Canadian Distributors

[LaSHOOOOSH]

I just wanted to chime in on canadian distributers since everyone else has been doing so...
Auto Obsessed, Eshine and Olde Town Auto Spa have been great to deal with. They ship very quickly and and I haven't had a single issue. As for items out of stock....I'm still waiting on some good news about a steamer from one of them....

What steamer did you end up buying? I am still on the fence on which to get..

[Mirror Finish]

You mentioned NAFTA. as far as pricing goes, NAFTA has an impact here....specifically that means goods MANUFACTURED not imported from USA and Mexico are duty free when imported to Canada. of course alot of goods are not fully manufactured in USA so those goods are subject to import duties when coming to Canada. for example, chinese/korean made towels is subject to 18.5% duty on the price paid plus GST (5%) to import (also any brokerage fees). then any machines/polishes made in Germany for example will carry a minimum 6.5% duty. so all that needs to be considered when you ask why something is so expensive in Canada.

The fact that prices are lower in the US must mean that there is no duty on products imported into the US from China, Korea or Germany? I highly doubt that.

And US companies setting up here in Canada aren't stupid. Pricing has very little to do with their costs and they will price based on what the market will accept. And since we are so used to overpaying for everything, they will price it just like that.

Here is a good one.

I am buying a chemical cleaner that is MANUFACTURED right here in Canada and is sold through their stores (not franchises). A 20 liter pail goes for $299, but it is on sale for $200 (ever wonder why they can discount so much...because the price is so overblown in the first place). I am getting the same exact product from the same exact manufacturer but from a vendor in the US for....drum roll....are ready for this...US$68. So please tell me how it got shipped down there with our high shipping costs up here.

As for the vendors up here, I'd buy from them if they had the same products in the bulk sizing and priced accordingly.

[primo spaghetti]

The fact that prices are lower in the US must mean that there is no duty on products imported into the US from China, Korea or Germany? I highly doubt that.

And US companies setting up here in Canada aren't stupid. Pricing has very little to do with their costs and they will price based on what the market will accept. And since we are so used to overpaying for everything, they will price it just like that.

Here is a good one.

I am buying a chemical cleaner that is MANUFACTURED right here in Canada and is sold through their stores (not franchises). A 20 liter pail goes for $299, but it is on sale for $200 (ever wonder why they can discount so much...because the price is so overblown in the first place). I am getting the same exact product from the same exact manufacturer but from a vendor in the US for....drum roll....are ready for this...US$68. So please tell me how it got shipped down there with our high shipping costs up here.

As for the vendors up here, I'd buy from them if they had the same products in the bulk sizing and priced accordingly.

im not saying there is no duty on items imported into the USA from foreign countries, but even though the duty has been paid by a US company importing the goods into the USA, purchased at price "a", and they have sold that item to a Canadian vendor at price "b", and the Canadian importer buys the foreign made good (not NAFTA country...remember NAFTA applies to goods not MANUFACTURED in USA, not goods IMPORTED from a NAFTA country. duty paid goods imported to USA and sold to Canada are still subject to duty, even if the US importer had to pay duty), so that coupled with shipping and brokerage fees equals price a+b+ shipping, + brokerage, + exhange rate, plus shipping from the Canadian vendor to the Canadian customer. this is where the price appears to be higher in Canada. the prices in Canada are pretty competitive considering the cost of "landing" goods in Canada for the Canadian consumer. unless you are importing the goods yourself, not using the services of a broker, and getting waived through customs, it is unfortunately an expensive process to import goods into Canada from any US company. that is why you will see some recent pressures on the Canadian govt to get prices in line with US pricing, and alot of that is with the new trade deals struck with south korea and the EU. soon, all items manufactured in those countries will be duty free in Canada. can you imagine a US company coming to a Canadian vendor for something other than soft wood lumber!

as for your second point, it appears greed is the motivating factor in that case. although, a Canadian company does get alot of remission or benefit from exporting products from Canada to the USA. i dont know if this is the case in your example or not. but maybe the company that is in Canada is not Canadian at all. remember, the product does not hav to be 100 % manufactured in Canada to bear the label "made in Canada".

and as for your third point, you are correct that the shipping costs in Canada are astronomical. it is cheaper for me to drop ship items form the manufacturer and duty pay the goods using the services of a broker using a US courier than it is for me to ship within Canada.

[Mirror Finish]

im not saying there is no duty on items imported into the USA from foreign countries.

Exactly! In which case an item coming into Canada from say Germany should not cost more than that same item coming into the USA from Germany. The only difference would be the exchange rate and volume discount. As for the latter, we have all seen that the dollar difference grows small after X amount of items and its not like we are importing 1000 bottles of item X. We're not that small a consumer.

as for your second point, it appears greed is the motivating factor in that case

Bingo! I've always said jokingly that Canadian business wants to make all their money in 24 hours and then retire early. Another thing they cannot figure out up here due to their pig-headed nature is that the S in MSRP stands for Suggested...not Fixed. And since they cannot figure that out, I let my wallet decide where I shop.

By the way, that chemical product is made right here in Ontario and I have to go to the US to get it drastically cheaper. I do not care what the reason is or what their excuses are.

and as for your third point, you are correct that the shipping costs in Canada are astronomical.

I just got a 200 Ohm, 10-turn Bourns brand pot from China for US$4.95 including shipping. Go figure.

You want to talk NAFTA? Lets talk about the legalities of not selling a new US market car to someone north of the border. No doubt the car distributors up here were crying foul. If they can't handle the competition? Easy, close shop!

[primo spaghetti]

Exactly! In which case an item coming into Canada from say Germany should not cost more than that same item coming into the USA from Germany. The only difference would be the exchange rate and volume discount. As for the latter, we have all seen that the dollar difference grows small after X amount of items and its not like we are importing 1000 bottles of item X. We're not that small a consumer.!

oh now i understand. yes i agree with you here. i misunderstood your first post. we definately get hit on paying double duty when the canadian importer imports a dutiable item from the USA. NAFTA should be provisional for once an item is duty paid in a NAFTA country it is now duty free. it is a concept that was batted around is my understanding.

Bingo! I've always said jokingly that Canadian business wants to make all their money in 24 hours and then retire early. Another thing they cannot figure out up here due to their pig-headed nature is that the S in MSRP stands for Suggested...not Fixed. And since they cannot figure that out, I let my wallet decide where I shop.!

lol..thats funny! i know as a retailer, i am bound bu MAP pricing...similar to MSRP, but MAP or Minimum Advertised Pricing is also something retailers are bound to comply with from Distributors and Manufacturers.

By the way, that chemical product is made right here in Ontario and I have to go to the US to get it drastically cheaper. I do not care what the reason is or what their excuses are.




I just got a 200 Ohm, 10-turn Bourns brand pot from China for US$4.95 including shipping. Go figure.

You want to talk NAFTA? Lets talk about the legalities of not selling a new US market car to someone north of the border. No doubt the car distributors up here were crying foul. If they can't handle the competition? Easy, close shop!

are you talking about wellworth products by any chance? they are manufacturred in Ontario, and the only distributor is in Buffalo...thats strange to me!

yeah the car pricing is the number one area where the pricing parity is completely out of whack. some vehicless are carrying a 10,000 price difference. it def. had a huge impact when the Canadian dollar was par!

[Mirror Finish]

oh now i understand. yes i agree with you here. i misunderstood your first post. we definitely get hit on paying double duty when the canadian importer imports a dutiable item from the USA.

I can't remember the last time I paid duty. I even pointed out that some of the items were made in Italy, some in Germany and they did not care.

Even items I get shipped from the EU comes right to my door, maybe because they are low cost items.

are you talking about wellworth products by any chance?

Nope, another company.

yeah the car pricing is the number one area where the pricing parity is completely out of whack. some vehicles are carrying a 10,000 price difference. it def. had a huge impact when the Canadian dollar was par!

Try about $20K on a base Porsche 911 back in 2009.

Remember the days of the 60% exchange rate? Even at 58%, I was still ahead by the tune of $125 after buying 4 oil filters, 4 plug wires and a few other small items for my BMW motorcycle.

[primo spaghetti]

yes, mostly on personal imports you wont get charged duty.

the duty is 100% applicable commercially on imports through a broker, and most times through the courier stream.

a personal entry, i agree you usually get waived through, or pay the sales tax...

[Photecs]

Nice job eShine... order placed Monday afternoon, in my hands on Wednesday afternoon... less then 48 hours.
BAM! Didn't place over $150, but shipping was only $9.48 anyway.
Thanks!

[sproketser]

Always have great service from eShine .

[kwk1]

I also had great service from eshine. Only problem was no one could get me Meg #7, I had to get it from AG.