Some advice please - from Americans in particular!

[Nick Fiddes]

Hi Matt,

We've done a lot of the groundwork already, in identifying each and every product we sell in terms of its tariff code. In theory that should let us predict the duties that SHOULD be charged, and it's the only way to go since tariffs can vary from small to large depending on the particular trade war and protectionist priorities being fought out by People Who Matter at the time. (Oh damn, I didn't want to get dragged into this sort of stuff...) In practice, as you and I know, things are seldom that logical in practice. So we might have to swallow an element of swings and roundabouts at first. But we have pretty robust back-end systems which mean the actual prices we were paying could be automatically fed back in to identify where we were over or undercharging, at least on average, so the system would become more or less self-regulating in time. That's the theory. (And yes, we have the option to pay our shippers, rather than the customer.)

[celtophile]

I think that having a flat rate with shipping and tariff in dollars would make ordering from the UK less intimidating to "Americans" and your price for value has always impressed me. So your plan sounds like a good one especially with the guaranteed all inclusive pricing. It has always baffled me how to calculate the tariff in advance and have always just taken for granted that it would be too much and would require a second payment to the shipper after I had received the products from you. Your plan eliminates any doubt about this uncertainty.

Personally I am frugal and usually plan well ahead so am willing to take the chance of not paying the tariff with the slow airmail option. You will apparently still be offering this if I am willing to work around the new US Banking options.

[Tobus]

My own gut feeling is that a lot of Americans would be much more comfortable with a pitch that guaranteed NO additional charges, and FAST 1-2 delivery, and that by taking away a lot of the fear factor with overseas shopping we might more than compensate for those customers we lost from higher headline prices.

I think you are absolutely right. Americans do like a bargain, but not if it comes with a lot of guesswork and surprise costs. In fact, it really pisses them off.

I, for one, and the 7 people I just randomly polled here in my office, all agree. As web shoppers, they prefer for an item to be clearly and simply priced with a "what you pay is all you have to pay" sort of guarantee, and fast shipping. They would all rather pay a little extra for that, than suffer the surprise charges or uncertainties of alternate shipping methods.

And to be real honest with you, I generally avoid buying big-ticket items from the UK for this reason. I've seen enough horror stories to want to avoid it, and just buy from an American company or American middle-man. If you can guarantee these types of things won't happen with a new system, you will likely attract more customers.

[Detroitpete]

Nick, from what I've been able to tell here from those who have purchased from you, you have top notch products and always attempt to intervene if there is a service issue. I think that an informed customer making an informed decision, who is satisfied with the results, will be a return customer. Give us up fromt pricing and lets us know any particulars about the ordering prices--and we'll take it from there.

[Cowher]

I have a marketing background and I would say that Americans would like to know what they are going to pay upfront. So I like your idea. I was inches away from making a order to you but was snatched up for two reasons first I knew what I was paying and two I fell in love with a box pleat kilt

Matt

[Dixiecat]

We'd also offer firm prices in US dollars, so that the price you saw was the price you'd pay, in your local currency

Pretty sure that my local currency isn't US dollars.

[Nick Fiddes]

Pretty sure that my local currency isn't US dollars.

Quite possibly CAD too. But the pedant in me would have to point out that this is arguably at least relative, firstly because that currency is certainly MORE local to you geographically than a wee nation on the other side of the Atlantic, and also because I'd wager many more Canadians would be used to shopping for items in US dollars than in UK pounds. No? (I say this apologetically as a Scot who hates to be confused with the English, and so should be fully aware of such sensitivities...)

[ChubRock]

[McConnell Mor]

I ordered my first Kilt from you recently to be delivered in January 2011. I have ordered five 16 OZ 5yd kilts in the last 6 months from five different sellers. I had NO issues with the website and ordering from you , in fact, I was able to surf through the various Tartan choices and spend time contemplating on what I really wanted and in what weight, and from which mill. All in all so far I think Scotweb is fantastic. If the Kilt is the same, then you will be getting much more business from me.

[Lallans]

Quite possibly CAD too. But the pedant in me would have to point out that this is arguably at least relative, firstly because that currency is certainly MORE local to you geographically than a wee nation on the other side of the Atlantic, and also because I'd wager many more Canadians would be used to shopping for items in US dollars than in UK pounds. No? (I say this apologetically as a Scot who hates to be confused with the English, and so should be fully aware of such sensitivities...)

Canadians, at least in the form of me, are more used to ordering things from foreign countries that it would appear most Americans are. And through most of my life, the [party in power] kept the Canadian dollar down to 'Canuckistanian' levels (not a good thing; in the '90s the Loonie was coming to be known as "the Northern Peso".) This was however an artificial low, and once allowed to swim the loonie rose to parity with the greenback, give or take a few cents. All of this is to say that people like me who have lived under our protectionist governments are virtually immune to the horrors of unexpected or slightly higher than expected charges. I don't think a change such as is proposed would have much of an effect on my UK ordering, esp because Customs just lets most of my stuff from the UK through (and altho I have heard some horror stories, such as a $50 pair of triathlon shorts from the USA that turned into a $150 pair, that again seems to be a uniquely Canadian phenom).