The U.S. P.remium S.lowness
This past January, new USPS rules went into effect that limited the use of their most affordable international shipping option. Instead of being weight-based like all their other offerings, one could only use that service to send actual letters. The rates for all merchandise shipments were tripled, leaving small businesses like my own in a tough spot.
I used to be able to ship internationally for about $3–$6, but after the change, shipping a single Dapper Notes to anyone outside of the US (and Canada) costs almost as much as the notebook itself. (Note for Canadians: USPS rates went up for you too, but not nearly as high as for the rest of the world)
The @USPS changes to international mail rules are absolutely terrible for small businesses. They effectively halted all sales overseas by tripling the lowest shipping rates.
— Enon (@e_known) January 18, 2018
Interestingly enough, these changes happened at a time when I noticed a major slow down in international transit times. Packages used to be delivered within a week or so to most destinations, and I'm now seeing some Dapper Notes spend over a month in limbo with no updates whatsoever.
Making lemonade
I am very grateful to have a friend like Stuart at Nero's Notes, thanks to whom I was able to turn this frustration into something good.
We're both happy to announce that starting with the 2018 Spring edition (that's #14 for those counting), you'll be able to get every official Bookhead Club release faster, and with free UK shipping. If you live anywhere in the EU, you can already subscribe to the Bookhead Club directly through the Nero's Notes website.
Here's how it's going to work
Ahead of every release, a FedEx shipment full of the newest Dapper Notes edition will be making it's way over to NN. Yes, FedEx comes at a slight premium, but their packages arrive with no delays to the other side of the pond. When you subscribe to the European Bookhead Club, your order will be completely handled by the fine folk over at NN and without having to wait for USPS to play catch up.
If you live anywhere in the UK or EU, signing up for the Bookhead Club through Nero's Notes will always be a better option for you. And yes, there will also be singles of each edition available for sale at NN.
Stuart and I set up this service because sharing the love of pocket notebooks is what we care about most. We want you to be able to nerd out with us without feeling left out, without waiting for that dreaded tracking status update, or having to spend upwards of $40 on USPS to get your items to you more reliably.
If you have any questions about the new options, send me a message or say hello (and thank you) to Stuart over at Nero's Notes.
