I was hesitating for a while to post something regarding the current situation we are all facing. Yes, there are more important things to do than thinking of „Eurorack” in a crisis like this. Beloved people, family, and friends first! Then looking after people that might be in the need for help.
Am I in the need for help? A clear NO. Not yet. Things are going quite normal, absolutely no need to complain. I am German, and from Berlin – we are masters in complaining.
So, why a post then?
Simply because I read it from your mails, „are you shipping these days?“. And I think it is the right time to tell you, yes, I still do. I keep the business up and running. No restrictions so far, besides from no pick-up in the workshop for the local peeps. Of course I noticed a decline in the number of orders, and I was taking it as a consequence of the current situation. Usually this time of the year is quite busy. But if there is an uncertainty if the business continues I have to react.
I was also wondering what I can do that could be of any help? In Germany we are in a quite comfortable position. The government has set up plans to reduce the impact of the lockdown. Yes, not everyone is in the focus but overall it feels „okay”. I am aware that if you go more detailed it might not be the case. But there is a group of people that is completely out of focus since the past few weeks: Refugees at the borders of south-east Europe. This is why I decided to donate to “Ärzte ohne Grenzen“, which is the German division “Médecins Sans Frontières“. What does „donate“ mean? Once my monthly costs (workshop), and the material (and additional costs for boxes etc.) are covered I will donate 10% of each order above the break-even. This will not be a huge amount, but it will be some money that will help. Yes, this is a matter of trust, but over the last seven years many of you trusted me when ordering my products, why not now?
By the way, probably you haven’t noticed, the new frame format is available, 28% less weight and aluminium. For black frames even with a significant price drop. Just request the price list.
One more thing, my courier (DHL/Deutsche Post) told me that they work pretty normal, but they depend on the national postal services when shipping international. So far there are only three relevant restrictions that have been announced.
- The French post “La Poste“ is currently not handling packages with one side exceeding 60 cm. That means I cannot ship sizes over 104HP to France with my courier.
- Shipping to Canada is not possible at the moment.
- For the USA an extra fee of 16 EUR for each shipment will apply due to reduced capacities on international flights.
I can use a different courier which may result in higher shipping cost. Please ask.
That’s it for now.
Keep you heads up, stay safe, at home and healthy.
Stefan/Clicks and Clocks