Business, Finance, Investing

[tussin]

Thought I'd create this as a catch all thread for interesting business / finance related discussions.

I'll start it off with an interesting deal that was announced today. Amazon acquired an insanely fast-growing gaming start-up named Twitch for $1 billion:
Amazon’s Twitch Acquisition Is Official | TechCrunch

Pretty savvy move by Bezos in my opinion as Twitch moves Amazon into a relatively untapped market.

 

[MNIrishman]

Love Twitch. Brilliant decision.

 

[MNIrishman]

Wow I kind of figured there'd be some vitriol on a sports forum about paying a billion dollars for a company that lets you watch other people play video games.

 

[dshans]

Wow I kind of figured there'd be some vitriol on a sports forum about paying a billion dollars for a company that lets you watch other people play video games.

I'd probably chime in, but I'm a bit of a Luddite when it comes to both video games and investing.

Far be it from me to comment on matters outside my sphere of expertise and/or influence.

 

[tussin]

Wow I kind of figured there'd be some vitriol on a sports forum about paying a billion dollars for a company that lets you watch other people play video games.

55 million monthly viewers ain't nothing to scoff at.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I'd probably chime in, but I'm a bit of a Luddite when it comes to both video games and investing.

Far be it from me to comment on matters outside my sphere of expertise and/or influence.

Perhaps the colloquialism, Luddite, is a bit outside of your sphere? The Luddites weren't uninformed technophobes. They were a resistance against automation that reduced man to a mere cog, they were against the cheapening of the work.

The Luddites were impassioned artisans, many of whom owned modern workshops. They saw the writing on the wall when factories started popping up and putting tradesmen out of work for unskilled labor that were reduced to wretched conditions, long hours and resulted in poor quality.

I greatly dislike the common use of the word, as they represent a group I'm sympathetic with. They represent what is sorely lacking in our world.

 

[dshans]

Perhaps the colloquialism, Luddite, is a bit outside of your sphere? The Luddites weren't uninformed technophobes. They were a resistance against automation that reduced man to a mere cog, they were against the cheapening of the work.

I greatly dislike the common use of the word, as they represent a group I'm sympathetic with. They represent what is sorely lacking in our world.

Good point and well taken. I was lazy and fell prey to using the common misperception in an attempt to illustrate a point.

Troglodyte would have been more accurate and appropriate.

To be linguistically playful (while sincere), gratias ago tibi, homo.



I mean no offense to any (other) and all troglodytes on the board.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Good point and well taken. I was lazy and fell prey to using the common misperception in an attempt to illustrate a point.

Troglodyte would have been more accurate and appropriate.

To be linguistically playful (while sincere), gratias ago tibi, homo.



I mean no offense to any (other) and all troglodytes on the board.

Ha ha. My troglodyte sensibilities, though tender and true, have managed to go unscathed. I appreciate your gracious acceptance of the correction above.

 

[wizards8507]

Perhaps the colloquialism, Luddite, is a bit outside of your sphere? The Luddites weren't uninformed technophobes. They were a resistance against automation that reduced man to a mere cog, they were against the cheapening of the work.

The Luddites were impassioned artisans, many of whom owned modern workshops. They saw the writing on the wall when factories started popping up and putting tradesmen out of work for unskilled labor that were reduced to wretched conditions, long hours and resulted in poor quality.

I greatly dislike the common use of the word, as they represent a group I'm sympathetic with. They represent what is sorely lacking in our world.

Only on IE.

 

[BGIF]

Good point and well taken. I was lazy and fell prey to using the common misperception in an attempt to illustrate a point.

Troglodyte would have been more accurate and appropriate.

To be linguistically playful (while sincere), gratias ago tibi, homo.



I mean no offense to any (other) and all troglodytes on the board.

Here we go with more stereotyping. Cover your butt for trashing Luddites by inserting another group of pioneering people.

There'd be no Architectural Digest today if some ancestor hadn't ducked out of the rain. Michelangelo, Carnegie, Guggenheim, et al simply copied the concept of art in an enclosure that these true innovators conceived on their own 40 centuries ago.

Than there are the millions of Pan troglodytes. They didn't learn to use a sharp stick to procure dinner from a hole in a tree on Sesame Street.

Geez!

 

[dshans]

Here we go with more stereotyping. Cover your butt for trashing Luddites by inserting another group of pioneering people.

There'd be no Architectural Digest today if some ancestor hadn't ducked out of the rain. Michelangelo, Carnegie, Guggenheim, et al simply copied the concept of art in an enclosure that these true innovators conceived on their own 40 centuries ago.

Than there are the millions of Pan troglodytes. They didn't learn to use a sharp stick to procure dinner from a hole in a tree on Sesame Street.

Geez!

Well, damn. Just damn!

Another good point, again well taken.

Can I compare myself to a paramecium without flak?

All I ask is that I be provided parameters.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Wasn't sure where to post this random question:

Is there anyone on this board who deals with shipping to China? Specifically larger/bulk items that might get stuck in Customs on their end?

I've about exhausted my contacts for help with this. Figured I'd give IE a try.


A friend of mine and myself have a side gig where we sell herbal tea combinations rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. We never have shipping issues with these products. However, our business partner, who's a physician in the field, has a skin serum she'd like us to sell. Every time we ship 10-20 bottles of it to China, it gets flagged and put in "customs jail." Any help with this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: Should've stressed the difference in this being technically considered a "cosmetic," which apparently is an entirely different beast than shipping herbal teas. Everything I've read online suggests this is far more involved, we just don't have any mentors to help guide us through the process.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Wasn't sure where to post this random question:

Is there anyone on this board who deals with shipping to China? Specifically larger/bulk items that might get stuck in Customs on their end?

I've about exhausted my contacts for help with this. Figured I'd give IE a try.


A friend of mine and myself have a side gig where we sell herbal tea combinations rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. We never have shipping issues with these products. However, our business partner, who's a physician in the field, has a skin serum she'd like us to sell. Every time we ship 10-20 bottles of it to China, it gets flagged and put in "customs jail." Any help with this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: Should've stressed the difference in this being technically considered a "cosmetic," which apparently is an entirely different beast than shipping herbal teas. Everything I've read online suggests this is far more involved, we just don't have any mentors to help guide us through the process.

Not sure of your margins and whether it's realistic or not, but have you looked into a freight broker?

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Not sure of your margins and whether it's realistic or not, but have you looked into a freight broker?

Margins are good enough to have some cost go towards exporting w/o causing budgetary issues. However, what we're seeing is that is a China Customs issue. It's not really an issue getting it there. It's an issue clearing Customs and getting the shipment to the buyer. Apparently, Cosmetics are super strict and it appears we may need to get licenses and certifications from China.

I have a meeting scheduled with a local rep in the International Trade Office. I'm hoping he can help connect us to the proper channels to get this order cleared. Thought it was a long shot on IE, but wasn't sure if anyone on this site did business internationally or maybe knew of someone who did and could help us out.