[Scifience]

I just placed an order from Amazon.co.jp for some DVDs and CDs, and discovered that I now (due to my credit card company's crappy exchange rates) only get 98 JPY for $1. In other words, the JPY is now worth more than the US Dollar. The credit card company also tacks on a "conversion fee" - usually about $5.

I used to get 120 JPY for $1.

This is mainly just a vent, but anyone know how to place an international order and get a better exchange rate than the one your credit card company will give you? The official exchange rate (without fees) is 104 JPY for $1. 6 JPY per dollar make a big difference when you are talking about a 40,000 JPY order.

[MacMan4000]

I suggest money laundering.

[Randman]

The yen is not more than the dollar. Otherwise, it would be 1 yen = US98 cents or something like that.

But I do agree that the exchange rate is sucking big time these days.

[d4nth3m4n]

wait until all the 6yen per dollar turn into a trip for you and buy your stuff in person?

[Scifience]

Originally posted by Randman:
The yen is not more than the dollar. Otherwise, it would be 1 yen = US98 cents or something like that.

But I do agree that the exchange rate is sucking big time these days.

The current official exchange rate is 1 USD = 103.999 JPY. However, the exchange rate after my credit card company's fees is 1 USD = 98 JPY. So while the currency may not be technically worth more yet, it is headed in that direction, and more importantly, the rate that I get when ordering does make it worth more than the USD.

[Mithras]

Buy American! That's what this whole weak-dollar plot is designed to make you do, anyway.
That, or just move to Japan so you can afford the things you want...

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally posted by Mithras:
Buy American! That's what this whole weak-dollar plot is designed to make you do, anyway.
That, or just move to Japan so you can afford the things you want...

Bingo... US products look GREAT when the dollar is down... but with the rate hikes... it's going to start going up.

[TETENAL]

The dollar has been falling like crazy. It's pretty annoying if you are exporting to the USA.

[wataru]

Originally posted by Scifience:
The current official exchange rate is 1 USD = 103.999 JPY. However, the exchange rate after my credit card company's fees is 1 USD = 98 JPY. So while the currency may not be technically worth more yet, it is headed in that direction, and more importantly, the rate that I get when ordering does make it worth more than the USD.

No, reread your post, and then his. You said that the Japanese Yen is worth more than the US Dollar. That is so far from being true that I can't believe you didn't catch yourself. 100 Japanese Yen is worth more than 1 US Dollar, at least through your credit card. If the dollar slides so low that it's worth less than 1 Yen, that would be catastrophic.

[Scifience]

Originally posted by wataru:
No, reread your post, and then his. You said that the Japanese Yen is worth more than the US Dollar. That is so far from being true that I can't believe you didn't catch yourself. 100 Japanese Yen is worth more than 1 US Dollar, at least through your credit card. If the dollar slides so low that it's worth less than 1 Yen, that would be catastrophic.

True. Caught me on a technicality. I was comparing trying to compare apples to apples, as 100 JPY = ~1 USD. 1JPY = 0.01 USD. In Japan, you can't buy anything for 1 JPY, 100 JPY is considered to be a basic unit sort of like the dollar is here.

If you know of somewhere I can get DVDs for 30 JPY (instead of 3000), let me know

[mitchell_pgh]

A Yen is about worth a penny in the US.



but the dollar has been going through the floor... wonder when it's going to rebound.

[PacHead]

This is good news for me.

I'm soon getting paid in Yen for a job I did.

Sometimes the low dollar is good.

[d0ubled0wn]

My mom is in Japan visiting her parents right now, wish I could have went with her . The weak dollar certainly makes it more difficult for us to travel there, though I still hope to go next summer.

[Secret__Police]

Originally posted by Mithras:
Buy American! That's what this whole weak-dollar plot is designed to make you do, anyway.
That, or just move to Japan so you can afford the things you want...

I just have to ask this one question.......

Just what do we make in the USA anymore?? Do we make anything anymore?

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by Mithras:
Buy American! That's what this whole weak-dollar plot is designed to make you do, anyway.
That, or just move to Japan so you can afford the things you want...

Yeah, American JPOP and American Manga are great

[djohnson]

Originally posted by Secret__Police:
I just have to ask this one question.......

Just what do we make in the USA anymore?? Do we make anything anymore?

Lots of things! However, I cannot think of a single manufactoring thing that we make... Hmm........ Need to look for made in the USA labels now!

The water I am drinking was made in the good ole US of A!

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally posted by Secret__Police:
I just have to ask this one question.......

Just what do we make in the USA anymore?? Do we make anything anymore?

We make thousands of products in the USA (cars, motorcycles, washers, dryers, toilets, etc. etc., we just can't compete with China (and various other countries) in manual labor intensive products.

[Scifience]

Originally posted by djohnson:
Lots of things! However, I cannot think of a single manufactoring thing that we make... Hmm........ Need to look for made in the USA labels now!

The water I am drinking was made in the good ole US of A!

Actually, I think it was formed in a cloud over Cuba.

[Scifience]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
We make thousands of products in the USA (cars, motorcycles, washers, dryers, toilets, etc. etc., we just can't compete with China (and various other countries) in manual labor intensive products.

We also can't compete with other countries in terms of quality. Take cars, for instance. Sure, we make them, and we even made the modern car first, but other countries now do it better.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by Randman:
But I do agree that the exchange rate is sucking big time these days.

Hey they voted for him

[Sherwin]

Meanwhile, the UK is approaching the largest trade deficit since the 17th century.

Your low dollar is giving everyone else export problems, which leaves you to clean up the market. Be happy about this.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

The Canadian Dollar is doing rather well.

[thesearcher]

The Canadian Dollar is doing rather well.

Not according to Apple Canada's prices. They seem to think it has been getting worse.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by Sherwin:
Meanwhile, the UK is approaching the largest trade deficit since the 17th century.

Your low dollar is giving everyone else export problems, which leaves you to clean up the market. Be happy about this.

The Dollar isn't low, your currencies are too high.

[Millennium]

Does this mean the the US dollar is a 98-yen weakling?

Ahem. In all seriousness, one yen has been worth about one cent (more or less) for some time. In fact, the dollar has been this low before, and yet it recovered. This will happen again.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by Millennium:
Does this mean the the US dollar is a 98-yen weakling?

Ahem. In all seriousness, one yen has been worth about one cent (more or less) for some time. In fact, the dollar has been this low before, and yet it recovered. This will happen again.

There are some really cool links here that you might like to play around with.

For example, in 1945, it took $4.03 to buy a British Pound. In 1960, $2.81. In 1970, $2.40. In 1985, only $1.30. Now it is about, what, $1.95? According to the table I just generated, that was the rate in about 1980.

In fact, looking at the historical rates, the anomoly was the high dollar of the 80s and 90s.

[Thilo Ettelt]

nvm

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
Hey they voted for him

Do you even know anything about economics?

Obviously you don't. Or you wouldn't make these kinds of idiotic statements.

[Sealobo]

damned US dollar?

o well... now the American automobiles might have a better chance for getting exported?

[wataru]

Originally posted by Scifience:
True. Caught me on a technicality.

That's not a technicality, it's just the definition of the words you used. Say what you mean, mean what you say.

Originally posted by Scifience:
We also can't compete with other countries in terms of quality. Take cars, for instance. Sure, we make them, and we even made the modern car first, but other countries now do it better.

The best engineers in Japan go into the automobile industry. The best engineers in America go into the "defense" industry. We can't compete on quality because we spend our resources building weapons.

[ManOfSteal]

Damn it all to hell.

[olePigeon]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
but the dollar has been going through the floor... wonder when it's going to rebound.

In about four years.

[Lancer409]

Originally posted by ManOfSteal:


Damn it all to hell.

hilarious!

i dont know if the dollar will rebound that much . with banks all over the world diversifying into Euro's I think the trend will continue. I think all it took was a little nudge downward and everyone gets jittery about the dollar... sigh.

[PacHead]

Originally posted by Lancer409:
hilarious!

i dont know if the dollar will rebound that much . with banks all over the world diversifying into Euro's I think the trend will continue. I think all it took was a little nudge downward and everyone gets jittery about the dollar... sigh.

The low dollar = bad news for europe.

Strong Euro to Be Major Burden for Europe

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/10459398.htm

[tonton]

Originally posted by OreoCookie:
Yeah, American JPOP and American Manga are great

No worse than Japanese JPOP and Manga.

Especially JPOP. It should be called JPOOP.

[yukon]

Last I heard, the US dollar was holding strong at 1$ USD. World currencies however were up.

[wataru]

Originally posted by tonton:
No worse than Japanese JPOP and Manga.

Especially JPOP. It should be called JPOOP.

Sounds like you don't know what you're talking about. There is good and bad of everything. To write off all of J-Pop as bad is just ignorant.

[Thilo Ettelt]

Originally posted by PacHead:
The low dollar = bad news for europe.

Strong Euro to Be Major Burden for Europe

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/10459398.htm

I agree that it might be harder for the export out of europe. but the major problem in germany for example is the domestic market. the jobs are not being found in the export market, instead mainly in the domestic market, which is mainly represented by small businesses. as for the export: we have a huge market in europe, so i don't see such a big problem there.


- Thilo

[Big Mac]

How many recall in 2001 calls on the administration to take steps to weaken the dollar artificially? How times do change.

[tonton]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
Do you even know anything about economics?

Obviously you don't. Or you wouldn't make these kinds of idiotic statements.

Uh. Right. Typical knee-jerk.

I'd say Alan Greenspan knows a *little* more about economics than you do, Zimphire.

He says the weak dollar is a result of the runaway debt.

Common sense knows that the debt is the result of the runaway Bush spending (blame it on 9/11 if you will, but the tax cuts were definitely a part of it).

Ergo. Therefore. Thus.

The Republican leadership is borrow and spend. Borrow and spend. For the war. The war that was urgently necessary because Saddam had all those weapons. Right.

Looks like C3PO's head knows more about economics than you do.

[tonton]

Originally posted by wataru:
Sounds like you don't know what you're talking about. There is good and bad of everything. To write off all of J-Pop as bad is just ignorant.

Ok. Please recommend someone you consider to be good Jpop.

I'd recommend some Cantopop for you, but I assure you that none of it is good.

Kpop is just more Britney/Boyband/American Idol crap and hip-hop.

All the Jpop I've ever heard (and I've heard a lot) is Britney/Boyband/American Idol crap or some little schoolgirl cutesy stuff or some horrible visual pop.

If I'm wrong, then make a suggestion and I'll check it out!

But if it sounds like Britney or Justin singing in Japanese, or (even worse) some little girl, then I'm not interested and I stand by my statement.

[Randman]

Hmm, this tonton is quickly becoming a troll. Almost every recent thread has him taking a stance that is quickly proven dead wrong, then he backtracks to save face. We'll see on this one.

[Thilo Ettelt]

Originally posted by tonton:
The Republican leadership is borrow and spend. Borrow and spend.

That's only one factor. Another is that the economic growth of the US in the 90s was blurred because the people had borrowed most the money they have spent. That's not good for an economy (saving too much isn't good either when you take a look at Germany) as there might come a day when credit institutes want their money back. (This was the reason for the economic crisis 1929 in Germany; American investors instantly pulled back their money due to the domestic crisis and led Germany into recession). So now the consumers are more reluctant in what they buy. But today isn't like 1929 at all.


- Thilo

[juno]

What? The huge sea of red ink that Bush created actually has an effect? I didn't see that coming!

@tonton
No, the Republicans pride themselves with financial responsibilty. The neo-conservatives, however, are a different matter.

[wataru]

Originally posted by tonton:
Ok. Please recommend someone you consider to be good Jpop.

I'd recommend some Cantopop for you, but I assure you that none of it is good.

Kpop is just more Britney/Boyband/American Idol crap and hip-hop.

All the Jpop I've ever heard (and I've heard a lot) is Britney/Boyband/American Idol crap or some little schoolgirl cutesy stuff or some horrible visual pop.

If I'm wrong, then make a suggestion and I'll check it out!

But if it sounds like Britney or Justin singing in Japanese, or (even worse) some little girl, then I'm not interested and I stand by my statement.

Here are some of my favorites: Do As Infinity, the brilliant green, ACO, m-flo, Halcali, Utada Hikaru (not her latest release under the name "UTADA"), Shiina Ringo, Misia, Cocco (not to be confused with CoCo)

Avoid anything by "[blank] musume" or any of the flavor-of-the-month idols that try their hand at singing. The problem is that if you're not familiar with the scene, it can be hard to weed out the bad ones.

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by tonton:
No worse than Japanese JPOP and Manga.

Especially JPOP. It should be called JPOOP.

Well, I like Manga, but I don't particularly enjoy listening to JPOP.

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by PacHead:
The low dollar = bad news for europe.

Strong Euro to Be Major Burden for Europe

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/10459398.htm

Well, it'll cause major problems for the US, too. A banker took some time to explain the details to me, one problem is connected to the way the values of real estate is accounted for in the books.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by OreoCookie:
Well, it'll cause major problems for the US, too. A banker took some time to explain the details to me, one problem is connected to the way the values of real estate is accounted for in the books.

Care to elaborate?

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by tonton:
Uh. Right. Typical knee-jerk.

Common sense knows that the debt is the result of the runaway Bush spending (blame it on 9/11 if you will, but the tax cuts were definitely a part of it).

Ergo. Therefore. Thus.

The Republican leadership is borrow and spend. Borrow and spend. For the war. The war that was urgently necessary because Saddam had all those weapons. Right.

Looks like C3PO's head knows more about economics than you do.

No.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by Big Mac:
How many recall in 2001 calls on the administration to take steps to weaken the dollar artificially? How times do change.

Indeed.