J.A.W.

That's not correct. I had CD Japan orders shipped by FedEx and received them within days without having to pay anything in advance. I got VAT invoices from FedEx after 2-4 weeks. I wish Pim luck with his order, but I'd be surprised if he'd receive it tax-free.

That sounds good, but how about VAT (21%) that is payable for orders over 22 euros and duty (payable if the total value exceeds 150 euros)? Smaller packages may slip through customs, but a large order like yours probably won't.

Clear again, but I was talking about the thinking of some Americans in general, not about a specific contract situation. For example, some said they are allowed to carry guns abroad because they have the right to do so according to US law, even if the country they were visiting doesn't allow it.

OK, clear, but that's not what I meant. In my experience some Americans seem to think that US law is applicable everywhere in the world even if there is no reciprocity and whether the rest of the world likes it or not, "American law above all, wherever you are"; a misunderstanding, of course - to put it mildly.

I'm not familiar with international law, but I doubt American law and courts have any jurisdiction outside the US.

As an outsider I've refrained from commenting on what's happening, but this is now really beginning to sound creepy... What's the US descending into??

Maybe it's me, but I don't see what part of this thread is not political and why it still exists, against forum rules ("no politics. no religion").

OK, thanks. I can see why some of these acronyms are what they are, well, acronyms

These acronyms are probably easy to understand for American users here, but for non-US posters like me it's usually abracadbra - so, what does TDS stand for?

We've had demonstrations here too and the authorities are worried about people not adhering to social distancing rules. So, relatively quiet compared to what you all are going through. Watched CNN yesterday and was shocked by what I saw. Maybe I shouldn't say this as a non-US citizen, but I really hope November will bring change...

Sad news.

We got the message

Actually, 36 - below are the (almost) complete cycles I have (I was thinking of getting rid of some of them, but no one wants classical CDs anymore, so I might as well keep them): (listed chronologically, with recording dates) Wilhelm Kempff (Polydor, Grammophon; incomplete, 1925-1936, 1940-1943) Artur Schnabel (EMI; 1932-1937) Rudolf Serkin (RCA; incomplete, 1941-1977) Wilhelm Backhaus (Decca; 1950-1954) Wilhelm Kempff (DG; 1951-1956) Walter Gieseking (EMI; incomplete, 1951-1956) Solomon (EMI; incomplete, 1951-1956) Yves Nat (EMI; 1953-1955) Wilhelm Backhaus (Decca; incomplete, 1958-1969) Claudio Arrau (Philips; 1962-1966) Sviatoslav Richter (Philips and Melodiya; incomplete, 1963-1992) Wilhelm Kempff (DG; 1964-1965) Friedrich Gulda (Amadeo; 1967) Claude Frank (RCA; 1967-1969) Éric Heidsieck (EMI; 1967-1973) Bruce Hungerford (Piano Classics; incomplete, 1967-1976) Alfred Brendel (Philips; 1971-1978) Emil Gilels (DG; incomplete, 1972-1985) Vladimir Ashkenazy (Decca; 1974-1982) Maurizio Pollini (DG; 1975-2014) Annie Fischer (Hungaroton, 1977-1978) Rudolf Buchbinder (Teldec; 1980-1982) Claudio Arrau (Philips; incomplete, 1984-1990) Stephen Kovacevich (EMI; 1991-2003) Alfred Brendel (Philips; 1992-1996) Richard Goode (Nonesuch; early 1990s) Andrea Lucchesini (Stradivarius; 1999-2001) Ronald Brautigam (BIS; 2003-2008) András Schiff (ECM; 2004-2006) Daniel Barenboim (Decca; 2005) Paul Lewis (Harmonia Mundi; 2005-2008) Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (Chandos; 2008-2014) François-Frédéric Guy (Zig-Zag Territoires; 2009-2012) Stewart Goodyear (Marquis; 2010-2012) Igor Levit (Sony; 2013, 2017-2019) Konstantin Lifschitz (2017-2019) Wilhelm Kempff made his first recording of Op.110 in 1936, but I assume you mean his 1951 recording.

Interesting project indeed. I have more than 30 cycles, most of them complete and some incomplete, but I can't name any favourites - it all depends on the sonata, and the mood I'm in also plays a part.

My USPS Int'l Priority Mail package from Colorado finally arrived today, after more than 4 weeks... I agree. I got several packages that only took a couple of days to get here via DHL - all within the EU.

I don't think anything is lost, just indefinitely delayed, especially packages that are shipped internationally. One shipment can get lost, maybe two, but so many, unlikely. I still think the air traffic problems are to blame. A package from Sweden that usually takes a few days recently took three weeks to arrive at my doorstep, and that's within the EU.

Just heard about this. Very sad news. Another one gone, loved his playing.

Still waiting for that package... No tracking update since April 28.

This is really sad news. He was one of my favourite French actors.

Just sent you a PM.

The Blues/R&B sets were the ones by T-Bone Walker, Amos Milburn, Charles Brown and Otis Spann/Lightning Hopkins. Great sets, love them.

I'm still waiting for a package that was mailed by int'l priority mail from Colorado on April 24. It seems to be stuck at a USPS depot in San Francisco. No idea when it will get here, as there's hardly any transatlantic air traffic right now.

I wonder what the rates (dollar/euro/pound) will be at the end of the year, with the corona effects on the global economy...

Which US releases are you looking for? There were several CD reissue series (early McMasters from the 1980s and early 1990s, RVGs, later McMasters). I didn't check which ones were issued in which series.