Welcome to a new concept in the international trade in netsuke. The current pandemic, which has already been with us a year and may endure for at least as long again, has taught us all the value and power of the internet, as well as demonstrating that international trade goes on in many areas.
As a dealer in netsuke, I have a network of buyers which extends as far as Australia and New Zealand, encompasses such Asian countries as China, Japan and Singapore, then Canada, the U.S.A. and Mexico in the Americas, and in Europe includes Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and Spain.
Now that Britain has left the European Union (a regrettable step from the point of view of anyone involved in international trade), I am left wondering whether I can be bothered with the additional layers of bureaucracy required to move my stock around, especially when the eventual purchaser will almost certainly not be here in little England.
Accordingly I have come up with the idea of a virtual netsuke marketplace, hosted on my website. The idea is simple: a potential seller contacts me to show me what he or she has. I make a selection of what I consider worthwhile, in fair condition and correctly priced, request adequate photographs of the objects and post them on the Market page, identifying the location of the object.
Knowing where the object is permits anyone interested in buying to ascertain whether there are likely to be additional costs of import, other than predetermined shipping fees. I am happy to advise to the best of my ability.
Once a sale is agreed, payment will be due to Max Rutherston Ltd, and once it is received, the object will be despatched to the buyer. Proceeds of sale will not be remitted to the seller until the purchaser receives the object and confirms satisfaction. That’s the theory. Let’s now see if it works.
Click to see our International Netsuke Market
