Glasses! Getchyer eyeglasses here!

 Last trip out I had about fifty pair of used eyeglasses to hand out to the folks out on the islands who don't have any kind of access to vision care.  I had checked with my optometrist who confirmed that I couldn't do any harm to the recipients.  He even donated a couple dozen readers.

I solicited used eyeglasses from friends and family this trip.  And sent communications around to the various Lions clubs.  The Keweenaw Lions responded big time; I think I got a hundred and fifty pair from them.  Got them all packed up in a carry-on to take to Fiji.  While waiting for the plane at HoCo, I got into a conversation with a lady who was very interested in collecting for next time.  Her son was sitting next to her and allowed as his wife had just died and he had about ten pair of her glasses that he wanted to donate, so I gave him my card so he could contact me in June.  And Adam R. even gave me the pair off his head!  Thanks to all!

And the glasses made it through relatively unscathed.  I noticed only one lens popped out.  Now that doesn't mean that there weren't some interested interactions with authorities...

TSA at HoCo didn't care.  Hell, most of the airport knew I was carrying eyeglasses by the time I went through security.  TSA at San Francisco was mightily perplexed, on the other hand.  "Are you an eye doctor?"  "No, I just give these away."  "To who?"  "People in Fiji who need glasses."  I offered to let the kid dump the whole kit and caboodle out to inspect and he got this horrified look on his face.  "Have a nice flight, sir."

Fiji customs was another story.  The glasses got flagged at immigration, of course.  "How many pair of glasses do you have?"  "Your guess is as good as mine - I never counted.  Maybe 200?"  Eyes get wide.  "Do you intend to sell them?"  "No, I give them away to the people on the islands.  I can show you video, if you like."  "You've done this before?"  "This is my fourth trip."  Time for the supervisor.  Nice lady, she comes over and hears my story and is very sympathetic, but I need a permit to be a charity.  But - there is a workaround.  "How about if we come up with a value for the glasses and we charge you VAT to bring them in?"  

So now the negotiations begin about how much my carry-on of eyeglasses is worth in USD.  I made sure they knew the glasses were used.  A few close inspections confirmed that.  Then I ventured, "How about fifty dollars?"  The one customs guy suggested one hundred.  The supervisor lady shook her head and basically mediated a bargain between me and Fiji Customs, of which she was a part.  "Can we do eighty?" Sure, I suppose.  "What's the VAT on eighty dollars?"  "Fifteen percent."  Quick math calculation in my aged brain comes up with twelve dollars USD for the privilege of bringing all these glasses into Fiji.  "I can do eighty," I said with finality.

So I stood in line with all the flight crews who were bringing in massive amounts of overseas goods (not duty-free, apparently) and dutifully paid my $12.  




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