Canadian $ on par with US $
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This is terrible for Canadas manufacturing sector and indeed for any Canadian enterprise that sells to the US.
Remember boys and girls, Canada has a huge trade surplus with our neighbors to the South.
Factories are closing folks and people are losing their jobs.
Before you wring your hands in glee at the prospect of buying goods cheaply in Buffalo or Detroit you might want to consider that.
Also it's important to consider that it's really not that our dollar is strong, but that the US dollar has plumeted.
I'm hoping a change in administration in Washington will turn things around.
Remember boys and girls, Canada has a huge trade surplus with our neighbors to the South.
Factories are closing folks and people are losing their jobs.
Before you wring your hands in glee at the prospect of buying goods cheaply in Buffalo or Detroit you might want to consider that.
Also it's important to consider that it's really not that our dollar is strong, but that the US dollar has plumeted.
I'm hoping a change in administration in Washington will turn things around.
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1,650 Posts
Anyone gleeful that this will mean an instant lowering of prices for American-made goods had better give their head a shake. It will take some time for inventory bought pre-parity to clear the distribution channels.
On the other hand, I am glad that it means that my Apple gear will be less expensive than they used to be.
On the other hand, I am glad that it means that my Apple gear will be less expensive than they used to be.
The place I have worked for the past 20 years is indeed in peril due to this parity. Our "weaker" dollar of the past was a huge incentive for US customers to buy our goods. 1100 well paying jobs are at stake here and I hope the dollar falls or the US dollar climbs very quickly.....
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187 Posts
I'm one of those guys that lost their job when my factory closed down.....I can't afford any amps or guitars.....
We may be one small step closer to a "North American Economic Union"
Maybe it's time that we started to work on expanding and increasing our trading partners a bit instead of being so reliant on the americans to purchase our goods. The cattle industry has started doing that since the whole border shutdown mad cow fiasco and it has been working fairly well and more and more cattle being sold to other countries instead of the us.
G
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·I'll be curious to see if this impacts the price of books in Canada....
Only if there is enough rukus, else wise it'll be business as usual. I wonder if when you buy a book and it lists the Can and US amounts if you said you'd like to pay in US funds. :smilie_flagge17:
I was talking about ordering second-hand stuff off Ebay, not doing all your shopping in the US.
Besides, I doubt many regular Canadians will lose as much as I have because of the exchange rate. Remember, I live abroad and I plan on returning to Canada soon. I just don't want to remember what the exchange rate was when I bought my home here.
Besides, I doubt many regular Canadians will lose as much as I have because of the exchange rate. Remember, I live abroad and I plan on returning to Canada soon. I just don't want to remember what the exchange rate was when I bought my home here.
I don't think it's just the exchange rate. It's quite possible that Canadian retailers don't get as good a deal as American retailers because of the relatively small volume that they order...and since they don't sell as many books, they have to sell their books at a higher price in order to cover their costs.
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17,948 Posts
I'm taking a different approach. I'm working half as hard and planning on retiring when I reach 100.
Let me know if your dad needs a replacement when you retire, LOL.
G
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·http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/09/21/shopping-parity.html?ref=rss
"Book prices won't reflect exchange rate until 2008" Consumer Yoland Antione in Toronto said she was surprised to see such a significant difference in book prices. One book she was browsing was listed as $12.95 in the U.S. and $18.95 in Canada.
"That's six dollars. That's a lot of money," she said. "[I won't] be paying that."
Ian Donker, the owner of the independent chain Book City, said he's been fielding many complaints about pricing lately.
"It hurts the local bookseller when you have this price disparity printed on the book and all our other costs have stayed the same," he said.
But consumers shouldn't expect book prices to reflect the new exchange rate until the new year, said Tracy Turriff, vice-president of corporate communications for Random House Canada.
"The price changes that we've made now to reflect the current exchange rate will appear on books that are going on sale in early 2008," she said."
"Book prices won't reflect exchange rate until 2008" Consumer Yoland Antione in Toronto said she was surprised to see such a significant difference in book prices. One book she was browsing was listed as $12.95 in the U.S. and $18.95 in Canada.
"That's six dollars. That's a lot of money," she said. "[I won't] be paying that."
Ian Donker, the owner of the independent chain Book City, said he's been fielding many complaints about pricing lately.
"It hurts the local bookseller when you have this price disparity printed on the book and all our other costs have stayed the same," he said.
But consumers shouldn't expect book prices to reflect the new exchange rate until the new year, said Tracy Turriff, vice-president of corporate communications for Random House Canada.
"The price changes that we've made now to reflect the current exchange rate will appear on books that are going on sale in early 2008," she said."
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598 Posts
You may find this useful... (cutnpaste from elsewhere)
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http://www.ucanimport.com/ or my friends detailed instructions.....
1. Pick your vehicle - I used ebay, but then contacted the dealer directly. I also used autotrader.com. Avoid private deals no matter how tempting!! Also, to make it worthwhile, I found that the car has to be at least $30,000 CAD. Financing makes it MUCH more complicated - if necessary, I would get a line of credit through the bank and get a car loan AFTER the car is in Canada.
2. Check to see if your vehicle can be imported - most can, but it depends on age and seatbelts. This info is on riv.ca. This website walks you through requirements.
3. Check to see if you will pay duty. Cars built in Canada, US and Mexico are duty free. Japan is 6.1% duty. Check the VIN number - if it starts with a number 1,2,3,4 it is built in N. America. If it starts with J, it is Japanese built. It was a struggle for me to find the duty rates on foreign built cars. I had to phone Customs and Border Services Agency (CBSA). If duties need to be paid, this can hurt the financial transaction of the deal. (Some cars like Honda Accords are built in US and Japan, therefore, pick a US built VIN)
4. I chose not to have the car shipped. Into Canada, it's another $1,000 USD at least and brokers fees may kill you, so I drove mine.
5. Get a recall letter from the American manufacturer. This is critical. Also do a Carfax report - this is well worth the $20.
6. Phone the DMV in the state of which you are purchasing to see 2 things - if an In-Transit permit can be obtained so it can be driven out of the state and secondly, if a car being taken out of state is subject to state sales taxes. California is a bad one - they charge 7.25% state taxes if you are going to drive out of the lot regardless of where it will be registered - I bought my car in Illinois where I didn't have to pay the sales tax. FYI - Montana, Oregon, West Virginia do not have any sales taxes, so a vehicle purchased there is real easy.
BREAK
Do all those steps before making a deal with the seller
7. Buy car. DO NOT wire money. DO NOT pay a deposit with a credit card. If a deposit is required, fedex a cashier's check AFTER the seller fedexes a buyers order or a bill of sale that clearly states the deposit.
8. Get insurance from your Canadian insurance company - make sure you're covered in the states. All I needed was a VIN number and they faxed me the temporary insurance papers.
9. Get Alberta In-Transit permit (good in all of Canada). $25 for 7 days beginning the day you bring the car over the border. You need a copy of the sales receipt for this.
10. Get the US in-transit permit - the dealer hooked me up with this one. $10 in Illinois for 7 days
11. Take a certified cheque with you - the dealer may need to verify with the bank. I faxed a copy ahead of time.
12. When you are at the dealer, you NEED the ORIGINAL certificate of title. My dealer wanted to send it directly to Alberta registry and I had to fight to get it. In the US, proof of ownership is the title. The seller will sign the back of it over to you and you sign as well.
13. You have to fax documentation to US customs 3 days in advance - they have a worksheet that is not on the internet, so I had to phone and they sent it to me. I filled it out and faxed it, and the certificate of title to US customs.
14. Now you have 3 days of sightseeing. I spent an average of $125 hotel/food. Gas was $50 per day.
15. Crossing the border - stop at US customs first - provide the original certificate of title, they check the file, check the VIN on the systems, then physically check the cars VIN to the paperwork - this has to be an exact match.
16. Canada customs - do the normal declaration of goods and tell the agent you are importing the car. Go inside with the bill of sale. They will check the "red book" on the value. I bought mine for $27,000 USD ($29,000 CAD), but the book said $35,000 CAD. They are concerned that I may have paid $5,000 "under the table" HOWEVER, I had a bill of sale from a reputable dealer, I also had the original internet add AND I kept the sales price sticker that was in the window. The Cad customs agent could not argue the price I paid.
17. Fill out Form 1 at customs
18. CAD customs charged me the 6.1% duty, $100 air conditioning fee and GST (GST was applied to the cost of the car in Cad $, the duty and the a/c fee). Pay by credit card.
19. Park car in garage and wait for Customs to mail Form 2 (within 10 days).
This is what I'm waiting to do . . .
20. Take Form 1 and Form 2 to Canadian Tire to get federally inspected - no charge. Make repairs to bring to code - since I did all my research ahead of time, my car needs no repairs.
21. Take Form 1 and Form 2 to mechanic to get provincially inspected.
22. Register car.
23. Wait for Canadian Compliance sticker and put on doorframe.
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1,381 Posts
Be carefull importing cars, there were allot of cars that have flood damage that hit the market and they have endless issues. No experience, just a 20/20 kind of show I saw a while back.
Many dealers in border towns will do all the paperwork for you. Example, the Peace Arch crossing (White Rock, BC) saw over 1,700 cars imported in the last 12 months. Dont you think if it was so bad doing so, people would have stopped?
I manufacture, wheel and deal in parts and this par dollar is a boom. My exports have INCREASED... so I play a very, very small fiddle for those manufacturers not capable (or willing) to adapt. Darwin's law of business I guess :wink:
I manufacture, wheel and deal in parts and this par dollar is a boom. My exports have INCREASED... so I play a very, very small fiddle for those manufacturers not capable (or willing) to adapt. Darwin's law of business I guess :wink:
the dollar will eventually go back to normal
but your all miss the big picture,jump on it while you can
nice guitars for cheap,and dont order them online,then you have to pay
all the duties and taxes,drive down spent some time,buy a guitar throw some
sickers on a case or bring a case with you,then come home,they dont know how long you have owned that guitar,im looking at getting some sub bins
from the states,from music123
but your all miss the big picture,jump on it while you can
nice guitars for cheap,and dont order them online,then you have to pay
all the duties and taxes,drive down spent some time,buy a guitar throw some
sickers on a case or bring a case with you,then come home,they dont know how long you have owned that guitar,im looking at getting some sub bins
from the states,from music123
Joined
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1,081 Posts
Why are cars that are manufactured in Canada still thousands of dollars more than in the USA?
Eg: 2008 Dodge Charger SXT (made in Windsor)
CDN MSRP: $34,995
USA MSRP: $26,585
Difference: $8,410!!!!!! (30%)
Source: dodge.ca / dodge.com
That is obscene!
Why does a Mexican made Fender retail for hundreds more in Canada vs the USA? (eg: MIM Standard Telecaster: CDN $499, USA $399)
Sorry, but there's a number of industries that take advantage of Canadians and the time honored excuse of "well, the Canadian dollar is weaker!" just doesn't hold water any longer.
Eg: 2008 Dodge Charger SXT (made in Windsor)
CDN MSRP: $34,995
USA MSRP: $26,585
Difference: $8,410!!!!!! (30%)
Source: dodge.ca / dodge.com
That is obscene!
Why does a Mexican made Fender retail for hundreds more in Canada vs the USA? (eg: MIM Standard Telecaster: CDN $499, USA $399)
Sorry, but there's a number of industries that take advantage of Canadians and the time honored excuse of "well, the Canadian dollar is weaker!" just doesn't hold water any longer.
Joined
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187 Posts
I also see that having our dollar at par hasn't affected any of the USED prices on the USED stuff in our own emporium.
Okay, about book prices. I was in Chapters the other day and found a book on guitars that was listed at $25.95 US, and $38.95 Can, considering the par value of the dollar I found this annoying and didn't buy it. Now I'm wondering, what if I walked in there and tried to buy it with US funds would they have to sell it to me for $25.95? Anybody know?
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