Tara,

After looking up the UPS rates, it wouldn't seem practical to do small exchanges. A box, shipped UPS from Madrid, weighing 15 lbs., with a size of 12 inch x 12 in x 12 in, valued at 100 Euros would cost $169.10 to ship. This would be the approximate size of 18 small cans of olives. That means that each can would have a shipping cost of about $9.30. As you can see, it's just too costly.

The objective of a buying club is to arrange through an exporter/importer to buy products in quantities that are shipped into the US by sea. These shipping costs are only pennies compared to the UPS charges. By ordering the products we want, in advance of their ordering them, we get a better price, because we benefit in advance from their freight discounts for specified quantities. Of course this means waiting for up to three months or more for those products, so you have to be patient. In some cases, we'd be able to get the product that the importer already has in stock.

Of course that means ordering cases of products, not one or two cans at a time. As an example, we'd probably have to take as many as three to six cases of several items to make it cost effective.

This means we'd need numbers to make it work. A buying club of 50 or more members can do that, but less won't cut it. The reason is quantity. We would be able to buy for a specified price, sell to our membership at a fair price, and offer products to others who aren't members, for a higher price.

Of course, as time goes on, if these non-members want to join the club, they can, for a membership fee. That figure would be determined by the original investment of the charter members, and an agreement amongst them as to what is a fair fee. It should never be less than what it cost to become a charter member, that's for sure.

All of this would be worked out by potential members, and based on the initial investment it takes to get this started.

To be honest, it could end up a very large club. It's possible that prices could easily be less than 20% higher than they would, if you went into a store in Spain, and bought the products. Especially since the majority of the things we all are interested in don't fall into the high import tax categories.

I think it's worth a shot.

Wolf (Whose mouth is already watering for paella spices, olives, turron, and a host of other delicacies that are too damned high priced in most areas.)