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the average for 1923, which would seem to indicate a growing demand for this article.

Our exports of canned vegetables such as corn, peas, beans, and asparagus to Colombia are of considerable importance, amounting to about 22,000 pounds a month. Exports of canned fruits average about 15,000 pounds a month and probably exceed in value the exports of canned vegetables to this market. The United States practically dominates the Colombian market for tinned foods of all kinds.

METALS

Colombia looks to the United States for rails and structural iron and steel, though European competition within the last few years has been particularly active in these lines. At the present time the market for rails, railway locomotives, and equipment is unusually active because of the various construction projects that are being undertaken in Colombia.

Our biggest item in exports of iron and steel products was that of barbed wire, which amounted to 8,000 tons, valued at $572,000, in 1924. Exports of galvanized iron and steel sheets to this market from the United States in 1924 amounted to 5,000 tons, valued at $152,000. Exports of copper wire, plain and insulated, were valued at more than $100,000 during 1924.

MACHINERY, FARM IMPLEMENTS, AUTOMOBILES

The principal lines of machinery exported from the United States to Colombia are flour and grist mill machinery, sugar-mill machinery, railway locomotives, textile-mill machinery, and shoe machinery. Our exports of grist and flour mill machinery to this market in 1924 were valued at $200,000, while those of sugar-mill machinery were worth $110,000, there being a decided increase in the latter as compared with the preceding year.

The market for agricultural implements is not large, as agriculture, on the whole, is not highly developed, and the operation of a coffee plantation does not require a great amount of farm machinery.

Our exports of passenger automobiles to Colombia in 1924 consisted of 680 cars, valued at $582,640. This market is a growing one, and the demand for automobiles will increase as better transportation facilities in the way of highways and railways are developed. American hardware in the Colombian market is, in general, very favorably known and at equal prices is preferred by nearly all merchants. Some lines of European cutlery are favored because of long-established reputation for quality. Where temper or great durability is not important, as in such articles as sadirons, brackets, window and door fittings, and enamel ware, European goods receive a preference because of lower prices. Larger edge tools of American make such as machetes, handsaws, axes, and carpenter's tools are much preferred to all others.

MISCELLANEOUS

Shoe exports from the United States to Colombia are not large, being only about 73,000 pairs of all kinds in 1924. The local shoe

factories are each year supplying a greater portion of the demands of the market.

Paper exports from the United States to this market are of considerable importance, those of newsprint and book print being 1,333,000 pounds in 1924, about equally distributed between the two classes. Exports of writing paper in 1924 were 125,853 pounds and those of wrapping paper 358,561.

Other interesting export items from the United States to Colombia in 1024 were 3,823 typewriters, 132,027 pounds of toilet soap, 101.368 pounds of laundry soap, and 441,246 square feet of upper leather.

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NOTE. Because of changes in classification of articles it was impossible to obtain the 1913-14 figures in many instances, and their omission does not mean that there were no exports at that time.

UNITED STATES PORTS OF EXPORT

According to United States customs statistics, 95 per cent of our exports to Colombia pass' through the port of New York, about 4 per cent through New Orleans, and 1 per cent through Baltimore and other ports.

The American manufacturer exporting to this market should determine which is the most favorable port for the exportation of his product, as, notwithstanding the fact that his quotations may be f. o. b. cars at factory, any saving in freight will benefit the Colombian importer and aid American goods in meeting European price competition.

It is thought that the west coast of the United States, which is a large consumer of coffee, should be able to develop direct water routes from that coast to Colombia for the importation of coffee direct. Steamers now routed from the west coast of the United States to the Atlantic ports of South America would probably find it profitable to stop at the Caribbean ports of Colombia, taking on the voyage out such things as canned salmon and canned and dried fruits, and on the return coffee, which from Colombia is an all-theyear-round item of export freight. Coffee shipments from Colombia to the west coast of the United States, with transshipment at the Canal Zone, are already of some importance.

TERMS OF CREDIT

The Colombian merchant prior to the World War demanded and obtained long terms of credit from the European manufacturers, but since he has been buying from the United States he has become adjusted to shorter terms of credit. Reputable merchants in Colombia are accustomed to getting terms of 60 to 90 days' sight from American manufacturers. The matter of credit, however, is something to be determined on the facts of each individual case.

Local banks in Colombia, most of whom have American connections, furnish adequate facilities for the collection of drafts in all the commercial centers. The local interest rate is very high, being from 10 to 12 per cent, so that it is to the advantage of the Colombian importer to get the foreign manufacturer to carry him rather than the local banks.

Bills of lading are not necessary in order to obtain possession of goods shipped to Colombia, the customhouses requiring only the presentation of the Colombian consular invoice or a copy thereof for delivery of the goods to the consignee. Therefore, where shippers wish to insure payment or acceptance of draft before delivery of goods, they should arrange to have the shipment consigned direct to some bank, which upon payment or acceptance of the draft will indorse the consular invoice over to the purchaser or importer.

Price quotations should be c. i. f. some Colombian port if possible, though quotations should specify that it does not include special. port or pier charges at the port of entry. When sending a salesman to Colombia, it would be highly advantageous for him to be able to quote prices c. i. f. at some Colombian port, even though it may be a little difficult, for in so doing he has gone a long way in securing the good will of his customers. Where it is not possible to quote

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c. i. f. prices, they should be made f. o. b. New York or New Orleans. Since Colombian consular fees are upon an ad valorem basis, it would be well for the manufacturer to have it plainly understood that any prices quoted do not include consular fees.

A weakness of the commercial system of Colombia is the excessive number of small merchants who attempt to conduct business and import directly on too small a capital; also successful merchants are inclined rather to withdraw their profits from the business and invest them in real estate or in foreign securities. Because of the smallness of the commercial centers and the limited means of communications betwe n such centers there are few large importers.

PACKING FOR THE COLOMBIAN MARKET

The packing of goods for Colombia is a very important part of the sale transaction. Proper packing for any market is about the best advertising matter a manufacturer can send to a foreign country. In practically every instance Colombian duties are levied on the gross weight of the case. Therefore packing should never be heavier than necessary for strength nor cases larger than required to contain the goods, as the extra weight of the case and any filler used will pay the same duty per kilo as the goods. The amount of extra duty resulting from the case being too large and the use of filler material may not be great, but it will create in the mind of the importer an unfavorable impression of the shipment and the goods so packed.

It should also be borne in mind when shipping to Colombia that the cases will have to be opened for customs inspection at the port of entry and on their journey to the interior they will be subject to rough handling. The matter of packing in many instances is so important to Colombian importers that they regard it as a controlling factor in a sales contract where instructions regarding packing have been given, and they will refuse to accept goods improperly packed. On such goods as silks, laces, and embroideries the duty is excessively high, and heavy packing of these may eliminate the profits of the importer and prejudice him against goods so shipped. A good rule to follow in exporting to Colombia is to ask for packing instructions and follow them explicitly, as the importer there knows what kind of packing is best for his market.

The following are some suggestions made by a representative of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce after a trip through Colombia, where various importers were consulted as to the most desirable method of packing articles purchased by that market abroad:

Packing of general merchandise should be as light and as strong as possible. Cleating on the edges of cases is not good, as these catch on other cases and are soon broken. Iron strapping should be used in every instance. Where waterproofing is required, the most accepted method is by means of cover ng the case with tarpaulin, which in turn is covered with an outside protection of heavy jute cloth sewed to fit.

Shoes, slippers, and other footwear should be packed in cheap fiber trunks charged for on invoice. Pasteboard boxes should be removed and each par carefully wrapped in tissue paper with an outer wrapping of heavy paper. The type of trunk should be according to buyer's selection.

Cotton goods should be packed in pressed bales made up on a special hydraulic press. The bale should be covered with heavy paper and tarpaulin cut and sewed to size of bale, with an outside cover of heavy jute cloth

fitted in the same manner. The fastening should consist of 1-inch wide straps placed transversely, cut the right length and fastened with patent fasteners, so that the bale can be easily opened at the customhouse of the port of entry and then refastened for the shipment to the interior. A bale of this kind weighing several hundred pounds will have only 1 or 2 pounds

of tare.

Silks, laces, embroideries, stockings, underwear, towels, and handkerchiefs should be packed in similar bales, though not under so much pressure for silks and laces. Where the art cles are very valuable, a light wire mesh covering outside the jute covering should be used to protect the goods from pilferage, and the sides of the bale should be protected by light boards to prevent the bite of the iron straps. Board or cardboard centers of silk piece goods and laces should be removed, since the duty on these articles is very high and its payment upon the cores reduces profits materially.

(For further details as to the packing of goods for the Colombian market see Append x B to Special Agents Series No. 206, Colombia: An Industrial and Commercial Handbook, published by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce and sold for 70 cents at any of the district offices of the bureau or by the Superintendent of Documents at Washington, D. C.; also Packing for Foreign Markets, price $1.25, obtainable from the same sources.)

ADVERTISING MEDIUMS

There are practically no monthly or weekly magazines published in Colombia that would be suitable as advertising mediums for American products. Export trade and technical journals edited in Spanish and published in the United States are valuable for advertising American goods, as such journals are generally found in offices, clubs, cafés, and even in the barber shops in Colombia and are constantly in demand. There is little outdoor advertising except occasionally on the side of a house or wall in the towns. The cost of lumber makes the erection of billboards for advertising too expensive.

Probably the best and most accepted method of advertising in Colombia is through the daily newepapers. The dailies of Bogota and Medellin are considered the best for advertising, as these have a large circulation throughout the country and in the smaller towns. Advertising rates in the dailies of these two cities run from $30 to $50 a column for inside pages and from $40 to $60 a column for front page, each issue. Contracts for repeated insertions offer considerable reduction in these rates.

An issue of one of the important dailies of Bogota was taken at random, and in its 8 pages were found 73 commercial advertisements, 45 of which advertised specific merchandise. Of the latter, 18 were for strictly American products, 8 for European, and the remainder either for Colombian products or for goods the origin of which could not be ascertained from the advertisement.

Some of the American goods advertised were breakfast foods, condensed milk, cigarettes, locks, electrical goods, garters, cameras, typewriters, radio, automobiles, and proprietary medicines, these last accounting for about 50 per cent of the total American advertisements. Most of the illustrations used were, it could be seen, prepared in the United States, but none of them were glaringly inappropriate. Many of them showed no background, merely the article, which is a safe way to avoid mistakes in setting or background. Wherever local color could be worked into these cuts for a setting it would be highly advantageous if correctly done. Attractive posters advertising American products and featuring the Inca

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