Since the U.S. postal service discontinued its international book rate a few years ago, the cost of shipping books to Belize is now a major component of the total retail cost. Books weigh a lot, and even surface mail (which takes many weeks or months) isn't cheap. For example, 20 pounds of books (a typical hardback book weighs a couple of pounds, and big ones weigh 4 or 5 pounds) from the U.S. to Belize costs US$45.40 to ship via surface mail and $71.25 via air parcel post. Book publishers and distributors often mark up the shipping costs, so it becomes even more onerous. Also, for individual books, the cost -- US$14 for a one-pound air parcel post -- is even worse.
But Cindy has experience as a bookseller, so she knows what she is getting into and probably can ship in quantity to get the best deals.
--Lan Sluder