Hi Jon, I hear what you say but Ben’s site isn’t the only site that gives prizes I can think of two right off the top of my head Banjo Hangout and BanjoTeacher.com and there are others. Like those other sites as overseas students we can’t expect the owners of those sites to pay for shipping, VAT and handling charges.
Ben has students all around the world and I think it is very generous of him to make available these prizes and allow us to participate. At least with Ben he is upfront with the draw and you see it on live stream. I have never seen a drawing take place on the Banjo Hangout but I was fortunate to receive a consolation prize from Geoff Hohwald one time when I was a rank beginner and as a result we became good friends
Over the years I have made hundreds of purchases from the US I accept the fact that there is a shipping cost and I expect to pay VAT. In the same way you pay to buy something online here in the UK you have to pay for it to be delivered and you have to pay the tax.
My main objection is with our Post Office in that they slap on a handling charge to recover the VAT and any import duty. This only came about recently when the PO was privatised. In recent years the US Postal Service has also put up it’s prices but that is outwith Ben’s control. The FREE shipping that Ben offers is restricted to certain parts of the US not all areas are covered.
If I was lucky enough to win a prize. I would be happy to pay the shipping etc. If I couldn’t afford to meet the costs I would be more than happy to let Ben choose another student to receive my prize.