[mrennie]

Originally Posted by BDHABT

More trouble than it is worth.

It's easy to take that stance when your economy is built on consumer driven commerce and you have access to everything you want at the lowest prices in the world. But I will bet that if you ever needed a rare part that was only available from one location and contacted a seller with cash in hand, only to be told "I don't ship to the US", you would likely see things a bit differently. I know it sure infuriates me when I find that rare item I want and I am told my money isn't good enough. Just like the Fitz and Van book I want to buy...available in the US but Canadians need to buy from a Belgium book store as the US publisher won't ship to Canada...really? Our market is the same size as California...that's a lot of lost opportunity in some cases.

It still amazes me how much cheaper and more competitive the US market is, for anything, due to sheer size. Even things that are made in Canada are often cheaper in the US...which just makes no sense.

Example, I once was buying a replacement cooling unit for my RV and the unit was made in New Brunswick. I called the factory and they gave me 3 dealers in Ontario to call for pricing. All quoted $1100. They made a point of telling me the price was high as they had to pay shipping to get the unit from the factory to them.

Then I found that the factory sold direct to the US market...I called for a quote and was asked where I was calling from...I said Niagara Falls NY...price was $499US, WITH FREE SHIPPING! So I had it shipped to my NY package holding address and picked it up while on vacation. Just plain stupid, but I figured out how to win that game.

Our friends in Australia and New Zealand have it even worse, so every time I cringe at the cost of restoring a musclecar here, I remember that it could be worse.

Funny fact...I have made thousands selling books, parts, & "stuff" on eBay over the years, and 95% of the buyers are in the US...I will take your money any day of the week, and ship it any way you want!!!

[78w72]

Originally Posted by mrennie

It's easy to take that stance when your economy is built on consumer driven commerce and you have access to everything you want at the lowest prices in the world. But I will bet that if you ever needed a rare part that was only available from one location and contacted a seller with cash in hand, only to be told "I don't ship to the US", you would likely see things a bit differently. I know it sure infuriates me when I find that rare item I want and I am told my money isn't good enough. Just like the Fitz and Van book I want to buy...available in the US but Canadians need to buy from a Belgium book store as the US publisher won't ship to Canada...really? Our market is the same size as California...that's a lot of lost opportunity in some cases.

It still amazes me how much cheaper and more competitive the US market is, for anything, due to sheer size. Even things that are made in Canada are often cheaper in the US...which just makes no sense.

Example, I once was buying a replacement cooling unit for my RV and the unit was made in New Brunswick. I called the factory and they gave me 3 dealers in Ontario to call for pricing. All quoted $1100. They made a point of telling me the price was high as they had to pay shipping to get the unit from the factory to them.

Then I found that the factory sold direct to the US market...I called for a quote and was asked where I was calling from...I said Niagara Falls NY...price was $499US, WITH FREE SHIPPING! So I had it shipped to my NY package holding address and picked it up while on vacation. Just plain stupid, but I figured out how to win that game.

Our friends in Australia and New Zealand have it even worse, so every time I cringe at the cost of restoring a musclecar here, I remember that it could be worse.

Funny fact...I have made thousands selling books, parts, & "stuff" on eBay over the years, and 95% of the buyers are in the US...I will take your money any day of the week, and ship it any way you want!!!

im sure thats frustrating but it really comes down to volume for most things like that. the fact that a US retailer buys probably 50+ times more of the product allows the manufacturer to sell it for cheaper... economics 101.

happens in the states too, quick example is tanks inc fuel tanks, they are located & made in a very small town in iowa 20 minutes from me, i looked into buying a tank/pump set up for my firebird, did some research on the best pricing since im on a pretty tight budget for my cars... turns out that buying direct from them & picking it up in person was over $100 more than buying it from summit & having it shipped! i called them & asked why/how that is possible & they explained they have a purchase agreement with summit & jegs etc at much lower prices than selling direct since they buy so much from them. even with the cost of shipping summit is able to sell for a lot lower than if i bought direct from tanks inc & drove 20 miles to pick up.