Here is something I don't understand, " Content Not Available From Your Location". Websites won't let me view or listen to content because I am out of the United States. I can list 40 different websites that will give me access to the content that they are refusing me access to, and all it is doing is causing more piracy and more resentment.
I would gladly pay for Netflix streaming, or Amazon, or Hulu, but since these short sighted people with no knowledge of how the internet works decided to block content based on my IP location, I can no longer watch what I want to watch. do they really think that they are winning this battle? do they really think that the average web user will just give up and not look for the content on other non-authorized sites? Pathetic. I just tried watching the highlights of an NHL game on ESPN.com and I was told "Not Available", why not? What could possible be the reason? A TV show or movie I understand their paranoia (even though I don't agree), but an NHL game which finished 12 hours ago? Who are they kidding!!!???
Not only that, but radio stations are now blocked! Who is the genius who that of that one? What possible reason could there be to block USA talk radio from the international market? Makes no sense to me on any level.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Israeli consumers suffer from lack of choice and high prices.
I just got back from America, and I was guilty of a favorite past time of mine - bad mouthing Israeli commerce (or lack of). I still find it difficult to buy anything in Israel, from clothing to electronics, and here is why.
Here I will list what I believe are Israel's problems, some are addressable, some are insurmountable. Keep in mind that I am not an expert or an economist and anyone is free to post in comments how they agree or disagree.
1. Taxation - ever wonder how much you are actually taxed while living in Israel? around 40%-50% right off the top of all gross income goes to taxes. Almost everything you buy has a VAT (value added tax) added onto it around %15. Almost all items imported have some sort of tax, cars are taxed at 75%-100% of their value! Basically, the government is taking anywhere from 60%-75% of your gross earnings. These are rough numbers, I am not an economist, and I may be wrong, but if you can prove me otherwise, please do in comments. One simple way to reduce prices is to stop redistributing the wealth of the average Israeli. These taxes are mainly to pay for the defense budget and wealth redistribution. We do not need to fund social services so heavily, those that do not want to work by choice should not be receiving redistributed income in the form government benefits.
2. Isolated Economy - I have been involved in exporting (from USA to the rest of the world) and people sometime make comments like, "I wish Israel had a Target or a Walmart", and I do my best to explain to them why this most likely would never happen. Let's take any other country in the Middle East as an example. If a wholesaler of floor fans wants to do business in the Mid East he does his best to take advance orders, then brings in containers of fans to a central distribution point in the Mid East, like Dubai, and then they proceed to distribute throughout the whole Mid East.
From Dubai distributors can ship to countless countries, and even reshuffle over stock from one country to the next without having to worry about repackaging and relabeling. This gives the importer greater security, greater buying power, and more ability to negotiate with the Chinese manufacturer to get lower pricing.
Israel is a relatively small and isolated economy, once the goods are in Israel, there is no financial alternative other than to sell them. No one dumps merchandise, no closeouts, no selling overstock internationally. Items that have Hebrew packaging can't be moved to Saudi Arabia to be sold, can't end up in Jordan, over stock can't be sent to Egypt. Items end up here and need to be sold at full price no matter what, otherwise, chances are the importer would lose money.
3. Government Regulation - The government puts up many hurdles regarding importing, especially electronics. Most people don't realize this, but every electronic item shipment for resale (and others as well) has to go through special testing and deemed safe for the Israeli consumer. These tests are done by the Standards Institution of Israel מכון התקנים(click on link for a taste of the craziness). This is a very expensive hurdle, and prevents people from bringing in smaller shipments. For example, someone wants to import 12 rechargeable flashlights for resale has to pay the same certification fee as someone who wants to bring in a container. And once he sells out of those 12 lights he has to pay the same fee for the next 12 lights, even though they are exactly the same lights!
This from the above linked website - I highlighted the important part
Goods embodying the highest danger level to public health and safety. For example: children’s toys, electrical home appliances, pressure vessels, portable foam fire extinguishers. No changes will occur with respect to issuing a certificate of conformity to the standard for release from customs. That is, an examination of each shipment is still a requirement for release from customs.
How to make it better? There is nothing Israel can do about being isolated and alone in the Mid East, so most of point number 2 needs to accepted as is. Number 1, the solution is relatively simple; lower taxes, and let the free market economy redistribute the wealth on it's own, without the help of the government.
Number 3, and this is the most important, get rid of the importing hurdles! I have dealt with a lot of countries int he past, and the only country that is more difficult to work with in regards to importing is Brazil. Brazil deliberately caps imports, and makes it difficult to import any goods. Brazil does this in order to protect their local manufacturing, which unlike Israel's is relatively capable; this capping is actually noble (if not wrong and misguided). Israel's placing of these numerous hurdles hurts the consumer, by nature only protects the larger conglomerates, which then stifles competition, which then leads to monopolies, which then leads to no choices for the consumer. And of course the more hurdles there are, the more bureaucrats are needed to enforce them, which leads to larger government, which then leads to more thumb twiddling, thumb twiddling inevitably then leads to more regulation since the bureaucrats need to show that they are actually working, and the cycle repeats itself!
And now the biggest problem is that El Al just changed their luggage policy which means I can only travel with one suit case. That means that I can't buy as much as I used to from America and bring it back with me to Israel. It actually forces me to consider buying certain items here in Israel. The conspiracy is growing!!!
Here I will list what I believe are Israel's problems, some are addressable, some are insurmountable. Keep in mind that I am not an expert or an economist and anyone is free to post in comments how they agree or disagree.
1. Taxation - ever wonder how much you are actually taxed while living in Israel? around 40%-50% right off the top of all gross income goes to taxes. Almost everything you buy has a VAT (value added tax) added onto it around %15. Almost all items imported have some sort of tax, cars are taxed at 75%-100% of their value! Basically, the government is taking anywhere from 60%-75% of your gross earnings. These are rough numbers, I am not an economist, and I may be wrong, but if you can prove me otherwise, please do in comments. One simple way to reduce prices is to stop redistributing the wealth of the average Israeli. These taxes are mainly to pay for the defense budget and wealth redistribution. We do not need to fund social services so heavily, those that do not want to work by choice should not be receiving redistributed income in the form government benefits.
2. Isolated Economy - I have been involved in exporting (from USA to the rest of the world) and people sometime make comments like, "I wish Israel had a Target or a Walmart", and I do my best to explain to them why this most likely would never happen. Let's take any other country in the Middle East as an example. If a wholesaler of floor fans wants to do business in the Mid East he does his best to take advance orders, then brings in containers of fans to a central distribution point in the Mid East, like Dubai, and then they proceed to distribute throughout the whole Mid East.
From Dubai distributors can ship to countless countries, and even reshuffle over stock from one country to the next without having to worry about repackaging and relabeling. This gives the importer greater security, greater buying power, and more ability to negotiate with the Chinese manufacturer to get lower pricing.
Israel is a relatively small and isolated economy, once the goods are in Israel, there is no financial alternative other than to sell them. No one dumps merchandise, no closeouts, no selling overstock internationally. Items that have Hebrew packaging can't be moved to Saudi Arabia to be sold, can't end up in Jordan, over stock can't be sent to Egypt. Items end up here and need to be sold at full price no matter what, otherwise, chances are the importer would lose money.
3. Government Regulation - The government puts up many hurdles regarding importing, especially electronics. Most people don't realize this, but every electronic item shipment for resale (and others as well) has to go through special testing and deemed safe for the Israeli consumer. These tests are done by the Standards Institution of Israel מכון התקנים(click on link for a taste of the craziness). This is a very expensive hurdle, and prevents people from bringing in smaller shipments. For example, someone wants to import 12 rechargeable flashlights for resale has to pay the same certification fee as someone who wants to bring in a container. And once he sells out of those 12 lights he has to pay the same fee for the next 12 lights, even though they are exactly the same lights!
This from the above linked website - I highlighted the important part
Goods embodying the highest danger level to public health and safety. For example: children’s toys, electrical home appliances, pressure vessels, portable foam fire extinguishers. No changes will occur with respect to issuing a certificate of conformity to the standard for release from customs. That is, an examination of each shipment is still a requirement for release from customs.
It is cost prohibitive for someone trying to bring in smaller shipments, and therefore smaller retailers have no options for importing items independently, and they are forced to buy from the larger importers. This leads to monopolies where only the larger importers who know the ins and outs of the importing bureaucracy can afford to bring items in. Monopolies lead to less options, and higher prices, and lower quality goods (walk into any Ace for an example). Us as consumers suffer, and we see higher prices as a result.
How to make it better? There is nothing Israel can do about being isolated and alone in the Mid East, so most of point number 2 needs to accepted as is. Number 1, the solution is relatively simple; lower taxes, and let the free market economy redistribute the wealth on it's own, without the help of the government.
Number 3, and this is the most important, get rid of the importing hurdles! I have dealt with a lot of countries int he past, and the only country that is more difficult to work with in regards to importing is Brazil. Brazil deliberately caps imports, and makes it difficult to import any goods. Brazil does this in order to protect their local manufacturing, which unlike Israel's is relatively capable; this capping is actually noble (if not wrong and misguided). Israel's placing of these numerous hurdles hurts the consumer, by nature only protects the larger conglomerates, which then stifles competition, which then leads to monopolies, which then leads to no choices for the consumer. And of course the more hurdles there are, the more bureaucrats are needed to enforce them, which leads to larger government, which then leads to more thumb twiddling, thumb twiddling inevitably then leads to more regulation since the bureaucrats need to show that they are actually working, and the cycle repeats itself!
And now the biggest problem is that El Al just changed their luggage policy which means I can only travel with one suit case. That means that I can't buy as much as I used to from America and bring it back with me to Israel. It actually forces me to consider buying certain items here in Israel. The conspiracy is growing!!!
My Iphone's home bottun doesn't take me home
The home button on my Iphone doesn't work. Say what you want about Blackberry's at least they always seem to work!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Balckberry Roaming while in Israel - DON'T DO IT!
As far as I know the only company that has a special data roaming plan is AT&T. I know Verizon and T-Mobile recently dropped Israel from their roaming plans, so if you plan on traveling check ahead to be sure you are not going to get killed by data roaming charges. There are some caveats - some plans will only allow you to send and receive emails, but no longer allow web browsing, just be sure you know what your service provider allows. This goes for Iphones as well.
Some misconceptions about roaming - Using your phone on Wifi while in Israel will not cause roaming charges! Just be sure that under connection settings you un-check your mobile network as soon as you turn on your phone, or do it on the plane before you leave your home country. Even better, ALWAYS keep the "Roaming Data" feature disabled on your phone to avoid accidental data usage while roaming. The second you suck down one email onto your BB while roaming you will pay through the nose. Once the mobile network is unchecked, go ahead and scan for wireless networks and email all you want for free.
Some misconceptions about roaming - Using your phone on Wifi while in Israel will not cause roaming charges! Just be sure that under connection settings you un-check your mobile network as soon as you turn on your phone, or do it on the plane before you leave your home country. Even better, ALWAYS keep the "Roaming Data" feature disabled on your phone to avoid accidental data usage while roaming. The second you suck down one email onto your BB while roaming you will pay through the nose. Once the mobile network is unchecked, go ahead and scan for wireless networks and email all you want for free.
Prepaid Blackberry plan in Israel
I don't have a huge amount of details, but I think there might be some good news for those of you with Blackberry's that don't want to get screwed. Orange now has a plan for Blackberry's for under 100 shekel a month (I believe 80 NIS) that works similar to a prepaid plan. You do not need an Israeli ID, and the data is capped, but it should be enough to get you your email, BBM, and limited web browsing. All you will need is an unlocked Blackberry that is GSM capable and you should be good to go. I will try and find out more info when I get a chance, happy roaming!
Friday, July 8, 2011
iPhone and Blackberry - I broke down and got an IPHONE 4!
I finally did it, I cracked and bought an iPhone. I was able to get a pretty good deal at Orange and that let me finally dump Cellcom. I went into Orange to buy the phone and, told the nice young lady what I was looking for and the deadpanned the question, "how will I get screwed this time?" and she promised me that I would not. Well I found out afterwards from a friend who works in Orange that I did manage to get screwed! They switched iPhones on me and gave me the 16gb instead of the 32gb which comes with the deal.
So here is the deal they gave me -
1000 minutes
1000 sms
Free GPS (which I use)
Free TV (which is pretty cool, I can watch CNN any where)
2 gb data (not so great, but I have 5gb on Blackberry that I can use as well making for a combined 7gb for a month of mobile data - more than enough)
All this for 250 Shek a month, a free phone, 3 years of payments on the phone - Not bad I think. Just make sure they give you the 32gb phone!
My impressions (complaints) after having the iPhone for a month
1. Battery life sucks - I am constantly turning off 3g, wifi, and Bluetooth to extend the battery life, I want a phone that just works and doesn't require me to fiddle with the settings all day long! Would love a 3g/wifi toggle on the home screen, but alas Mr. Jobs has thought it wasn't needed.
2. Touch screen typing sucks! I don't care what they say, I will never get proficient at it. I need the tactile feel of a real keypad.
3. Auto correct sucks and I can't seem to figure it out so I just shut it off, and once you shut off auto correct then by default spell check shuts off as well, so that's no good. Luckily I am a gud speler.
It is not a business machine, it is a toy, there is definitely things that I love about it and I like knowing that in 3 years it will not be obsolete like certain Android devices. I feel that the Blackberry and iPhone together make for the perfect combination, but I would still love to have it all in one perfect phone instead of having to carry around both like I do now.
So here is the deal they gave me -
1000 minutes
1000 sms
Free GPS (which I use)
Free TV (which is pretty cool, I can watch CNN any where)
2 gb data (not so great, but I have 5gb on Blackberry that I can use as well making for a combined 7gb for a month of mobile data - more than enough)
All this for 250 Shek a month, a free phone, 3 years of payments on the phone - Not bad I think. Just make sure they give you the 32gb phone!
My impressions (complaints) after having the iPhone for a month
1. Battery life sucks - I am constantly turning off 3g, wifi, and Bluetooth to extend the battery life, I want a phone that just works and doesn't require me to fiddle with the settings all day long! Would love a 3g/wifi toggle on the home screen, but alas Mr. Jobs has thought it wasn't needed.
2. Touch screen typing sucks! I don't care what they say, I will never get proficient at it. I need the tactile feel of a real keypad.
3. Auto correct sucks and I can't seem to figure it out so I just shut it off, and once you shut off auto correct then by default spell check shuts off as well, so that's no good. Luckily I am a gud speler.
It is not a business machine, it is a toy, there is definitely things that I love about it and I like knowing that in 3 years it will not be obsolete like certain Android devices. I feel that the Blackberry and iPhone together make for the perfect combination, but I would still love to have it all in one perfect phone instead of having to carry around both like I do now.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
I Steered Another One Away From Mazda Talpiot!
My grandfather was about to buy a Mazda 3, but I made my brother take him to Mitsubishi instead!
Another one saved from the terror that is Mazda Talpiot!
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