Why has Google outsourced its Adsense posting services to Sweden
by Duncan
September 7, 2005
Here’s a good question for other bloggers, and particularly those who like to think that Google’s a good, partriotic American company. I’ve got my Adsense cheque (check) for July. It was posted from Sweden with a top left hand envelope return address of Buffalo, NY, and a postmark indicating that should it be undelivered it should be returned to a PO Box in Sweden.
One can only presume that if its being posted from Sweden its probably being printed in Sweden as well.
So to cut a long story short I’ve got a Australian Dollar Cheque (check) drawn from an American company posted and probably printed in Sweden. Isn’t the world an interesting place, but the question still remains, why Sweden?
Duncan, a lot of the European Post Offices are offering bulk commercial services now as an alternative to privatization. Basically, they are being forced to liberalize by the competition rules of the EU. Here in the UK we get masses of bulk mailing from Rotterdam, for example, which has been posted here in Britain. It’s actually cheaper to send it to Holland then back again than stick it in a Royal Mail letterbox. I imagine the Swedish PO has given a good deal to Google for its bulk payments system. Maybe it went out to tender and the Swedes scooped the pool. That’s globalization for you.
Maybe you’re making so much money on Adsense they had to empty their Swiss bank accounts to pay you?
I wish
maybe the Swedes have better postal machines ? I just got my July check today too. My wife’s Google PIN came today too.
It would be interesting to know whether American payments come from Sweden. I bet they don’t. This is Google’s old trick of separating the U.S. from the rest of the world. Interestingly, Britain tends to get lumped in with America. Do British cheques come via Sweden? We should be told.
As long as you are getting paid, and the company isn’t based in China (or some other oppressive regime) who cares?
I read an article somewhere on the web that they moved a large part of their business in India.
Paul,
I’m pretty sure that Swiss bank accounts are based out of Switzerland. Perhaps Duncan cleaned out their Swedish bank account?
nickel
Aw, come on guys, it’s a big cake. Surely the poor Swedes can have a few crumbs? They make bloody pretty websites, that’s all I know…
Oh, and before I forget: don’t make a comment on an American political blog unless you want to get hit with Amendments going back 200 years. Sheesh, give me Ozzie straightforwardness any day…
Sorry, I know it’s off topic but I’m still smarting and had to tell someone sane.
Google is now one of the biggest companies in the world. It must be very hard to manage the all the work from US center so they localize. I dont know anything about Swiss Post office but i know their banks.They are most trusted all around the world.