Canon 1D series in Canada

[Phuong]

when i look up the prices of these cameras at two largest camera stores in Canada, Vistek and Henrys, i can't help but thinking, how could they get sold? the 1D3, for instance, sells at 4,499USD at B&H, while at Vistek, it is 5,699CND plus tax (around 6,450CND or 6,160USD after tax).

i mean, if i spent a weekend taking a bus (from Montreal or Toronto) to New York, going to B&H and buy the camera, going back, paying custom duties for it if i had to... the total amount wouldn't even exceed 5,000CND.

[Kenneth Sky]

especially at to-day's rate of C$1.00 =US$.93 but no retail support

[Krug]

I would always hesitate before matching my maths against anyone else's but I wonder if Phuong's calculations are right??

 My calculation was more like this:

$4499 US needs to have 6% NY sales tax added which B+H will not sell without adding which =

$4769 US  - convert at 0.92 ( you will be very lucky to get anywhere near this rate on a credit card
                  and carrying this amount of cash around is for the brave - even if NY's crime rate is
                  lower than it used to be !) =

$5184 Can. - add 14% at the border ( ignoring any processing charge that they are free to make at their discretion ) =

$5910 Can.  

You MAY get your NY sales tax back at the border ( how patient can you be?) but that would only reduce it by $293 Can to a total of $5617 Can .

Whilst I too get very frustrated by the disparity in many prices - especially lens where, although Canon warranty applies to "North America" ( unlike some!), the logistics of service support are less of a problem - in this case I will buy Canadian.

Especially as having ordered when the Mk III was first announced my supplier has agreed to stick to the $5000 Can. price that was first quoted which with tax added will be $5700 Can. - and I know there will be locally available support which may well be necessary with a newly introduced complex product.

However if you would like a bus trip to NYC enjoy !! I might well come with you but for the joys of the city not to buy a Mk III - though a lens or two could be a really worthwhile saving.........

[wolfnowl]

paying custom duties for it if i had to...

Just a quick note on this.  If you bring something like the MIII into Canada and decide NOT to pay customs charges, etc. and the government finds out, you will be stuck paying the total cost of the camera (again), plus the applicable duties and taxes, plus a fine, AND customs has the right to confiscate the equipment as well.  And there's a five year time span involved.

Is it worth it?  Not to me...

Mike.

[Phuong]

im not saying i'll evade custom duties. i'm just frustrating that price disparity is too much.
even with Krug's calculation, 5,910 is still much lower than 5,699 plus tax ($550 to $600 difference at least).

and note that i can always do internet order, in which case i dont have to pay 6% NY tax. actually this is probably even cheaper than paying a bus trip.

4,499 convert at 0.92 rate equals 4,890
plus 14% equals 5,575
plus $40 shipping, that's 5,615. compared to 6,468 (5,699 plus tax. assume tax 13.5%)

[Samotano]

im not saying i'll evade custom duties. i'm just frustrating that price disparity is too much.
even with Krug's calculation, 5,910 is still much lower than 5,699 plus tax ($550 to $600 difference at least).

and note that i can always do internet order, in which case i dont have to pay 6% NY tax. actually this is probably even cheaper than paying a bus trip.

4,499 convert at 0.92 rate equals 4,890
plus 14% equals 5,575
plus $40 shipping, that's 5,615. compared to 6,468 (5,699 plus tax. assume tax 13.5%)
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=120539\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

h
I too have the same problem with the same camera body! Does anyone know exactly how much taxes+fees are charged by Canada Custom? Is there any difference in ordering from the US via internet or actually crossing the border in terms of taxes? I have been looking for this information on the gov.t website but wasn't able to find the official info. I live in AB. Also does anyone know if there are ways to save money (e.g. perhaps clearing custom yourself instead of having a fedex/ups broker do it)?

[chez]

Try the Camera Store in Calgary. $6031.35 shipped to my door.

[Phuong]

Try the Camera Store in Calgary. $6031.35 shipped to my door.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=120558\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

can you give me their website

[wolfnowl]

im not saying i'll evade custom duties.

Sorry... my post wasn't directed at you personally - just an FYI for people in general.  Hell, there used to be places in Quebec (don't live east anymore) where there were uncontrolled crossings - one stopped in at the local office to declare things.

Mike.

P.S.  To Samotano, try:  http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/menu-e.html

[chez]

can you give me their website
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

[a href=\"https://www.thecamerastore.com/]https://www.thecamerastore.com/[/url]

[dmg]

im not saying i'll evade custom duties. i'm just frustrating that price disparity is too much.
even with Krug's calculation, 5,910 is still much lower than 5,699 plus tax ($550 to $600 difference at least).

and note that i can always do internet order, in which case i dont have to pay 6% NY tax. actually this is probably even cheaper than paying a bus trip.

4,499 convert at 0.92 rate equals 4,890
plus 14% equals 5,575
plus $40 shipping, that's 5,615. compared to 6,468 (5,699 plus tax. assume tax 13.5%)
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=120539\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Buy from Alberta. You save 7% tax.

dmg

[LTremblay]

Ouch!

That's costly.

I'm Canadian but I live in Shanghai since 2005. Here, I bought my 1D Mk III for 32000 RMB which equals to about 4450$ Can. That include any sale taxes....

For the price you listed, you could almost come here to pick it up.... Moreover, there is no shortage of Mk III here, you can find them on the shelves of most shops.

With the strenght of the Canadian dollar, I assumed prices would have fallen down a bit but it seems it's not the case.



Louis

[jeffok]

Just a quick note on this.  If you bring something like the MIII into Canada and decide NOT to pay customs charges, etc. and the government finds out, you will be stuck paying the total cost of the camera (again), plus the applicable duties and taxes, plus a fine, AND customs has the right to confiscate the equipment as well.  And there's a five year time span involved.

Is it worth it?  Not to me...

Mike.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=120476\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

First of all, there are no customs duties bringing camera equipment into Canada from the U.S. There is of course, GST of 6%. If you are in Alberta like me, there is no PST either. New York taxes don't apply. With the dollar now at $0.94 and even adding shipping costs, you will savve hundreds of dollars on a major purchase of camera/lenses. Why would anyone buy in Canada? For service perhaps, but B&H and others allow returns within 10-14 days I believe.

It's time for the camera manufacturers to adjust their prices in Canada to reflect the increase in the dollar- otherwise their dealers will continue to be hurt by increasing parallel imports.

[djgarcia]

BTW, NY tax is 8.25% not 6%,  don't we wish  .

I paid NY tax at B&H when I got my 1Ds II for the possibility of needing customer support in case of problems. With something this expensive I feel it's better to not be penny wise, but then I'm a bit paranoid ...

[Khurram]

If i wasn't a CPS member and didn't get the 1DIII camera at the CPS price, i would never have bought the camera in canada.

Getting the camera shipped from B&H or Adorama would be at most $4600USD shipped, which with today's exchange rate (for arguments sake let's say it is $1.10 - even though it actually is lower now) works out to around $5060.  

As long as the camera is shipped via fedex air (I've found UPS air is hit and miss, as they always try to tack on brokerage charges that should only be paid for ground shipments), the only thing you pay is the GST - which you have to pay anyways if you purchase in canada (i'm in alberta, so there isn't any pst).  I don't know why you people are even considering tax implications, since you are going to pay the GST (and PST if you are anywhere but Alberta), if you buy the camera in canada.

Considering the exchange rate, Canon canada is gouging, they finally did get around to adjusting there lens pricing to make it a bit more attractive to buy in canada,  but their camera prices are usually out to lunch.  

A friend of mine is looking at getting the xti (i think he said it was around $930 in canada), and after a quick web search, we found the camera is around $665 at adorama.  That's almost a $250 difference when you factor in the exchange rate.  If he buys it in the states the body alone saves him $200 (after factoring in shipping and the exchange rate).  Considering that he is looking at also getting the 10-22 and the 17-55, 430 flash and filters, he is going to probably save around $400 to $500 buying from the states.

I did get my 1DIII, 580EX II, 16-35LII and 5D in the past few months in Canada, but that was only bcoz i got cps pricing on the 16-35, 1DIII, 580 EX II.

The 5D was actually cheaper then the USA, since futureshop had a $300 instant rebate that i combined with the $350 rebate that canon had.

Add in the fact that canon is restricting early shipments to CPS members (this would have been irrelevant to me, since i was already #2 on Vistek's list), i don't understand why a non-cps member would buy in canada.

I don't mind paying a little bit extra to get the better service, as i tend to buy a lot of accessories in canada, but i sure the heck wouldn't be willing bend over and pay the differential canon canada is charging.

[Conner999]

Blame Canon Canada or Retailers or both, but no excuses for the price disparity on some cameras/glass.

No duties on new/used gear when ordered online (vs. bringing across yourself). Canon warranty is NA wide (vs. Nikon which is country-specific).

When ordering online:

1. US retailer -- US$ price + FX + shipping + GST/PST (say 15% here in NS). Since destined out of state, no state sales tax charged.

So: 1D3       US$4500
      Shipping US$50    (a guess)
                  -----------
      Total      US$4550
      FX          US$273   (roughly C$0.94)
                 ------------
      Total      C$4823
      Tax        C$724     (NS @ 15% HST)
                 -----------
      Total     C$5564

2. CDn Retailer: (C$5600+C$50 delivery)*1.15 = C$6498

That price delta could get you, with some luck a used 70-200/4 IS or 70-200/2.8 or a NICE printer upgrade, etc.

So, is supporting your local retailer & Ottawa worth GIVING AWAY that value? Only with pressure on sales will Canon Cda & retailers push to harmonize prices.

Me, I donate my money to charities, not businesses.

[Conner999]

Oops - forgot the C$5-8 (it seems to vary) 'handling fee' charged by Canada Customs. Hye, it aint' a tax, till it's called 'a tax' right?

[Samotano]

Oops - forgot the C$5-8 (it seems to vary) 'handling fee' charged by Canada Customs. Hye, it aint' a tax, till it's called 'a tax' right?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=122203\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

So, now that is pretty clear how much cheaper it is for Canadians to buy from the US, can people here share some opinions as to various US retailers that will ship to Canada? I have bought a lot of equipment from B&H and found them reliable.  However, their prices tend to be slightly higher than their competitors.  I bought from Adorama too, but don't have any experience with them shipping to Canada.  The lowest prices I found  at Smile Photo, a semi-scam business and while it all went well, I would never buy from them again. What about other retailers that are at the level of B&H???

[Khurram]

So, now that is pretty clear how much cheaper it is for Canadians to buy from the US, can people here share some opinions as to various US retailers that will ship to Canada? I have bought a lot of equipment from B&H and found them reliable.  However, their prices tend to be slightly higher than their competitors.  I bought from Adorama too, but don't have any experience with them shipping to Canada.  The lowest prices I found  at Smile Photo, a semi-scam business and while it all went well, I would never buy from them again. What about other retailers that are at the level of B&H???
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=122211\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

the only stores i'll buy from are Adorama and B&H. I find Adorama has better fed-x shipping rates as, B&H has better rates for UPS, but i find UPS a crap shoot to ship to canada, bcoz they will try and ding you with brokerage costs.

Not worth it buying from anyone else.  Years ago i tried to save money from buying a tokina ATX lens from AAA photo (no longer exists - big surprise!!), and was screwed over royally.

For Canadian shoppers, B&H and Adorama are IMO the only options - there generally aren't any issues returning goods, and they are easy and up front to deal with.

 I have heard you can at times get great deals from Dell and Amazon in the USA, and while there service may be slow, you generally don't have issues returning.  Unfortuately, as a canadian you need to buy from Amazon Canada or Dell Canada, neither of whom sells camera gear (Dell canada does have a very limited offering, which mainly consists of point and shoots).

[trotwood]

I recently purchased a Lumix DMC FZ50. While this is a very low end camera compared to the Mark III it is also subject to the same 'gouging' practices. In fact,
in terms of percentage of mark-up Panasonic is a much worse offender than Canon: the FZ50 is $250 more on the Canadian market which translates to a >30% mark-up Iafter currency conversion).
So, what can be done about this problem? I wrote to Panasonic and they brushed me off with a standard reply: "Please be advised that Panasonic Canada's costs are higher from the factories due to the volume (quantity) that we purchase vs. the volume purchased by the U.S.  Also, Canada has higher tax levies than that of the U.S., which increases our prices as well."
Is anyone aware of any consumer group lobbying for price harmonization? I'd certainly join one. In the meantime, perhaps complaints to Consumer Affairs and MPs will start something.