I love retailers and their BS scare tactics (sometimes).
Canon warranties are NA wide. Nikon's are country-specific. This is one reason I moved to Canon.
There are NO duties on camera gear - new or used. Just HST - but sometimes not even then, not all USPS items are hit by Customs, ALL couriers collective the taxes on ALL their shipment items.
'Brokerage Fees' are BS extra charges by UPS, etc - if shipped by USPS, no such fees. There are class action suits underway against UPS and FedEx over same.
Talking to Canon Canada directly - as long as you have the receipt showing the camera was bought new in NA - they will warranty work it.
An inquiry yesterday - 5D C$2700, from KEH new US$2100 say C$1900. Rebate checks that never show up matter little. The salesman was as PO'd as I was. Used they are< US$1800 (say C$1600) or so on the Street.
Loyalty is one thing, stupidity is something else entirely.
I have no doubt that the bulk of problem lies with the wholesalers, but if the retailers want to survive, they need to tell their wholesalers/MFGs to wake up and smell the coffee - before it gets bitter.
Rec'd this from Beau Photo (Vancouver) - http://www.beauphoto.com - today as part of their monthly newsletter:
"A Strong Canadian $$ means Good News for You!
Prices are Dropping at Beau Photo.
The Canadian dollar’s recent parity with, then surpassing the US dollar, is providing greater savings for the Beau Photo customers. At this time we are adjusting the prices on all items that we buy from the US. This can mean savings for you of up to 25% ! Customers will also have to remember that even though many products come up from the “States”, we can not buy direct from all US manufacturers. Many Canadian companies hold the distribution rights to these products, and they dictate the prices that we pay for them, which is sometimes almost as much as what they are selling for in the US. We are working with these distributors. A few have been very quick on acting on the strong Canadian dollar, and others have not.
Daymen Marketing for example is offering instant rebates on Sekonic and Pocket wizard products, making them very competitive with the US prices. When you are comparing our prices with the US prices, please don’t forget we
often pay duty on items brought across the border and shipping costs are constantly going up and up. One last thing to consider if you are thinking of doing a little cross border shopping, especially on electronics, warranty repairs will have to be sent back to the place of purchase. Also companies like Nikon and Canon are refusing to repair cameras brought up from the US, directing people to send them to their US counterparts."
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