MARK BARNES: In trade, both carrots and sticks are necessary
Online shopping has become super efficient, even (if not especially) from international suppliers, where delivery to your doorstep from somewhere in Europe, for instance, can take as little as a couple of days.
Of course, this comes at a price: don’t be tempted by the selling price of the object of your desire until you’ve seen the duties, taxes and fees, which can add 50% or more to the base cost. Locally available imported products of comparable quality have those costs built in, but it’s quite revealing to see them laid out before you. If you’ve just got to have it and it’s not available here, you need to decide whether owning it is worth the “ouch”. ..
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