Customers In Brazil and Argentina Please Note

[smallbearelec]

We have had greater than usual problems lately with failed shipments. Until further notice, if we ship by International First Class or International Priority Mail, we will ask you to release us by e-mail from responsibility for replacing a lost package. We will also give you a quote for Express Mail or courier services, and we will continue to accept responsibility as we always have if you pay for end-to-end trackability. We don't like doing this, we realize that this policy change may well cost us business, and we hope that the postal services in your countries improve their service. It had become better, so we know it's possible.

I have posted this policy change in our Terms Of Service.

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Page?template=policy

[candidate]

desperate times call for desperate measures

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/10/22/163384810/why-a-hedge-fund-seized-an-argentine-navy-ship-in-ghana

[StephenGiles]

Unfortunately the postal system leaves a lot to be desired in Argentina - well, Cristina needs so much money for the upkeep of her 8 mansions is it??

It takes 2 days for a letter to go from UK to BA, then up to 3 weeks for it to get to BelgranoR - 20 minutes by train!

[Davelectro]

Yeah...now go and vote for Macri. He will save you and all your wonderful neighbors in "Belgrano R".

[Morocotopo]

 Political preferences aside ( I don´t think anyone here knows who Macri is Davelectro...)  the thing in Argentina is this: we have an official dollar exchange rate and an "unofficial, parallell" one called Blue, of course more expensive. You can´t get official rate dollars, they don´t sell them to the citizens, because the country is in need of hard currency to balance the national budget and central bank reserves that are in deficit, and people try to save money in dollars to protect themselves from the 25% annual inflation. So people buy things in the internet from foreign countries with credit card, so they get the official dollar exchange rate and save money. In consequence, the mail system is overtaxed and things take way too long to be delivered. It´s easy to imagine packages being lost in this situation, or even "lost", if you catch my drift.

Sad situation for us. This situation caused the tourism to shift to going abroad, last year the Argentinians spent over 6.000 million dollars abroad, because it´s cheaper than taking vacations in argentina because they pay the official exchange rate for tourism, so the deficit increases...

Although it´s been a while since I made an order to Steve, I´m a Smallbear customer and, despite the circumstances, expect to continue to be one. I believe the best method now is to use a trackable, insured shipping method, even if it costs more.

[Davelectro]

Political preferences aside ( I don´t think anyone here knows who Macri is Davelectro...) 

You're absolutely right. But it wasn't me who started with the non-neutral political opinions. Plus, people are free to think or believe in what they want to, but they just can't get in here and call our president a criminal for no reason.

[StephenGiles]

Political preferences aside ( I don´t think anyone here knows who Macri is Davelectro...)

You're absolutely right. But it wasn't me who started with the non-neutral political opinions. Plus, people are free to think or believe in what they want to, but they just can't get in here and call our president a criminal for no reason.

Well, she is considered to be rather a joke!!!

That aside, I do love your country - having visited 7 times!

[Davelectro]

Wow, she was elected twice...not bad for a joke, uh?

It's ok Stephen. This is not about my country but about being honest. About telling the truth, you know?

There is this huge debate going on right now in Argentina about the role of Press and Media in the construction of reality. There are too many interests at stake and the society is kinda divided on this matter. It's too complicated and too off-topic to explain here but let's just say that what you may hear about Argentina -or about anything for that matter- is not necessarily true. Especially when there is one big fat media group controlling information -and people!- across the country and beyond.

[StephenGiles]

Wow, she was elected twice...not bad for a joke, uh?

It's ok Stephen. This is not about my country but about being honest. About telling the truth, you know?

There is this huge debate going on right now in Argentina about the role of Press and Media in the construction of reality. There are too many interests at stake and the society is kinda divided on this matter. It's too complicated and too off-topic to explain here but let's just say that what you may hear about Argentina -or about anything for that matter- is not necessarily true. Especially when there is one big fat media group controlling information -and people!- across the country and beyond.

Oh well that's different. I hope life treats you well. You know I never found an electronic component shop in Buenos Aires, I suppose they are there. We used to go for un cafesito in Confiteria Richmond but I read that it closed, very sad.

[pappasmurfsharem]

Wow, she was elected twice...not bad for a joke, uh?

It's ok Stephen. This is not about my country but about being honest. About telling the truth, you know?

There is this huge debate going on right now in Argentina about the role of Press and Media in the construction of reality. There are too many interests at stake and the society is kinda divided on this matter. It's too complicated and too off-topic to explain here but let's just say that what you may hear about Argentina -or about anything for that matter- is not necessarily true. Especially when there is one big fat media group controlling information -and people!- across the country and beyond.

George W Bush was elected twice here, and he is also considered a joke. It's all in good fun. I have no emotional ties to our political figures so if people want to make fun of them I don't really care, but I see what you are saying.

[R.G.]

As a completely non-political statement, engineering economics has the effect of reducing all costs to the cost of the energy spent to make and/or transport them as a basic cost.

As an example, one reasonable definition of the USA dollar is that this is the amount of USA money needed to give one person complete control of the amount of energy contained in 1 liter of gasoline. The energy contained in the liter remains constant, connected as it is to the universe and physical constants. It is the value of the dollar, in purchased joules of energy, that varies. The cost of 10 Joules is 10Joules, in whatever currency you buy it. You can do worse, of course, but you can't do better over the long run.

One result of this is that it puts a floor on the cost of an item when something external is not distorting the process. In the long run, it is not possible to make something for a lower cost than the embodied energy to locate and refine the raw materials, convert them in form and process them into the final item, and then transport it to where it's to be used. Any price lower than that involves someone giving something away and eating the difference in cost themselves. Any level higher than that is a profit to the seller.

Political institutions can make valiant attempts to distort this relationship, by enacting laws, restricting availability, erecting tariff walls, making importation illegal, and all the various dodges used. In the end, these efforts all have unintended consequences, and ultimately must fail. You cannot sell things forever (or force people to sell things forever) where the sales price is less than the cost of the energy needed to make them.  It's like pushing against a balloon - you push in somewhere, it bulges out elsewhere as the people find ways around it. If you constrain the balloon to not bulge anywhere, but still push in, the pressure goes up and at some point it breaks.

Eventually, Mother Nature "corrects" the market distortions impressed by the political institutions. Politicians merely hope it won't happen while they're in office.

[Morocotopo]

... I never found an electronic component shop in Buenos Aires...

Yes there are, quite a few actually. You can´t get everything you need to make pedals like for example die cast boxes, but the parts offer is quite complete in other ways. For example, I found (and bought!) quite a few CLM8200/2 optos, that are totally extinct in the rest of the world, of course it was a stock remnant, but...

This country has a history of industrial achievement in the 50´s and 60´s. We manufactured tubes, capacitors, transistors. We had train engineers that Henschel (german locomotive manufacturer) sent their prototypes to for testing and approval. We had an aircraft manufacturing plant. We designed some planes of our own (quite awful ones but did it anyway). Not bad for a third world country eh? But unfortunately the dictatorships in the 70´s destroyed all that. But the human resources are still there to some extent, fortunately you can´t destroy knowledge. So we are a paradox: the human resources are very good, but there´s little industry where to employ them, so many study in state universities that are excellent (and free!), but then maybe emigrate to other countries searching for job opportunities, so what the country spends in education doesn´t produce benefits for itself.

Since around 2005 or so, the musical electronics industry (well, actually, it´s a very small cottage one, mostly two or three people operations) has flowered in an interesting way. There are quite a few tube amps manufacturers (although I would call only one of them a small series production one), much more than the internal market will support actually. Many, many pedal producers. One of them even makes it´s own die cast boxes! can you imagine the expense of that, for a very very small market? I don´t know how they break even. There´s a guy that worked for one of the premier hi-fi manufacturers we had till the 80´s (Leea) that made amplifiers, speakers, microphones, that now makes tube amps and is manufacturing in a small scale guitar speakers, of quite good quality. Makes his own transformers too.

So, we have the human resources, dare I say the best ones in South America maybe aside from Brazil, but the political/economic situation always is an obstacle for the small industries starting out. Yes, we are the best example of paradox you can find!

Ok, enough rambling.

[Davelectro]

Wow, she was elected twice...not bad for a joke, uh?

It's ok Stephen. This is not about my country but about being honest. About telling the truth, you know?

There is this huge debate going on right now in Argentina about the role of Press and Media in the construction of reality. There are too many interests at stake and the society is kinda divided on this matter. It's too complicated and too off-topic to explain here but let's just say that what you may hear about Argentina -or about anything for that matter- is not necessarily true. Especially when there is one big fat media group controlling information -and people!- across the country and beyond.

Oh well that's different. I hope life treats you well.

Well, there's no civil war here. It's more of an ideological confrontation. We live under a social, progressive government now and many people just can't stand it because they lose their privileges as the government fights poverty. The very idea of a "social justice" makes them sick 'cause they feel better looking at other people's misery. They enjoy not being poor in a world full of poverty. They can only care for themselves, they don't give a damn about the others.

Most of these people are the same who lived sort of a golden dream during the nineties. Those were the days when neoliberalism ruled the country -and the whole world!- and the worst poverty was being created -here and everywhere-. The concentration of media ownership was also born back then.

You know I never found an electronic component shop in Buenos Aires, I suppose they are there.

There are plenty of those, believe me! I've built dozens of pedals and never needed to buy a single component outside Buenos Aires.

[candidate]

You can´t get official rate dollars, they don´t sell them to the citizens,

Is it true you guys have dollar sniffing dogs at the borders?

There is this huge debate going on right now in Argentina about the role of Press and Media in the construction of reality.

Argentina's Economy Minister has become the talk of Twitter in the South American country after a video of him trying to leave an interview when asked about inflation went viral
http://archive.is/eewv7

[battery acid]

Man, that sucks! Correios (Brazilian post office) is one of the worst companies 'round here! I have never seen anyone saying anything good 'bout those pricks, ever! It's a shame, and we (at least I do) know isn't Small Bear's fault. I used to buy a lot from you guys, and once had some trouble with Correios loosing a package, and you sent me another one right away. I think you guys have enoght credits around here and will not lose any costumer here in Brasil! (and sorry for my bad english)

[nocentelli]

Wow, she was elected twice...not bad for a joke, uh?

It's ok Stephen. This is not about my country but about being honest. About telling the truth, you know?

There is this huge debate going on right now in Argentina about the role of Press and Media in the construction of reality. There are too many interests at stake and the society is kinda divided on this matter. It's too complicated and too off-topic to explain here but let's just say that what you may hear about Argentina -or about anything for that matter- is not necessarily true. Especially when there is one big fat media group controlling information -and people!- across the country and beyond.

Oh well that's different. I hope life treats you well.

Well, there's no civil war here. It's more of an ideological confrontation. We live under a social, progressive government now and many people just can't stand it because they lose their privileges as the government fights poverty. The very idea of a "social justice" makes them sick 'cause they feel better looking at other people's misery. They enjoy not being poor in a world full of poverty. They can only care for themselves, they don't give a damn about the others.

Most of these people are the same who lived sort of a golden dream during the nineties. Those were the days when neoliberalism ruled the country -and the whole world!- and the worst poverty was being created -here and everywhere-. The concentration of media ownership was also born back then.

You know I never found an electronic component shop in Buenos Aires, I suppose they are there.

There are plenty of those, believe me! I've built dozens of pedals and never needed to buy a single component outside Buenos Aires.

This is the third, or possibly fourth time I have read Stephen Giles giving his forthright opinion on the twice-elected president of your country on a DIY pedal forum, but the first time I've heard the other side of the argument from an actual Argentinian - Thank you.

[StephenGiles]

Wow, she was elected twice...not bad for a joke, uh?

It's ok Stephen. This is not about my country but about being honest. About telling the truth, you know?

There is this huge debate going on right now in Argentina about the role of Press and Media in the construction of reality. There are too many interests at stake and the society is kinda divided on this matter. It's too complicated and too off-topic to explain here but let's just say that what you may hear about Argentina -or about anything for that matter- is not necessarily true. Especially when there is one big fat media group controlling information -and people!- across the country and beyond.

Oh well that's different. I hope life treats you well.

Well, there's no civil war here. It's more of an ideological confrontation. We live under a social, progressive government now and many people just can't stand it because they lose their privileges as the government fights poverty. The very idea of a "social justice" makes them sick 'cause they feel better looking at other people's misery. They enjoy not being poor in a world full of poverty. They can only care for themselves, they don't give a damn about the others.

Most of these people are the same who lived sort of a golden dream during the nineties. Those were the days when neoliberalism ruled the country -and the whole world!- and the worst poverty was being created -here and everywhere-. The concentration of media ownership was also born back then.

You know I never found an electronic component shop in Buenos Aires, I suppose they are there.

There are plenty of those, believe me! I've built dozens of pedals and never needed to buy a single component outside Buenos Aires.

This is the third, or possibly fourth time I have read Stephen Giles giving his forthright opinion on the twice-elected president of your country on a DIY pedal forum, but the first time I've heard the other side of the argument from an actual Argentinian - Thank you.

The other side is very interesting to hear, many thanks.

I heard a story that when Menem was president, he owned 2 large houses on opposite sides of the road in the BelgranoR, area not far from the station. They were connected by a tunnel, so would be assassins would never know which house he was in! How true that is of course I've no idea.

We always spent much of our holidays in Argentina away from BA, in Salta, San Juan, Iguazu, Jujui (?), Trelew, Rio de Gallegos, Pereto Mereno, Ushuaia and Mar de Plata.

[Morocotopo]

You can´t get official rate dollars, they don´t sell them to the citizens,

Is it true you guys have dollar sniffing dogs at the borders?

There is this huge debate going on right now in Argentina about the role of Press and Media in the construction of reality.

Argentina's Economy Minister has become the talk of Twitter in the South American country after a video of him trying to leave an interview when asked about inflation went viral
http://archive.is/eewv7

Well, people who have the means try to take their savings in dollars abroad to avoid taxes and even possible "obligatory contributions" to the state (yes, there was a government that did that, they took a part of your savings, they called it "ahorro forzoso" (forced savings) that of course they never gave back to the people.), mostly to Uruguay, so the dollar sniffing dogs do exist.
That Economy Minister episode was pathetic. The government has denied the inflation, even altering the national official statistics to hide the problem, as if that solved the problem... that´s part of what provoked the current distortions in the economy.

The sad thing is, a few years ago we had a chinese growth rate, the Central Bank reserves were very high, the price of the soy (the most important export product) was at an all time high... we had the opportunity to start solving some of the endemic economic problems of our country, but the opportunity was wasted.

So, should we go back to talking about Tube Screamers?

[Davelectro]

Yes, inflation exists. But let's not forget that it has been the biggest problem for Argentina's economy since ever. In fact, monetary stability was only known to us during the nineties (and this was an extremely forced situation which ultimately led us to a huge crisis in 2001).

[Mark Hammer]

We probably should get back to talking about pedals, or move this to the Lounge OT section.  Less politics makes for more peace here.