text: Taig Product Shipping
  In this age of digital computer assisted communication, it is somewhat unusual to work with a company who still prefers to “communicate in the way we have always done it.” That seems to be the style of Taig Tools.
  They are the designer and manufacturer of one of the best lines of micro machine tools made in the USA today. I am proud to be one of their dealers.
  The basic design has not changed in over 30 years for their small lathe and milling machine. There have been changes and improvements for sure, but no major overall design change. One must look closely to see the differences through the years. The biggest visible change was when a power feed was added as an option to their tiny lathe.
  They are introducing completely new products too, especially in the CNC controlled machines.
  But the office operations are still “old school.” In my order process as a dealer, I am required to FAX all orders to the office as email is not secure or trusted. (They use an AOL email account, not using their own URL for email.) There was a time when a FAX was considered a legally binding document and an email was not. That has changed of course, and emails are as binding an agreement as FAX. Taig is staying with FAX orders.
  When shipping merchandise, my eCommerce stores and most mail order business use computer live internet processing for shipping labels and automatic shipping payment. Tracking numbers are created the moment the label is created and the information is easily forwarded to the customer. I use Stamps.com and the tracking is sent by Stamps.com to the customer automatically (if there is an email address.) No extra work for me.
  I have Taig drop ship machine orders directly from the factory. That eliminates the double shipping cost, first to me, then to the customer. I believe Taig is using a manual paper logging system as they never provide tracking number information on their shipments. If they have tracking numbers, they don’t automatically send (email) it to the recipient. I can tell when they ship as they bill my account when they do. I look for the billing statement to determine the ship date.
  It is obvious Taig is not fully comfortable with Internet communications. From their website design to shipment tracking, they remain “old school.” But it still works and helps keep costs down. Snazzy web tools and presentations can be expensive to maintain.
  When my customers ask about tracking I refer them directly to Taig for tracking information. For me, all I want to know is when something ships. (Not stuck on back-order)
  I included a statement in the Taig product listing about the lack of tracking. Tracking information has become the expected norm for the Internet buyer but not the standard practice at Taig Tools. It’s a small information inconvenience beyond my control, but drop shipping saves the customer a lot of extra shipping costs.