To our international members and those we invite to join as international members: at long last, we are very pleased to announce that there will be no postal surcharge for ADS international memberships at this time. We tried DHL Global for the DEC Journal issue, and the price for their services was comparable to what we had paid for delivery of Journals, prior to the summer 07 postal increase by USPS. Be advised that the way DHL Global works is: they pick up our internationally bound ADS Journals from the printer in Jackson, MS, and forward them to their international processing facility in the USA. They address and prepare the Journals, and then DHL Global transports the Journals to their international destinations, where they are then put into each country’s mail stream. A few international members were curious to know the process and I hope this explains it. It was the hope of ADS, that we would not have to increase the cost of international memberships, yet still deliver our Journal in a timely and satisfactory manner. Due to the thickness of the Journal, DHL Global affixed closure tabs, which caused problems for a few international members. It was hard to get into the Journal without damaging it. Henceforth, we are going to utilize a protective envelope for those Journals going internationally.
We will still offer airmail service for those that wish it, at a cost of $26 annually. But I would urge you to wait and see how quickly your Journal reaches you in MAR, before making the decision to pay the $26 for airmail. For the DEC issue, I heard from ADS members in Australia, that their Journals had arrived, and this was prior to many in the US, receiving theirs. I suggest you wait until the MAR Journal delivery, and you will have a feel, for how long on average, it will take, for your Journal to arrive. I think all mail tends to go a little slower during the holiday season in DEC.
For international members that had been in a holding pattern, pending the ADS decision about an international postal surcharge, please go ahead and send in your dues at this time. You can check the DEC Journal address section on the back cover, to determine when your dues are to be renewed. The cost will be $20 for an individual annual membership. A 3 year individual membership is $50. A household/family is $25 for one year, and $60 for 3 years (only one Journal sent).
Currency conversion issues are always a problem. An easy way for international members to pay, is to utilize the ADS webstore. The website address is: www.daffodilusastore.org. Sometimes I hear from frustrated international people that they cannot get the webstore to accept their credit card. I think the problem is likely due to the zip code requirement, which of course, does not apply, except in the US. A trick that seems to work is to just enter five zeroes in this area. If this still doesn’t solve the problem, I can process your credit card info direct. So if you feel comfortable with such an arrangement, I suggest that you would send me an e-mail notifying me of what kind of membership you wish to purchase. And then over a couple of more e-mails, make sure you send the following info: name as it appears on your credit card and what kind of card it is, the number on the front of the card, the expiration date, and the last 3 digits on the security code on the back of the card.
For those international ADS members that have paid in recent months, and chose to go ahead and pay the temporary surcharge, it is my intention to extend your membership by a proper amount. Please let me know if you object to this method, as we aim to please.
Please e-mail me with any questions or problems about international membership and ADS Journal delivery.
Cordially,
Jaydee Atkins Ager
Executive Director
American Daffodil Society, Inc.
www.daffodilusa.org
PO Box 522
Hawkinsville, GA 31036 USA
