Sunday, May 28, 2006

Import Duties and Customs Forms

We love our International customers - we send out many International Packages every week. Those customs forms can be a real pain, as the USPS has specific guidelines for sending these packages out.

Internet Businesses and brick and mortar stores, all have the pain in the ass customer from time to time. That's just the way it is. Except that most of us don't talk about it. We do. Because we can.

Here's the scenario.

New International customer purchases 4 shirts from DressThatMan.

After receiving notification of the receipt of order, they send us an email:

Hello,

thanks for your notification.

One big question: In order to avoid my paying very high import taxes, please
- if possible - put NO invoice into the package, and on the customs form
declare a value less than 25 USD, e.g. for "used clothing". This has worked
very well on other occasions. You may send the invoice seperately (as a
letter) if you want.

Thanks so much and regards,

XXXcustomer name hereXXX

Max from DressThatMan responds:

We are required by law to enclose an invoice with international packages. We cannot falsify customs forms. There is very little on our site under $25 - 4 shirts for $25 would alert customs to a false statement very quickly if they visited our site. The business and our staff individually could be fined for signing a false customs declaration - clearly this would not be a wise business practice.

Your shirts have been shipped Global priority today with a true customs declaration and the required invoice inside the package. We did make it very clear the items were "USED." We hope that helps.

Thank you for your understanding.

Max

Weeks go by and the following email is received from the customer.

Dear sirs,
just wanted to let you know that, after all, I had to pay an import tax of 46,28 Euro, which is appr. 58 USD (on a sales cost of 170 USD). I do appreciate your reasons for acting extraordinarily lawfully - but this means in the end that I will definitely have to refrain from putting any other order with your company and to address other companies instead which are more cooperative and creative when it comes to deal with customs regulations (as I have experienced in many an occasion during the last years catering for a group of second hand/vintage/seventies enthusiasts who also set up shows and presentations). I also will have to advice friends and partners of mine.
Yours sincerely. XXXcustomerNameXXX

Max read that and was hot under the collar. Max doesn't get pissy that often, so we tried not to laugh. Left alone to bang out a response on the keyboard and this is what we've got and this is what the customer got:

Hi XXXcustomerNameXXX,

We understand your frustration at having to pay your own country import
taxes on items purchased overseas. Other vintage companies may lie on
paper to customs agents (This could be called creative - we would label it
as dishonest and unlawful; maybe even anything to get a sale). They may
also lie about the condition of their merchandise to their customers, as
well as their return policies, we wish you the best of luck shopping with
them.

With DressThatMan we are upfront about everything, we do consider
ourselves extraordinarily lawful and honest. Please DO pass that along to
your friends in vintage circles, most of our customers value our
integrity. It is perfectly clear on our ordering page that we declare the
full value of orders placed:

http://www.dressthatman.com/pages/x_ordering.htm#international

Regards,
Max


Post note:
We aren't going to be blackmailed or bullied into trying to rip off your government. The papers for your customs form are recorded and kept for tax purposes here. So, once a year - or several times a year, we can feel ripped off by our own government right here in the USA.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Celebrity Spotlight - check out the NEW gallery guy!




PR specialist CEO J.D. of Xstatic Public Relations was seen at Madonna's opening night in Los Angeles of her new Confessions tour - J.D. dressed to party hearty in vintage clothing supplied by DressThatMan.

His weekend consisted of hanging with A-List celebrities while in LA. - way to go J.D.!

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Zakk Wylde gets FUNKED UP!




Check out the EXCLUSIVE photos we received of Hard Rocker Zakk Wylde at his retro surprise birthday bash in Los Angeles wearing clothes supplied by DressThatMan.com

See him here in the Celebrity Spotlight Gallery

Visit Zakk's band - the Black Label Society website. Get Tour dates and catch him rocking out at the Ozzfest. Zakk's unique guitar skills totally KICK ASS!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Kalso Earth Shoes for Men


Vintage Kalso Earth shoes are a rare find in deadstock condition.

The crew at DressThatMan was fortunate enough to grab some of these shoes for men in the original boxes. We've got them in sizes: 10, 10.5, 11, 12, 12.5 and 13.5.

The original Earth Shoe negative heel technology was developed by yoga instructor Anne Kalso in 1957 - Anne opened a retail store in Copenhagen and began to sell the Kalso Minus Heel™ shoe in 1968. This pair was made in West Germany about the time Anne opened her first store and before these shoes were brought to America in 1970.

In the 1974 mail-orders for the new funky ugly health inspire Kalso earth shoes were backlogged by 3,500 pairs, the demand was exceeding the supply. The original Kalso Earth Shoe disappeared entirely in 1977 after the USA store owners filed a lawsuit regarding store locations and lack of inventory to support the demand.

Make a stand and stand up in some original Hippie history! Adopt a healthy posture in the original Anne Kalso earth shoes. A product of the Woodstock generation.

Monday, May 15, 2006

1960's MOD clothing for MEN


Take a look at these sweet funky 1960's Mod Jeans for a Man with pure retro style.

Full of tongue in cheek slogans, "Love Spreads Germs," "Stop Free Thinkers," "Bird Baths are Indecent," "Sock it to me" and more.

A rare vintage clothing item for the collector or the eccentric guy who wants to attract some attention in a major way. Worn shorter like 60's pants were, show some sock on your Vespa or some ankle flesh on the beach. Or, hang 'em in the collectors case and admire them forever. These would be great hanging in a fashion museum or in a retro club.

Groovy, man! Go see the listing...

Monday, May 08, 2006

Cyber House of Crazy Style a la mode




It was Charles Caleb Colton that coined the phrase, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”


As bartleby.com defines that phrase, “To imitate someone is to pay the person a genuine compliment—often an unintended compliment.”

Thanks, man. We’ve noticed that you’ve noticed us.


Some of our customers, and a few complete strangers, have pointed some of the copycats out to us. While a few people here were initially a little huffy over it, the feeling quickly passed.

Normal human emotion, baby. Nothing more and nothing less.

After a few beers and some reflection, we’re sleeping undisturbed. The foundation on which we’ve been built won’t be undermined by the imitators. Because the crack ass creative team here will always have more to give to the common good at DressThatMan.com. We don’t need to pillage and plunder the web to look for the stirring that already exists in our spaced out souls.


We didn’t start out doing our thing by copying what anyone else was doing. Sure there were others established in the market, and there is always room for one more like every other healthy competitive market.
Our approach was different because we’re different, and that’s exactly what we love about us. The difference. It’s true, that’s what our customers love about us, too. And, we’re all about them. We’re having a smashing time here, and we’re doing all of this for the guys who need to relax, take a break from the usual and just have some damn fun.

With all the seriousness and distress in the world, diversions are a necessity. And so we digress...


...like a lightbeam on the information superhighway, flagging down the guys who step to the beat of a different drummer, we’re happy to know that we’re playing our part and living in that light. Because it’s all good at DressThatMan’s Cyber House of Crazy Style a la mode.

Pick your predilection. Lighten up. Live, love and laugh before you have to leave.

Mimicry is human. Although flat out plagiarism, even in borrowing bits and pieces along with complete phrasing, is truly for the unimaginative and uninspired. Plus, it can backfire and weaken your original strengths. There is a lot to be said for originality. More than just keeping you from being sued.

Many imitations don't measure up to the real thing. Take imitation crab meat for one. Ugh. That is not at all flattering to crabs. In fact, if crabs were actually crabby and highly hormonal, someone would have been told off by now over all that pinky-white non-flaky fakeness.

Be true to yourself. Always.

Stand up for who you are, for what you believe in... and you’ll surely stand out.

Friday, May 05, 2006

check us out on MYSPACE


Got a place in space on myspace.com? The "Man E Can" duo does!

Yeah. Can you believe it? This is what Jeff and John do when staff is away. At first, we we're mad they were using the newest computer system, then we we're just relieved they weren't removing tags and putting on the deadstock vintage disco clothes and taking the Jeep out to the club. Because, of course, you can bet they would have been looking stone-faced and gone entirely mum on the issue when staff arrived on Monday morning.

So, go check out DressThatMan.com there, join the funking party people and
add us to your friends list!