Has nothing to due with US vs Canadian dollar. It has to due with fees added by the Canadian Government. I forget the names but your dealer or someone that knows the policies can likely fill in in on the exact info. It is also why a US dealer will not sell to a Canadian and if you were to try to get around they will get you for the fees at the border crossings.

 

Not totally true. If I have a US friend to buy it at the dealer and sell it to me. I can come across the border a pay some tax and minor fees and still save a bundle!

 

I thought the CA dollar was strong right now!

 

What really burns my butt is the fact that Canadian made products are more expensive in Canada than the US. Take a look at the price of Skidoo products. Made in Canada by Canadians suported with our tax dollars to bail them out more than once, and we still have to pay more. Just like the cost of gas our taxes on the stuff are wayyyyyy higher than the US. I`m paying $1.33 a litre. 15 minuts across the boarder from vancouver it cost`s 95 cents

 

Well said we have as taxpayers been supporting Bombardier for eons,we are Canadians and pay through the nose for our own products.

 

But you have free Health care,higher taxes I guess...

 

Sadly no our health care is not free, it's universal which means you can't be refused help but it's far from free. Most of the income tax in Canada goes to it and if you don't have extended health coverage ( which you have to pay for out of your own pocket ) You will be issued a bill for services and drugs. If a person makes less than $25000 a year I believe your basic heath cost are covered but you still have to pay for things like crutches, drugs ect.. all the extra stuff. I make an average of $55000 pr. yr. my employer pays 73% of my extended coverage. I however still have to pay appoxmatly $130 pr. month off my check for my family of four and I only get 80% of the cost of prescriptions reambersed. I have many relative in the US. and they can't figure out why if I'm making $27 pr. hr. how come I'm not rolling in extra cash. $1.30pr. ltr for fuel is just the tip of the iceberg. I just did my taxes for the year after all of the deductions off my cheque my pay went from $55000 down to less than $40000. and I still have to pay 12% tax on everything I buy over and above the higher prices. I,m not trying to rant I would just like to clear up a few misconceptions. If I buy a sled at $13999 once I get it out the door and home it will cost me over$17000 after the taxes and thats if I pay cash You don't even want to know what the financing percentage's are , it would put me over $20000 for even the basic sled.

 

Why? Here's Why.

When I import from the US I don't use banks for my US dollars I use a broker, we agree on an amount and a time period and then get a locked in rate on our money. It does not matter what happens on the open market our money is locked in. So the broker is betting our dollar (cdn) will rise we are betting it will be the same or less, right now the brokers are ahead, but that can change and does over time. What I get for my business is peace of mind and I can but a business plan together for a year at a time with out being dinged on the market every time you need to exchange money.

The other factor that plays into the whole game is the value of the US dollar, right now the Cdn dollar is maybe up only slightly but the US dollar has fallen big time. This is what you see when you compare the US dollar to other Moneys around the world etc. Why does this make an effect, it's because most big items prices are built in US dollars as the dollar falls on world markets the price for parts to produce goes up, even in Cdn dollars and in turn you see a difference in prices. Most companies in wholesale are having a hard time and are breaking even or loosing in the US market right now, they don't believe the economy can support a major correction on prices right now. This is what can cause inflation in a recovery down the road, tons of catch-up on the wholesale side.

Another factor is volume vs transportation, the US transportation system is unmatched around the world and Canada is only 10% the size but the distance from east to west is the same and as one might expect we simply don't have as many choices when it come to moving our goods so we pay a higher price. Mostly we pay about 50% higher rates in Canada for trucking vs the US. And this is only the begining, there are tons more things that effect the retail price as well, a good example in Canada you don't have illegals to get the bum jobs done on the cheap so again you pay more. For example one product we import it costs us $300 USD to prep and repaint inside and out, in Canada the same job costs $850 CDN this all gets pasted on to the last guy in line our customers.

Hope I didn't bore you to much but these are some things importers deal with everyday, and I haven't even talked about duty and taxes and brokerage fees, wages, benefits and it just goes on.

P.S. several sugar products we import from the US had a duty increase last November from 5% to 125%. No warning just Canada and the US having a little war over cake toppers.

 

I have to agree with the prices being a little out of line, with our dollar being higher, it should be at least par. My mother works at TD, and from what she's heard, it sounds like $1.00 Canadian Dollar, will be worth $1.50 USD, by the fall of this year. If by that time the prices of products have not changed. Then i'm going to go to the states and buy everything i need.

 

its all bs politics. remember 2 years ago when the ca buck was worth more than us. car manufacturers banned canucks from crossing the line and buying vehicles. why?? cause us prices are already lower.doesnt make any sense.