Buying in the States was Re: HP analyzer probes

Philip Pemberton wrote: I find it amazing that in the land of rampant capitalism they are unable to see the advantages of selling internationally. Yesterday I decided to see about buying a new laptop. Having chosen the model I searched on Froogle and found well over 100 hits. I contacted the 5 cheapest to ask if they would ship internationally - four replied NO. The one positive response was also the cheapest so they get the order! The eBay "will ship to <insert your country of choice> only" is something I do not understand. Why reduce your potential market? An international buyer knows they will have to pay for shipping and that might put them off but why shut them out completely? The extra hassle of an international shipment cannot be that great, at least it isn't in my experience here in Europe. So this leads me to propose that we set up staging addresses in the States (and any other country for that matter). For a small fee participants would agree to receive and transship packages for other members on the opposite side of the world. I would be happy to offer my services in that regard. -- HansP