The Latest in Outsourcing to India... Auction Catalogues

[scottishmoney]

Opening my PO this morn, I found a large manilla envelope with an Indian postmark, I am spinning me thoughts wondering what I would get from India, until I look at the return address, Clark Smith / Steve Album, they are dealers in Santa Rosa and San Rafael, California.  I have known them since I was a pup biting cheap coins at shows, Steve Album does Islamic coins mostly, whilst Clark Smith specialises in gold goodies.  They have been doing auctions together for a bit, and I bought an Italian lovely in their last published auction. 

But they outsourced their catalogue printing and mailing to India.  Amazing.  I cannot doubt that it is cheaper to print in India, and spend 107 IN Rupees to sent(approximately $3.00) vs. a minimum of $4.95 to send in the USA.

The catalogue definitely has nice materiel in it, nothing I want at the juncture, but it smells like it was printed somewhere like it was.  An unusual chemical odour which is probably harmful.  Maybe it is a form of population control via odoriferous printed auction catalogues.

[ElleKitty]

Well, SM, this is why so many American companies are outsourcing to China as well.  China puts lead and mercury in all of our food, clothes, children's toys, cookwares...

They're trying to kill us all off!

[scottishmoney]

Add that to high fructose corn syrup, caffeine, and tobacco, all of which get government subsidies.

[longnine009]

I'm surprised we haven't out sourced our ICBM launch codes to china. They would probably do it for free. How much cheaper can it get than that?

[scottishmoney]

I'm surprised we haven't out sourced our ICBM launch codes to china. They would probably do it for free. How much cheaper can it get than that?

We don't need to, they already have them.

[KurtS]

An unusual chemical odour which is probably harmful.

I could make a Bhopal joke here, but I won't....what a tragedy that was.

I'm guessing India is still using petroleum-based printing inks--and the solvents required on press.
We discontinued that in the US years ago, switching to soybean-based inks and water presses. Now we don't remember the older stuff had an odor.
(I was involved in the printing industry during the big change. Few people realize how hazardous press rooms were before water presses.)

I think outsourcing support is a bit crazy, because I wouldn't call the "English of India" very close to what I speak.
If they get difficult, I just lay on a thick N.Minnesotan accent--that'll teach'em. 

[longnine009]

Out-sourcing tech support to India doesn't look like it's too good for them either. A lot of them are getting sick-- ulcers and what not.  All this BS from corporations  about how good something is for everyone is just that--BS. It's good for corporations. Everyone else is just a disposable. Use 'em up and throw 'em away.

[longnine009]

I'm surprised we haven't out sourced our ICBM launch codes to china. They would probably do it for free. How much cheaper can it get than that?

We don't need to, they already have them.

Oh, did Ron Brown give them that too?  I heard when they found Ron's body in the plane crash it had .45 bullet in his head and they say it wasn't suppose to be there. Guess there's at least one non-traitor left in D.C.

[scottishmoney]

We got duped into signing up for that Vonage telephone service a couple of years ago.  Then the damned router for it croaked, after several calls to their call centre in New Delhi, we gave up and went back to a land line based service.  It is just more reliable, Vonage is terrible, and their customer service sucks.

BTW if you have Vonage, you can forget about your address showing up if you call 911, we found that out too.  It has been a problem they are aware of, but do not publicize.