Personal privacy versus Company privacy

[arioux]

Few days ago, in the group buy forum,Dayacom posted an example of their custommers and the post was edited because it contained private information. I in no mean want to excuse Dayacom. I don't care about them, i just want to share some fact that i'm aware of because my father is in the import /export and use the services of the company i will describe here. What i want to bring out is the fact that when you trade internationally , there are informaiton that are available publicly on the internet. Company like Panjiva gater and sell this information, from the custom declaration. It cost $99 to subscibe and you can have all the informaiton you need. They even give some informaiton freely, as a sample of their service. They include full contact information. When you pay, you have all the details that where on the custom declaration, exept the price.

Example:

Moderator's note: Examples deleted. Even though this information may be publicly available, it is still a violation of the IAP Privacy Policy to post it on this site.

And these are just samples of what you can get.

Google "panjiva with the name of a company or a topics and you will receive at least one sample of the company profile. This is how i found where Wood Pen Pro order his acrylics rod from .

So there is no privacy for business when you get into the Import/Export.

Some company will even give you a copy of the bill of landing

http://www.importgenius.com/importers/lorie-auguste.html
http://www.importgenius.com/importers/kms-tools-equpment.html

Again, i don't endors any company, just wanted to share some info i had. There are dozens other brookage company that can provide you with this information for a minimal fee, berween $99 to $300 a year. Please note that all the links i provided are freely available from google search and don't come from any registered account with any of these company.

Like i said, if you have a registered account you can get complete company import/export history including suppliers and/or custommers. I hope this put some lights on the so called "business privacy"

 

[ed4copies]

Alfred,

I find this remarkable!! In the USA, doing business is, generally, confidential. I would never want to tell my competitors who my customers are (in the copier business).

Yes, I understand that shipping international involves more documentation, but your access is very enlightening, to me.

Thanks!!!

 

[BRobbins629]

Alfred,

I find this remarkable!! In the USA, doing business is, generally, confidential. I would never want to tell my competitors who my customers are (in the copier business).

Yes, I understand that shipping international involves more documentation, but your access is very enlightening, to me.

Thanks!!!

Not really that confidential in the USA. You can get a D&B report on just about any company and find out all kinds of information about their suppliers, who they owe money to, etc. Do it all the time at work.

 

[arioux]

Example:

Moderator's note: Examples deleted. Even though this information may be publicly available, it is still a violation of the IAP Privacy Policy to post it on this site.

Understand, sorry about it and thank for editing it.

 

[ed4copies]

Alfred,

I find this remarkable!! In the USA, doing business is, generally, confidential. I would never want to tell my competitors who my customers are (in the copier business).

Yes, I understand that shipping international involves more documentation, but your access is very enlightening, to me.

Thanks!!!

Not really that confidential in the USA. You can get a D&B report on just about any company and find out all kinds of information about their suppliers, who they owe money to, etc. Do it all the time at work.

Only partially true, Bruce, in my experience.

I've always marvelled that D&B calls ME to ask who my suppliers are, then charges YOU to find out that information. Do you think I might just mention only my FRIENDLY suppliers?

And, yes, if you P me off badly enough, I may report you to D&B for credit issues--but in 35 years, no one had gotten me THAT mad.

You know who I do business with, if the copier says "Konica", that's a hint. But, where I buy paper would be a whole lot harder. So, for small businesses, your D&B is not worth a whole lot more than the paper it was once printed on.

It will accurately reflect public legal judgements.

 

[BRobbins629]

While a D&B report may not be the best for small businesses, there are still many ways to find who the suppliers are. There are hints everywhere if you look. Just like we all know who supplied the Emperor kits to CSUSA, or who supplies kits to exotics, who supplies Private Reserve refils, who supplies kits to AS, etc. In most cases, the information really doesn't mean much unless you want to buy direct - which we have found out not to be that easy.

Generally most businesses get to know by one means or another what their competition is buying, what they are selling, their customers and for how much. Its the good ones that know what to do with the information.

 

[ed4copies]

Along those lines, when we did shows, we were nearly always the last ones out of the building. One promoter had a "staunch" hand-made policy. As we were leaving several of his shows (4 day affairs), I would comment how amazing it was that all these vendors (now already half way home) left empty boxes that were made in China (proudly emblazened on the side of the box). Why do you suppose they stored their "hand-made items" in Chinese boxes???

Yes, if you are observant you can learn much---including a couple of our "then-competitors" suppliers (they left the shipping tags on the Chinese boxes, too).

One of my "ex-employees" was found looking in our dumpster a couple weeks after he left us (quit). He started his own, competitive business several weeks later. (He lasted less than six months, but it was a good try!!) So, knowledge is NOT ALWAYS power, but it can help.

 

[workinforwood]

One of my "ex-employees" was found looking in our dumpster a couple weeks after he left us (quit). He started his own, competitive business several weeks later. (He lasted less than six months, but it was a good try!!) So, knowledge is NOT ALWAYS power, but it can help.

As a customer in general, I kinda try and avoid stores that sell dumpster recovered paper. It's hard to write on...but it can be exciting when it comes with a free half eaten lollipop! :biggrin:

 

[Smitty37]

Hmmmm

Alfred,

I find this remarkable!! In the USA, doing business is, generally, confidential. I would never want to tell my competitors who my customers are (in the copier business).

Yes, I understand that shipping international involves more documentation, but your access is very enlightening, to me.

Thanks!!!

If one of your competitors is the company I used to work for --- trust me -- they already know who most of your customers are. And, I'm sure you already know who their customers in your area are.

 

[Smitty37]

Confidential Business Relationships

Many business transactions are contractually confidential in the USA - many times very reluctantly entered into by the Vendor who would love for all the world to know that he just got IBM (for instance) on his customer list. I dealt with electronic test equipment manufacturers all the time and they ALL had a list of who their customers were that they shared with any potential buyer They usually had the list in their advertising brochures.

International transactions involving moving goods across borders are almost impossible to keep confidential -- The government is involved and feels no obligation to keep commercial "privacy", in fact they may well actively pursue "sunshine" to prevent fraud and/or violation of health/safety statuates.

At any rate if you buy from across the border and you do not specifically have a confidentiality agreement with the vendor you can expect them to treat your relationship as public information...they might or might not treat the specifics of individual transactions as confidential.

A lot of us, due to the internet, are getting into dealing across borders and we don't know a lot about it....what I said above is from personal experience gained in only three years and dealing with only two or three companies in one country (two if you count Taiwan as separate from China) and not making any big effort to get customer information.

 

[ed4copies]

Alfred,

I find this remarkable!! In the USA, doing business is, generally, confidential. I would never want to tell my competitors who my customers are (in the copier business).

Yes, I understand that shipping international involves more documentation, but your access is very enlightening, to me.

Thanks!!!

If one of your competitors is the company I used to work for --- trust me -- they already know who most of your customers are. And, I'm sure you already know who their customers in your area are.

That's true, but we each did that by phone survey--me, by calling each one--they probably used a service to do the same.

Good news though, I'm still selling copiers---IBM is NOT. Big companies establish THEIR practices, allowing small companies to tailor to the customer and offer a better "package". But, I digress!!!

 

[Smitty37]

True enough

Alfred,

I find this remarkable!! In the USA, doing business is, generally, confidential. I would never want to tell my competitors who my customers are (in the copier business).

Yes, I understand that shipping international involves more documentation, but your access is very enlightening, to me.

Thanks!!!

If one of your competitors is the company I used to work for --- trust me -- they already know who most of your customers are. And, I'm sure you already know who their customers in your area are.

That's true, but we each did that by phone survey--me, by calling each one--they probably used a service to do the same.

Good news though, I'm still selling copiers---IBM is NOT. Big companies establish THEIR practices, allowing small companies to tailor to the customer and offer a better "package". But, I digress!!!

True enough. But they got out of that business because the reason people were not buying IBM copiers had more to do with how bad the IBM hardware was than anything else. I never did think our copiers were good enough to wear the name IBM.

 

[MesquiteMan]

Example:

Moderator's note: Examples deleted. Even though this information may be publicly available, it is still a violation of the IAP Privacy Policy to post it on this site.

Understand, sorry about it and thank for editing it.

Thank you so much for your understanding and not throwing a fit like some of the other do when we need to edit something!