Young Man on Train Reading Simone Weil

The book, a paperback edition of Simone Weil’s The Need for Roots, was cradled by the young man in the palms of his hands. He sat with dignity, his formal countenance and delicate presence transcended the mediocrity of his surroundings. At first glance it seemed he was simply holding a closed book with his head bowed … Read more

Being Competitive From Afar…

As you may have seen in my previous post, I live in Perth Western Australia. A very far away place to be.

The internet has provided a more even playing field in the world of internet retail. I can now sell to someone in Springer New Mexico, or Toulouse France or Cheltenham in the United Kingdom and it’s almost like having my own store in those very countries.

The biggest problem I face now, as a seller in Australia (and I am not alone here) is the postage costs. It can cost almost the price of a very small car just to post a book to the other side of Australia, let alone the other side of the world.

For example, to send a book in Australia that weighs over 500grams (approximately 17 ounces) costs AUS$9.90. To send a book under 500grams has varying prices ranging from AUS$1.10 through to AUS$5.70. You can just about double these prices for international postage AND you can also wait up to 3 months for that book to be delivered, depending on which postage option you’ve chosen.

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