Friday, January 26, 2007
Across The Wide Ocean
When ordering plants through the mail, I sometimes feel like we live across the wide ocean; it seems every nursery I order from out east, asks for extra shipping costs when you live west of the Mississippi River. Why this river is such a barrier to shipping, I don't know; Interstate 80 runs right across the river, and an hour later, you're at our doorstep... I've driven it without problems more times than I can count. Now, you'd think these extra costs would even out by ordering from the west coast, but most western nurseries don't carry a lot of stuff that will grow here, and for some odd reason, most west coast nurseries don't seem to charge more for shipping plants east of the Mississippi. I guess what really has me rankled, is a certain well known alpine nursery in Michigan, (very) recently reviewed here, adds a 10% surcharge for shipping west of the Mississippi... from MICHIGAN! The last time I checked, Michigan was still considered in the midwest. Florida is three times further from them than me, but I have to pay 10% more in shipping. I've always considered myself to be an ecologist, but if they dammed up that river, I'd save a lot in shipping costs. 
// posted by IBOY @ 7:01 AM 
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Well,this is a startling geography lesson. Living in Europe, I'm used to the notion of borders and anything that crosses a border from you to me means customs duties, which irritate me no end. But Michigan to Iowa? No excuse! If the nursery in question - and I'd love to know which one so we can all write and ask them - has real costs they need to cover, fine, we all understand that. But what on earth could they be? Truck drivers get more worn out driving west into the setting sun? How about hiring early morning drivers. The wind blows west to east more often than east to west (proof, please). Geeez, I always tell people about state tax differences in the US but that it's basically border-free. WAS border-free?
Huh. Wonder what that's all about.
He's an interesting character, but I don't see him doing things arbitrarily.
I'm an hour from that place but I don't trust my ability to pack, and how would you want it to be shipped, anyway? Fed Ex overnight? Hmmm...
Wonder why 10%?
He's an interesting character, but I don't see him doing things arbitrarily.
I'm an hour from that place but I don't trust my ability to pack, and how would you want it to be shipped, anyway? Fed Ex overnight? Hmmm...
Wonder why 10%?
I dunno what the mystique is with that river; basically I think everybody in the eastern U.S., thinks of everything west of the Mississippi to be "out west". The only outfit I've ever seen that has some logic to their charges is Forest Farms Nursery; they have an elaborate chart, which goes by your zip code, and exactly what you order.
Don
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Don
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