Re: Re:Export/Import and hybridizers
From: "Harold Peters" <harold@directcon.net>
You are correct that going from a smaller market to one larger market
(Canada to US) has a far greater potential for gain than going from a large
market to many small markets (US to everywhere else). With the complexity of
the myriad small markets differing requirements, it is easy to understand
why US firms are less and less willing to go to non US markets.
You have also stated that you personally take the product to US customs
which so far has been reasonable. You may not be surprised that Canadian
customs does not have the best reputation for being reasonable. When this is
being done with plants, there is a good possibility that the entire shipment
will be lost to unfavorable conditions before the problem is resolved. Very
few of us have the ability to personally take shipments to Canadian customs
so we can assure that either the shipment is cleared or that we keep the
shipment so it does not end up as soggy compost.
In one way the Canadian customs is working for you. If it were very easy to
get plants from the US to Canada, your customers would be purchasing more
from US companies and not near as much from Canadian companies. I am pretty
sure Canadian customs is aware of that fact and it is part of their logic. I
sent one shipment to Canada last year because it was a very large combined
order for three customers. It was a pain just the way you described the
situation shipping to the US. I had to go to extra trouble cleaning the
rhizomes, I had to drive the rhizomes to the agricultural inspector and I
had unnecessary problems with Canadian customs that caused the order to be
delayed in a way that adversely impacted the customers. I think it also lead
to some damaged rhizomes due to the much longer transit time in a shipping
container.
On the very positive side, I also benefited from your shipping method. What
I received from you is doing great.
Harold Peters
Beautiful View Iris Garden,
El Dorado Hills, CA USDA zone 9
harold@directcon.net http://www.beautiful-view-iris.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Leroy Kriese" <ambrosia@silk.net>
To: <sibrob@onelist.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2000 9:17 AM
Subject: Re: [sibrob] Re:Export/Import and hybridizers
> From: "Leroy Kriese" <ambrosia@silk.net>
>
> This brings up some interesting topics and I have wanted to make a
posting
> and a query as to peoples opinions. Being a small business entrepreneur a
> lot of my thinking is slanted that way.
>
> As for the export/import thing I have done it since I started my mail
order
> business but I probably have made little money at it from a realistic
> viewpoint. Exported plants in order to pass inspection for a phytosanitary
> certificate must be thoroughly washed and cleaned. It adds a lot of extra
> time to the process. I don't trust the mail over the border (from bad past
> experience) so I take it across myself and put it in the US Postal system
> which is as fast or faster delivery than mailing a shipment in Canada. I
> usually try to plan it so I can do all the US orders in one trip but it
> still is a lot of time and worry. It makes a nice day trip and I don't
> really expect to be economical, but I enjoy the drive south and usually
kick
> around south of the border for awhile.
>
> The export/import restrictions have become far less than they used to be
and
> I have never had any problems at US customs.
>
> One thing I noticed is that a lot of smaller US specialty nurseries are no
> longer shipping outside the US. We are lucky in having some excellent US
> suppliers of Siberians that still do the export thing. For other plants
like
> daylilies especially, I have noticed an increase each year in the number
of
> nurseries deciding not to export out of the US. I guess business is so
good
> down there that it is not worth the trouble. It is a little disappointing
> when you want some special plants.
>
> I hope that the fine US suppliers of iris don't have any plans to shut
down
> the export part of their business in the near future, but I do understand
> that the US market is probably all they really need.
>
> Leroy Kriese, Ambrosia Gardens
> http://www.silk.net/personal/ambrosia/index.htm
> Zone 5, Vernon, BC Canada
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