Are you still buying in the USA? Why?
 

With our dollar being at par, the only reason you should be buying in the US is if there is a product you can not find here OR if your buying large amounts. We have a couple of suppliers in the states whom we deal with on a monthly basis and we need to buy $5000+ to make it profitable. We try to keep the shipping/duty/brokerage cost between 8 and 12% of the total sale.

As a hobbiest you cant possibly be saving money from buying US, can you? Check out this site, it is pretty accurate http://www.thefinalcost.com/shipments/calculate/

On 2 occasions this weekend we were asked to match a US retailers price. Both times we were actually cheaper when calculating the TRUE cost of the US item delivered to your door. 90% of the time UPS will be handling your US/CA border brokering. If you buy a $200 item you need to add $25 just for brokering, then you have shipping, Disbursement fees and Visa fees. Visa charges about 2.5% conversion fees.

Being Sunday, I'll be back and forth all day so my replies will be delayed.

Please discuss

Ray

I don't even look at US prices. I have a network of vendors I deal with that take care of me, and saving a couple of bucks isn't worth the price of not supporting the companies that are there for me when I need something.

Well said

I feel much safer buying as close to home as possible. I like to be able to see what I'm buying before I spend and also I would like to make any warranty work as simple as possible.

My local fish store sells the halides I use for $130 and up a piece, sorry I can get them online for a less than half. There markup and then theres gouging.

Sometimes you just can't buy it in Canada, nobody has a decent supply of JohnGuest fittings or refillable media cartridges, so, once in a while I order from BRS, other than that, it`s All Canadian for me.
I live on the border but have no desire to go to the US, I have no passport, no nexus, no nothing, TOOOOOO many guns overthere.

I also ordered bulbs from the us before until one shipment showed up and 2 bulbs did not work. They said that with bulb a there was nothing they could do so I was left holding the bag.

So you buy them in the US..no one here has them?

Yepp, warranty is another good reason to buy here.

I agree that for some reason RO equipment is hard to find here. This is why we decided to bring in Spectrapure in May.

I only buy from the US when I can't find what I'm looking for here..... but having said that I have to pay shipping costs for whatever I buy and anything I do get from the States I get shipped usps and the brokerage fee is only $5
eg. I bought 3 phoenix 250K mogul bulbs from premium aquatics and after including all shipping costs they came to under 70$ can.each and to top it off canada post must of messed up because they left the parcel on my doorstep without collecting their brokerage fee or the taxes :lol:

+1 for me.

I think that another point that should be made is keeping the $$ local. I have a LFS that I go to whenever I can in hopes that a good store owner can stay in business. I'm glad this hobby doesn't have a walmart mentality yet, and I hope it never will.
Here's to the little fish in big water :lol:

Can't realy beat that..I assume they were on sale? PA sells then at $69.99.

Our (and lot's of other CA stores) MH 250K mogul are a tad over $70.

Ray

I kind of agree with Marie. I don't have a LFS that deals with much of what I use (actually don't even have one here in Port Alberni). All they have is some Hagen tests and Tailored Aquatics supplements. When you consider the price of Salifert tests and BRS's alk, Ca and Mg, even with the shipping I pay about a third of what it costs me locally, not including the minimum hours drive to get anything at $1.37/l for gas.

Oh, it absolutely does now! So many people quibble over a couple of bucks. Sure, I can get that item at J&L for 3 bucks cheaper, but now I no longer have a store up the road to go browse around. I always try to buy locally first and support the stores that let me hang out with my coffee and poke around with the products.

At the time I was looking for the single ended Phoenix bulbs and the only ones I could find in Canada were double ended. The weren't on sale, the regular price was $64.95

Well I might as well be the bad guy. I'm all for supporting the Canadian economy, and local shops, however when I can buy something online and have it show up to my door for half price compared to buying in Canada, I'm gonna do it. Here's a perfect example, I wanted to get new tires for my car and would have paid $4800 for just tires from the dealerships or local tire shops. There was also a back order until the end of June for the back tires. I order online on a monday from tire rack, and they show up to my door on Friday, for$2200!!!!

I live in south Langley, and the Pac Hwy border crossing is only 15 min for me. That's way closer than J&L. I use a freight forwarding whse in Blaine to pick up my online purchases. I choose my times to cross, so line-ups are not a problem.

Having said that, I still buy locally or online in Canada whenever possible and if the price is not too far out of line. In fact, I have found that J&L prices are sometimes equal or better than online from the US, incl BRS. Most times I buy online from the US, is when something isn't available locally, and then while I am at it, I usually stock up on a few other items.

To keep customers local, LFS's should offer to bring in special purchases at close to or equal US online prices, even if they don't make a profit. That way they will keep the customer coming back, and buying other stuff, that otherwise would have been lost sales.

It will never get there, this hobby is to personal (for a lack of a better term).

It has however gotten much more accessible and will continue to do so. Competition is VERY strong and that is what drives manufactures to make new products, better products and products that are accessible to the masses.

Back 12-15 years ago we had 1 maybe 2 reef stores in Montreal, live rock was $20 a pound and seaclone skimmers were at the top of their game, heh!

Ray

I agree. While I understand this won't make a LFS rich, it will keep customers. I don't mind paying 10-15% more to have it local, heck for some things, even 20% but when things cost 100-200% more, sorry.

Have to disagree.

Yes, we get the occasional client locking to save 5 bucks BUT most of the time we are talking about 10-15-20% differences in price for the same products. If my client can save 10-15% elsewhere, he should take it...he is a fool if he does not.

Completely different animal. The car biz in Canada is out of whack it's pathetic.

Had a buddy who bought a brand new FX45 in the US, he saved $18K with the $ being at par! Thats $18K after all the paper work, duty and day time running lights instaled!

I buy BRS because I have yet to find certain products at the same or lower cost AFTER shipping is tallied.

I bought a JBJ ATO for $100 Shipped. Nobody was even close locally or even Canada wide, that I found anyways.

I am not rich, so I don't care who gets the end result as long as it's the best price.

If someone in Canada gets on board and realizes the dollar is on par, maybe they would stop over charging. Just my opinion.

I'm pro Canada, but more pro-money in the bank.

This is obvious to most people.

Anyone who justified spending 25% more, please send me your money, cause you don't need it. Lol.

+1.

My closest LFS is 90 minutes away, went there this weekend and bought some things, wife likes a road trip now and then.
There is one 10 minutes away in the US, but we won`t go there.

I think I've just been called a fool. :) Just kidding :D

The dollar being at par helps but that's not the only issue. The big issue is duty, shipping and brokering. The JBJ products are made in China so we pay 7% duty on that right off the bat, then we have to ship them here and pay brokering fees. Any NON US product cost us Canadians 7% more sine US made are duty free.

With that being said, the JBJ would have cost you about $110 at our store (free shipping over $175).

Ok, some products maaaaay be cheaper in the US, but not by very much at all.

Ray

heh :razz:

Actualy we are the fools casue we will price match anyway, heh!

I guess for me, having a LFS is a luxury. If an item costs $120 locally, I can go pick it up right now, I'd rather do that than order online for $100.
It's just the way I shop...

Agreed. I am very impatient lol

Heading off to Sunday lunch...will be back later. I look forward to reading more!

Ray

Well here's one of the biggest items I use that gets my shorts in a knot about buying things for my tank. A 1L bottle of dkh Plus from my LFS costs me $34.99. I dose 50 ml per day so I need to buy 1 bottle every 20 days. I have never been in there yet when they've had the 1 gallon jug because it's too expensive to keep it on the shelf and for some reason most times they can't get it regularly. At BRS, I buy the 7 lbs tub that makes 7-8 gallons for $17.99. For me to purchase 7 gallons of my LFS product it would cost me around $900. I just can't afford to shop local (if an hour's drive is considered local).

There are countless online retailers not only in Canada but on this board (Red Coral, J&L, CACO2REEF...) that will ship bulk chemicals right to your door. I agree though, BRS does have some amazing deals and considering there is really no source for ROX carbon in Canada they are a viable option.

Well, I think there's always exceptions, and I too would buy elsewhere to save over $800 :) Regional access to "local" also needs to be considered. Time, gas, etc factor in...
In general though, most items at a LFS will be reasonably comparable to online/US prices. IME...

I use 100% arm and hammer baking soda, bought a 50lb bag at a local bulk food store for $50, makes about 50 gals.

i try to shop local but i wont pay double or even triple the price of what i can get it out of the states for and that's the after shipping costs per unit

I'd rather keep my $$ in my community, i have yet to buy onlin,e this next frag-a-lot order will be my first online order. and its still located in canada.

Don't get me wrong, so would I. And I stop in my LFS every time I drive through, and almost never leave without buying something. But for the big stuff I use a lot of, (stuff you would think they would sell at a lower margin because of the volume) I just can't afford to buy there.

Reef supplies: 90% Canadian 80% local now with golds and concept open here

Tires, cars, clothes, etc. I still by in the US. Price difference is huge on many of these items still.

I definately can understand that, and i yet have to be faced with that.

In the late 90's and early 2000's I had no choice but to order many of the supplies from the States ... Fast forward to 2012, I haven't needed to do so in probably 7 or 8 years now, except for maybe the occasional BRS order (they really are the gold standard for some things). But otherwise the supply in Canada has improved hugely. In general I'd rather support local and/or Canadian though. I consider most of the vendors I deal with to be "friends" and while it may not be possible 100% of the time, I try to weight my choices in the direction that supports them. It's a tough business to be in..