The Smarmy Carny

The FDA is on the case!

Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just going to watch a movie?

One of my friends sent me an interesting piece of information regarding a UPS shipment he is waiting for. A fairly standard CD-RW/DVD combo drive from IBM was delayed in transit because of — get this — an FDA hold. (Take a look at the explanation text from UPS' website by clicking on the second picture.)

There are some weird things about that whole deal. First off, this CD-RW/DVD combo drive is a common drive that IBM puts in most of their laptops. Therefore, you'd think that your local warehouse might have it on stock, ready to ship. Instead, the information shows that the package was shipped from Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong. You'd think that Big Blue might be a little smarter about their shipments.

Click here for full text

One entry says "A special customs delay is required for this live entry." What is a "live entry," anyway? I didn't pay attention too closely in science class, but I can tell you without a doubt that a DVD drive is not live. Then again, I haven't ruled out the possibility that a "live entry" is just some sort of shipping lingo that I'm not familiar with.

I've been thinking about this for a day or so, and I have yet to figure out whether a CD-RW/DVD combo drive would be categorized as a food, a drug, or an administration. The answer eludes me.

Update: I was able to find a definition of "Live Entry" that proves that this is some sort of international shipping jargon. I found this on a glossary at ups.com:

Live Entry: Requires that the commercial invoice, original export license (if applicable), customs entry, and estimated duties must be submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection before the shipment can be released. There is normally a one day delay on live entry shipments. If additional information is needed, UPS will contact the consignee.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 21st, 2005 at 21:57 by Novac and is filed under All, Technology.   You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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