mike_s
Contributor
johnny_bravo:
I'll "Third" the motion of not using UPS to ship to Canada. You're just asking for problems and excess charges with UPS. US Postal Service is the only way to go in shipping to Canada.
Canadian Duties on Scuba Gear
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I'll "Third" the motion of not using UPS to ship to Canada. You're just asking for problems and excess charges with UPS. US Postal Service is the only way to go in shipping to Canada.
Tamas
Contributor
Your best bet is to have it sent a US address close to the border (if you can) and then drive down to pick it up. Second best is to use DHL or even FedEx to get it across the border and making sure that the "value" of the unit's shipped are less then $60CAN 
OR better yet, run into a local dive shop and see what they can do on the package locally.
OR better yet, run into a local dive shop and see what they can do on the package locally.
Yes, in order to buy a product legitimately, Canadian retailers have to buy from an authorized distributor and also have to sell at certain prices. I believe US law prevents that from happening down there so we are much more controlled by our distributors. It does make it tempting for a Canadian diver to shop south of the border. Retailers should be buying Christmas cards for UPS and the like as they help offset some of the price disparity.bwerb:
bcsean
Guest
I'd have to agree on having it shipped to the us and drive across if at all possible. I do this with car stuff, dive stuff, bike stuff..... Rarely even get sent in to pay the tax. Have saved a lot of money. Being 10 mins away helps too though.
I have discussed things with my LDS however they are significantly more expensive even after I factor in $100 shipping/brokerage. 30% more actually. I do support my LDS, and will continue to do so where it makes sense.
On a small purchase it is insignifcant, aon a $2800 purchase it is very significant.
$600+ more doesn't make sense. There is no way for them to add $600+ dollars of value to this transaction.
Up to 10% more I could appreciate and rationalize based on the value add the LDS provides me as a casual warm water vacation diver. I don't know who's fault the price discrepancy is.
I would rather see my LDS admit they are not able to compete if that is the case. I'd sooner not have to try the back and forth dance on price with my LDS and simply have them charge me a fee for their time/expertise in helping me choose appropriate equipment and then provide local fee based servicing of that equipment as needed regardless where I choose to purchase it in the end.
As always I will give my LDS the opportunity and do hope they can close the majority of the gap in price to something that is a reasonable representation of the value they can add to the transaction.
On a small purchase it is insignifcant, aon a $2800 purchase it is very significant.
$600+ more doesn't make sense. There is no way for them to add $600+ dollars of value to this transaction.
Up to 10% more I could appreciate and rationalize based on the value add the LDS provides me as a casual warm water vacation diver. I don't know who's fault the price discrepancy is.
I would rather see my LDS admit they are not able to compete if that is the case. I'd sooner not have to try the back and forth dance on price with my LDS and simply have them charge me a fee for their time/expertise in helping me choose appropriate equipment and then provide local fee based servicing of that equipment as needed regardless where I choose to purchase it in the end.
As always I will give my LDS the opportunity and do hope they can close the majority of the gap in price to something that is a reasonable representation of the value they can add to the transaction.
dmblack58
Contributor
Don't forget to add the exchange rate into your calculation. That'll add about 15% to the ScubaToys price (unless they are taking Canadian money at par ;-)
And don't forget about the warranty. I understand from others that it can get complicated.
I'm not sure where you are in Canada but if you're in Southern Ontario give the following places a call and see what they can do.
www.divesource.com
www.dansdiveshop.ca
www.northerntechdiver.com
And don't forget about the warranty. I understand from others that it can get complicated.
I'm not sure where you are in Canada but if you're in Southern Ontario give the following places a call and see what they can do.
www.divesource.com
www.dansdiveshop.ca
www.northerntechdiver.com
bwerb
Hoser/English Translator, eh
Dave confirmed what I believed to be true about the Canadian Dive gear market...on an item per item basis Canadian dive shops are going to be more expensive right off the bat due to the distribution model. Let me explain the difference between one step and two step distribution.
If I am a shop and I can buy direct from the manufacturer, it is one step distribution.
If I am a shop and I have to buy from a "distributor" who in turn buys from the manufacturer, it is two step distribution. Most distributors in the business segments I work in tend to work on a minimum 20% margin and prefer 30 to 35%. This is what they need to add to cover their warehousing, shipping, management and profit. Since there is another player in the equation, the end pricing you see as a consumer is always going to have a significant "gap" from what you see from a shop which does not have the extra step.
The other things which can create this larger gap are that some of the price lists Canadian retailers/distributors see have wonky exchange rate calculations. Sometimes the price list is based on an exchange rate from a time when there was a much greater gap...what many Canadians don't realize is that when we had a really weak dollar, many manufacturers were signigicantly subsidizing the Canadian pricing as they couldn't pass on the "true" cost or we would have seen massive retail price increases. Now that the exchange rate is closer, we're seeing more realistic pricing. Costing on this type of product is usually only adjusted once or twice a year. It is way, way too hard to change it from a pure accounting and logistics point of view...think of how many different people and departments are involved in setting a price list from the manufacturer to the distributor to the diveshop...coordination with multiple computer systems, accounting departments etc becomes a nightmare all down the line...it isn't a few keystrokes from anyone.
Also much of the time buying is done way in advance of shipping but payment is made well after the goods are received.
Many people don't realize all the different factors which make doing business in Canada so expensive and what makes some avenues of consumer goods look really out-of-line. Our transportation costs are significantly higher than the US. Our warehouse costs are higher. The dollar fluctuation and GST add another level of problems. Business taxes tend to be higher. Minimum wages are higher. Each of these is a piece of the puzzle.
Sometimes it becomes way to simplistic to not realize that the general retail playing field in Canada (not just scuba) can have some significant handicaps if you are doing a direct comparison to a US retailer.
If I am a shop and I can buy direct from the manufacturer, it is one step distribution.
If I am a shop and I have to buy from a "distributor" who in turn buys from the manufacturer, it is two step distribution. Most distributors in the business segments I work in tend to work on a minimum 20% margin and prefer 30 to 35%. This is what they need to add to cover their warehousing, shipping, management and profit. Since there is another player in the equation, the end pricing you see as a consumer is always going to have a significant "gap" from what you see from a shop which does not have the extra step.
The other things which can create this larger gap are that some of the price lists Canadian retailers/distributors see have wonky exchange rate calculations. Sometimes the price list is based on an exchange rate from a time when there was a much greater gap...what many Canadians don't realize is that when we had a really weak dollar, many manufacturers were signigicantly subsidizing the Canadian pricing as they couldn't pass on the "true" cost or we would have seen massive retail price increases. Now that the exchange rate is closer, we're seeing more realistic pricing. Costing on this type of product is usually only adjusted once or twice a year. It is way, way too hard to change it from a pure accounting and logistics point of view...think of how many different people and departments are involved in setting a price list from the manufacturer to the distributor to the diveshop...coordination with multiple computer systems, accounting departments etc becomes a nightmare all down the line...it isn't a few keystrokes from anyone.
Also much of the time buying is done way in advance of shipping but payment is made well after the goods are received.
Many people don't realize all the different factors which make doing business in Canada so expensive and what makes some avenues of consumer goods look really out-of-line. Our transportation costs are significantly higher than the US. Our warehouse costs are higher. The dollar fluctuation and GST add another level of problems. Business taxes tend to be higher. Minimum wages are higher. Each of these is a piece of the puzzle.
Sometimes it becomes way to simplistic to not realize that the general retail playing field in Canada (not just scuba) can have some significant handicaps if you are doing a direct comparison to a US retailer.
Jimmer
Contributor
I just bought the last two Oceanic Omega's from LeisurePro, they shipped them UPS, and I got nailed $95 for duty fees. I dont know how that might have changed had they been shipped USPS, but I'm definetly going to find out the next time I order something online from the U.S.
The Horn
Contributor
Try divetank and see what they can do. Bought a set of BARE CT-200 undies and the cheapest I could get was 299 plus tax and Richard at dive tank got them to me for 235taxes and shipping included. great deal and only 4 days to come across the country. plus no other fees
I have included the exchange rate and taxes, I added 25% to the USD total including shipping and brokerage to cover exchange, GST and PST. It's still $600+ CDN more!
Unless there are 300+ more dollars in duties it's a tough pill to swallow to support the LDS.
Just as an example the 3MM suit is 85 USD, the LDS quoted me $175 (about 156 USD)CDN.
Going to get the scoop on the duties and see if I can work something out with my LDS
Unless there are 300+ more dollars in duties it's a tough pill to swallow to support the LDS.
Just as an example the 3MM suit is 85 USD, the LDS quoted me $175 (about 156 USD)CDN.
Going to get the scoop on the duties and see if I can work something out with my LDS
dmblack58:
Similar threads
