions 😉
Even if everybody and his brother has everything delivered 🙂
Even massive Online Musical Instrument Retailer Sweetwater does.
https://www.sweetwater.com/help/ordering-information.php
Last edited:
I bought a house this spring. I signed the purchase agreement on my phone using my finger as a stylus. I was playing hockey that night and timing was important, so I did this in my car while still in the arena parking lot. Then I went for parking lot beer with the guys. 🙂 Same with the mortgage application. The only ink on paper was at the lawyer's office where I signed the final documents. They were hand carried to the city and FedExed/UPSed to the bank. I guarantee you that nothing went through a fax. I did have to use a bank draft for the downpayment, though.
I've dealt with immigration lawyers both in the US and in Canada. The US guys wanted everything faxed. That was around 2008ish. I remember several rounds of back/forth faxing. By the end the information on the forms was complete illegible and the whole exercise seemed pointless.
Anyway. Back to outrage about ePay... 🙂 I actually don't mind the global shipping program that much. Yes, it's expensive but that is known up front. Don't like the cost? Choose a different seller. The main advantage for me is that all charges, including sales tax, are collected up front so the package just shows at my door. I don't have to wait in line at the post office to collect it. I also think many have gotten used to "free" shipping from Bezos' Bookstore so they think shipping should be free or only a few bucks at the most. You barely buy the cardboard box to ship in for that. USPS Priority shipping internationally is also absurdly expensive. Canada Post is usually a bit better.
My main gripes with ePay are that nothing on there is of quality. There are exceptions, but most of what I see is garbage. It's often more expensive there than to just order a similar product from an online store. From a seller's perspective, their requirement that sellers have to take returns (with a one-month return period) drives me away. The things I've sold on ePay are things like camera gear and test equipment. Stuff that has value, but that I'm no longer using. I would prefer to sell as-is. I can't afford to ship things back/forth and re-pay ePay to re-list it just because the buyer has a case of buyer's remorse and claims the item isn't as described (which I can't do anything to challenge). I once had a buyer return an expensive lens because of a smudge near the edge of the front element. This smudge was easily wiped off with a lens tissue. This was enough to prompt a "not as described" claim. #whatever Life's too short.
I used to sell stuff of lower value on ePay as well, but don't anymore. It's not worth my time to take pictures and write up a listing. I just put it on top of my recycling bin in the back alley, put a FREE sign on it, and post a picture in a local Farcebook group.
Tom
I've dealt with immigration lawyers both in the US and in Canada. The US guys wanted everything faxed. That was around 2008ish. I remember several rounds of back/forth faxing. By the end the information on the forms was complete illegible and the whole exercise seemed pointless.
Anyway. Back to outrage about ePay... 🙂 I actually don't mind the global shipping program that much. Yes, it's expensive but that is known up front. Don't like the cost? Choose a different seller. The main advantage for me is that all charges, including sales tax, are collected up front so the package just shows at my door. I don't have to wait in line at the post office to collect it. I also think many have gotten used to "free" shipping from Bezos' Bookstore so they think shipping should be free or only a few bucks at the most. You barely buy the cardboard box to ship in for that. USPS Priority shipping internationally is also absurdly expensive. Canada Post is usually a bit better.
My main gripes with ePay are that nothing on there is of quality. There are exceptions, but most of what I see is garbage. It's often more expensive there than to just order a similar product from an online store. From a seller's perspective, their requirement that sellers have to take returns (with a one-month return period) drives me away. The things I've sold on ePay are things like camera gear and test equipment. Stuff that has value, but that I'm no longer using. I would prefer to sell as-is. I can't afford to ship things back/forth and re-pay ePay to re-list it just because the buyer has a case of buyer's remorse and claims the item isn't as described (which I can't do anything to challenge). I once had a buyer return an expensive lens because of a smudge near the edge of the front element. This smudge was easily wiped off with a lens tissue. This was enough to prompt a "not as described" claim. #whatever Life's too short.
I used to sell stuff of lower value on ePay as well, but don't anymore. It's not worth my time to take pictures and write up a listing. I just put it on top of my recycling bin in the back alley, put a FREE sign on it, and post a picture in a local Farcebook group.
Tom
I bought a Yamaha G-130 classical guitar there recently and it's a beauty. I paid $100 for it plus $100 shipping, to get it across the continent. No one could build a guitar like that for $200 in materials these days.
You have to shop around. I've been considering a 300W true sine inverter as a possible solution and was offered one for $41 shipped after "watching" it. Couldnt touch that price on Amazon. Hemmed and Hawed too long; someone else got it. Now it's over $50 for the same anywhere.
Never think ebay is the cheapest place - it's not. However, sometimes, it's hard to get even simple, ordinary things - as easily, cheap and actually be "quality" - elsewhere;
The ear muffs are like walking around in an anechoic chamber. The gloves keep my old hands warm (Thinsulate) while still allowing me to use the trackpad; one set in use, one for next year. Havent even listened to Ron Carter yet...coming up on a month too.
Like I also said, "There are exceptions..."
I bought a patch oil pan heater for my car on ePay for quite a bit less than I could find it for elsewhere. It took longer to arrive, but I wasn't in a hurry. Worked just fine until my repair shop tore the wiring off while replacing the rear main seal on the engine. They installed a different (and just as functional) heater at their expense.
Tom
I bought a patch oil pan heater for my car on ePay for quite a bit less than I could find it for elsewhere. It took longer to arrive, but I wasn't in a hurry. Worked just fine until my repair shop tore the wiring off while replacing the rear main seal on the engine. They installed a different (and just as functional) heater at their expense.
Tom
Not directly related to ePain but many have a PayPal account connected with it so the following info may be of interest.
https://www.ghacks.net/2022/11/16/here-is-what-you-need-to-know-about-paypals-inactivity-fee/
https://www.paypal.com/be/smarthelp/article/what-is-the-inactivity-fee-faq4427
https://www.ghacks.net/2022/11/16/here-is-what-you-need-to-know-about-paypals-inactivity-fee/
https://www.paypal.com/be/smarthelp/article/what-is-the-inactivity-fee-faq4427
Yep. No fee for no balance. Problem solved. Also, it seems like a very minimal cost if all you have to do is to log in once per year to avoid the fee.
Tom
Tom
The reason why the shipping cost is so high on E/bay is just greed. However E/bay makes it easy for sellers to select their overprices options & more difficult to choose lower options.
I still sell on E/Bay now but rarely buy. i now buy from Alli Express, whose shipping service is now truly excellent.
If there is a part I what like a cart, with a shipping cost of $100, sometimes $200, I contact the seller & advise them I would Bid, but not until they lower the shipping cost, which they can do, but most are to lazy.
Cheers
I still sell on E/Bay now but rarely buy. i now buy from Alli Express, whose shipping service is now truly excellent.
If there is a part I what like a cart, with a shipping cost of $100, sometimes $200, I contact the seller & advise them I would Bid, but not until they lower the shipping cost, which they can do, but most are to lazy.
Cheers
More likely they are waiting for the guy who will actually pay that much for shipping. More profit.
Just as an example I checked the 2SK369BL mentioned in the other thread, the site recognized my country and suggested $19 for shipping, changing destination to USA without zip code brings it down to $4,50, generally shipping overseas have increased a lot.
Last spring bought a piece of measurement equipment via E, total weight 35kg from France to Finland just a bit over 100€, quite reasonable, but due to the current global situation the shipping took 6 weeks, the last 2 weeks were a bit unnerving but at the end all was ok.
Last spring bought a piece of measurement equipment via E, total weight 35kg from France to Finland just a bit over 100€, quite reasonable, but due to the current global situation the shipping took 6 weeks, the last 2 weeks were a bit unnerving but at the end all was ok.