An odd story:
A few days ago I set out to do something that I thought would be very simple: go online, configure and order two laptops, pay for them with a credit card, and have them shipped here. Not so simple after all.
The first thing I discovered was that while there are US dealers that will ship overseas, every time you look at a US-made computer the words "not available for export" pop up. Everywhere. I found a hint of why on the Dell site, which forces a buyer to check a box certifying that the units purchased will not be exported. The following verbiage accompanies the box:
Notes: The export of any product and software purchased from Dell Computer Corporation must be made in accordance with all relevant laws of the United States, including and without limitation, the U.S. Export Administration Regulations. This may require that you obtain a formal export license or make certain declarations to the United States Government regarding product(s) to be exported, their destination or their end-use.
Ship-To Prohibitions: Please be informed that your designated ship to address must reflect the address of the ultimate end-user. Dell will not process any order which specifies an address of a freight forwarder, warehouse, distribution center, airport or hotel. Please use the space provided above for designating any special shipping requirements.
This seems to me to be something approaching madness: what kind of government restricts its own exports? Do they think that Bad Chinese People are going to upgrade their missiles with the help of $3000 laptops? No wonder our balance of payments sucks. Not that my own purchase would have made that much difference, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who would buy.
In the end, of course, it was no real problem for me: I bought Toshibas (doing my part for the Japanese recovery), which I'm sure will serve as well as anything else. But if I were a shareholder of IBM, Compaq, Dell, or Gateway, all of which are being cut off from large and lucrative markets, I wouldn't be happy. |
