To any Canadian planning on buying a Canon Digital Cam

The solution to make sure they don't ship to you by UPS. Only buy from a place that has other shipping methods to Canada available. USPS or USPS Express are the best 2 options. The brokerage fees for these 2 methods are flat rates of $5 Cdn and $7.50 Cdn respectively. The UPS brokerage fees can range from a few dollars up to $100 or more. I bought a G3 from B&H in NYC in July and paid only $5 brokerage fee. I saved over $200 on the camera compared to any local stores here in Ottawa even after accounting for shipping and GST/PST. I have since bought a 420ex flash and other items from B&H as well for a good savings vs the local prices.

-Darryl

malibuman said:

what is the brokerage fee and can it be avoided? I can't imagine
how much it would be for a digi cam!

HoTiCE said:

To all you fellow canadians who are planning on buying a Canon, I
advise you guys to buy it online from the US,

1) Prices are MUCH cheaper (I saved 200$ on a PowershotS400)

2) Canon CAnada honors waranties if you bought it from an
Authorized Canon reseller in the USA

3) No custom fees on digital cameras (only pay GST&PST)

4) Canadian loonie has never been higher vs USD as of yesterday

This is an email i got back from a rep @ Canon Canada:

Thank you for your E-mail inquiry.

Canon Canada, Inc. will honour the warranty of a Canon PowerShot S400
purchased from an Authorized Reseller in the USA.

Should you require further assistance, please feel free to email us or
visit our customer support website at http://www.canon.ca

Sincerely,

David
Technical Support Representative
Customer Information Centre
Canon Canada Inc.

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I don't want to degenerate to a political discussion but...

You're right, Canada here does not have the level of competition that the USA has. Partly it's because it's smaller, partly because taxes are higher; there's less of the mentality of DIY cut-throat enterpreneurial spirit and more of the reliance on large business. Heck, even our banks are large timid behemoths that try not to lend to risky little start-ups.

Lest you think this is just Canada, look at further overseas. My impression of Europe is that the prices and customer service and all that (think shop opening hours) are worse that here. (And our bank hours are straight out of the 19th century).

OTOH, the high taxes do try to provide for the fact that I can walk into an emergency room or a doctor's office and get treated (eventually) with a minimum of hassle and no cost to myself.

Is this a fair trade? People will line up on both sides of that arguement.

As one comedian said - "Think of us as unarmed polite Americans with health care."

AdamW said:

Maurice Daniels said:

I think I made my point - USA, cheap; Canada - cost$$$.

Click to expand...

Why that? We're literally paying through the nose even after the
currency conversion difference has been taken into consideration.
It's true that your point is correct, but it's true only for as
long as the Washingtonian hawks don't advocate a strong greenback.
Ironically, we do need a strong greenback because a higher loonie
costs us far more than it benefits.

Prices in Canada are not as competitive as those in the USA because
there are much fewer competition around. Under the 49th Parallel,
there are Fry's, Ritz, Buy.com, Amazon.com, Office Depot, Newegg,
Dell, and dozens, perhaps hundreds, more that compete on the same
products. Canadian prices can be CHEAPER than those in the USA
because most citizens here could not afford the high ticket prices
-- we earn a mere fraction of what the average American makes
annually, and we pay more in taxes than they do.

Fortunately, we don't have to worry about the insurance
cos.-hospital collusion that leave so many Americans without
adequate medical insurance.

Click to expand...

Like I said - for $35 of GST why bother risking it? If you can afford $500 you can afford $35. Heck, if you can afford to travel into the states, you can afford $35.

You still save.

AdamW said:

Civis said:

Get real, this is nickel and dime stuff, not a truckload of
contraband cigarettes. Just register the serial # with Canon at in
internet cafe back in the states after the purchase.

Click to expand...

Better yet, the thing with the serial number is that you don't just
find it on the bottom of the camera, there is one on the warranty
card! I wonder how many people missed just that...

Also, you can just save an email with the serial on it, and
nobody's gonna complain.

Click to expand...

Is that why so many go south of the border with their credit cards in hand, avoiding the wait and the surly staff?

Maurice Daniels said:

OTOH, the high taxes do try to provide for the fact that I can walk
into an emergency room or a doctor's office and get treated
(eventually) with a minimum of hassle and no cost to myself.

Click to expand...

This is only common with things like MRI's where the wait can be many months. We have some private clinics in Canada now that you can pay yourself and get an MRI the same day or a few days later. In places close to the US that don't have these clinics than it is just as easy to get it done in the US.

-Darryl

Civis said:

Maurice Daniels said:

OTOH, the high taxes do try to provide for the fact that I can walk
into an emergency room or a doctor's office and get treated
(eventually) with a minimum of hassle and no cost to myself.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I did read something about some health minister squealing over the idea of private MRI clinics, almost as if he not only wanted everyone to have health care, but he also wanted to make sure that everyone was forced to use the same system, even if they could afford better on top of paying their taxes. Dragging everyone down to a minimum level, so to speak.

We can be fairly sure that this same minister does not live in a home that mirrors what the average Canadian lives in, because he can afford better, so why should he want everyone to use the same health system, if they can afford better? Most of the socialist elites are this type of hypocrite. MasterCard Marxists, Checkbook Communists, Limousine Liberals, et al.

You ought to be able to walk into a clinic 24/7 and see a Doctor within 30 minutes, for any reason you choose, as long as you have cash (or plastic) in hand. Money greases the skids, but when it goes through government bureaucracy, a lot of it gets eaten up before it finally goes where it's supposed to.

darrylr said:

-Darryl

Civis said:

Maurice Daniels said:

OTOH, the high taxes do try to provide for the fact that I can walk
into an emergency room or a doctor's office and get treated
(eventually) with a minimum of hassle and no cost to myself.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I have bought both my digital cameras (A10 & A70) in the US. There is no doubt you can save some money if you go about things the correct way.

Make sure that the US dealer is an authorized dealer and insist that they ship via US Postal Service (with insurance), which is quite cheap. You will then pay a $5.00 handling fee charged by Canada Post plus the GST/PST. If you use a commercial carrier (eg: UPS/FedEx etc) you will pay shipping plus the brokerage fees, usually $25.00 - $50.00 extra.

I bought my A10 online from http://www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com . They ship to Canada and are an extremely honest dealer. I bought my A70 in person in Washington State and even after paying the GST/PST at the border I saved almost $100.00.

Good luck.

[email protected]

brian55 said:

I have bought both my digital cameras (A10 & A70) in the US. There
is no doubt you can save some money if you go about things the
correct way.

Make sure that the US dealer is an authorized dealer and insist
that they ship via US Postal Service (with insurance), which is
quite cheap. You will then pay a $5.00 handling fee charged by
Canada Post plus the GST/PST. If you use a commercial carrier (eg:
UPS/FedEx etc) you will pay shipping plus the brokerage fees,
usually $25.00 - $50.00 extra.

I bought my A10 online from http://www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com . They ship
to Canada and are an extremely honest dealer. I bought my A70 in
person in Washington State and even after paying the GST/PST at the
border I saved almost $100.00.

Good luck.

[email protected]

Click to expand...

Where did you buy it in Washington State? I'm in Victoria, I might do that.

I'm planning on getting a G3 from B+H in a week or so and was wondering if there would be PST or just GST?

BTW: the G3 atB+H is $499 US vs. $999 CDN!!! BIG DIFFERENCE!!

brian55 said:

I have bought both my digital cameras (A10 & A70) in the US. There
is no doubt you can save some money if you go about things the
correct way.

Make sure that the US dealer is an authorized dealer and insist
that they ship via US Postal Service (with insurance), which is
quite cheap. You will then pay a $5.00 handling fee charged by
Canada Post plus the GST/PST. If you use a commercial carrier (eg:
UPS/FedEx etc) you will pay shipping plus the brokerage fees,
usually $25.00 - $50.00 extra.

I bought my A10 online from http://www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com . They ship
to Canada and are an extremely honest dealer. I bought my A70 in
person in Washington State and even after paying the GST/PST at the
border I saved almost $100.00.

Good luck.

[email protected]

Click to expand...

statik01 said:

I'm planning on getting a G3 from B+H in a week or so and was
wondering if there would be PST or just GST?

BTW: the G3 atB+H is $499 US vs. $999 CDN!!! BIG DIFFERENCE!!

Click to expand...

Depends on the province you are in. Some have a deal with Rev Canada (Customs) to collect the PST for them. Sorry I don't have a list although I know that BC does collect. Obviously AB does not

statik01 said:

I'm planning on getting a G3 from B+H in a week or so and was
wondering if there would be PST or just GST?

BTW: the G3 atB+H is $499 US vs. $999 CDN!!! BIG DIFFERENCE!!

Click to expand...

Hi statik, if it is of any interest http://www.tigerdirect.ca is advertising the G-5 at$877 Cdn. No idea what they are like though.

See.. I told you I didn't want this to degenerate into a political debate.

I am of two minds about this. The law explicitly states - private clinics cannot charge over and above the cost of the procedure with Medicare. If there is extra billing, the government pays zero (zilch, nada.)

First the really rich pay extra, then anyone who wants to jump the queue pays, then anyone who has supplemental health care from their employer gets special treatment. It is not a big step from there to the point where only the privileged get health care that we could call acceptable - just like the USA but with high taxes.

Better to spend our collective anger ensuring the public services are adequate for everyone.

What we really should have is a chain of small clinics, where, unless you have a concussion or gangrene, a NURSE should be able to clean and bandage your wound and send you on your way... oh, and immune from malpractice suits.

And that's why we pay GST and duty and usurious income taxes. Ask people here what the cost is for medical insurance in the USofA. Imagine you added that to your tax bill instead, and we're probably close to even.

I don't really find Canadian stores "surly". What I do find is that American stores typically have more stock, more choice, (a lot more stores in each specialty), longer hours, more flexible.

Living in the middle of nowhere, I find that I am expected to accept "oh, we could order that in for you, if you want...maybe we'll have it in 3 weeks..." and "We don't have that, but I can give you a brochure...". Is it any wonder I prefer on-line?

If I'm going to order, it doesn't matter where I order it from. Toronto, Calgary, or New York - it still takes about the same amount of time.

Civis said:

We can be fairly sure that this same minister does not live in a
home that mirrors what the average Canadian lives in, because he
can afford better, so why should he want everyone to use the same
health system, if they can afford better? Most of the socialist
elites are this type of hypocrite. MasterCard Marxists, Checkbook
Communists, Limousine Liberals, et al.

You ought to be able to walk into a clinic 24/7 and see a Doctor
within 30 minutes, for any reason you choose, as long as you have
cash (or plastic) in hand. Money greases the skids, but when it
goes through government bureaucracy, a lot of it gets eaten up
before it finally goes where it's supposed to.

darrylr said:

-Darryl

Civis said:

Maurice Daniels said:

OTOH, the high taxes do try to provide for the fact that I can walk
into an emergency room or a doctor's office and get treated
(eventually) with a minimum of hassle and no cost to myself.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Yes, I think it was UPS with the really sad policy that included "number of line items". Add a UV filter or spare battery and you've doubled your brokerage fees.

I've been caught once or twice.

darrylr said:

The solution to make sure they don't ship to you by UPS. Only buy
from a place that has other shipping methods to Canada available.
USPS or USPS Express are the best 2 options. The brokerage fees for
these 2 methods are flat rates of $5 Cdn and $7.50 Cdn
respectively. The UPS brokerage fees can range from a few dollars
up to $100 or more. I bought a G3 from B&H in NYC in July and paid
only $5 brokerage fee. I saved over $200 on the camera compared to
any local stores here in Ottawa even after accounting for shipping
and GST/PST. I have since bought a 420ex flash and other items from
B&H as well for a good savings vs the local prices.

Click to expand...

This from the http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/customs/business/importing/courier/postal/ind_dutiable-e.html web has to say.

Basically, If you live in Newfoundland/Labrador, Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, you'll be assessed the harmonized sales tax (HST) instead of the GST.

If you live in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario or Quebec, your provincial sales tax will also be payable.

This applies to just mail. I think I only paid GST crossing the border into Manitoba.

I've used TigerDirect.ca, and before that it was misco.ca - no complaints, but mostly I bought computer stuff.
----------------------------------------------------
Postal Program -- Dutiable and taxable importations

The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) can examine any item that comes into Canada by mail.

If you receive a gift by mail, it may be duty-free (see Duty-free and tax-exempt importations).

Duty and taxes are payable on most items imported into Canada. The amount of duty and tax you owe -- if any -- will be shown on Form E-14, Customs Postal Import Form, which is attached to your mail item.

If you live in Newfoundland/Labrador, Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, you'll be assessed the harmonized sales tax (HST) instead of the GST.

If you live in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario or Quebec, your provincial sales tax will also be payable.
All mail items are subject to a $5 CAN handling fee payable to Canada Post.

These amounts must be paid at the time of delivery (cash, certified cheque, VISA®, MasterCard®, or your Canada Post commercial account).

If you agree with the duty and tax assessed: When it delivers your item, Canada Post will collect the amount indicated on Form E-14.

If you disagree with the duty and tax assessed: You have two options in this case.

Return the mail item to the CCRA for reassessment.

Canada Post will write your phone number on Form E-14, give a copy of it to you, and return the mail item to the CCRA.
We'll contact you once we've received the item from Canada Post.

If you prefer immediate delivery of the item, pay the amount indicated on Form E-14 when Canada Post delivers the item.

To request a reassessment and possible refund, fill in Form B2G, Canada Customs Adjustment Request (see the back of Form E14), and send it to the nearest regional trade administration office for processing.

Look under "Canada Customs and Revenue Agency" in the Government of Canada section of your local phone book's blue pages.

James C. Murray said:

statik01 said:

I'm planning on getting a G3 from B+H in a week or so and was
wondering if there would be PST or just GST?

BTW: the G3 atB+H is $499 US vs. $999 CDN!!! BIG DIFFERENCE!!

Click to expand...

Hi statik, if it is of any interest http://www.tigerdirect.ca is
advertising the G-5 at$877 Cdn. No idea what they are like though.

Click to expand...

In addition to wait, paperwork uncertainty about condition, difficult return,when buying by mail/courier, I wonder why immediacy of possesion of a new camera purchased locally is never mentioned as a decision factor.

I will speak for myself, but once I decide to buy something, I get pretty excited and want it now, not in a week or so by mail.

I generally do not buy by mail, for many reasons, support of local stores is one. I think, though, that rationale is different for others for many reasons, one of them being the place of residence. Those who live in large cities in Canada have access to many local photo stores with prices fairly competitive with US ones. Those who live in small establishments are certainly at a disadvantage, and there buying by mail makes more sense.

One of the posters earlier had a good point about bilingual manuals, boxes, etc. It certainly adds to the cost of anything that we buy in Canada.
Rgds

Maurice Daniels said:

See.. I told you I didn't want this to degenerate into a political
debate.

Click to expand...

But you did want that, or you wouldn't have nudged it that way yourself. There's no point in discussing anything with a "womb-to-tomb"-er, so I won't.

Neither will I... 8-P

Civis said:

Maurice Daniels said:

See.. I told you I didn't want this to degenerate into a political
debate.

Click to expand...

But you did want that, or you wouldn't have nudged it that way
yourself. There's no point in discussing anything with a
"womb-to-tomb"-er, so I won't.

Click to expand...

Peace.

Honestly, I doubt the bilingual manual adds much to the cost. The manufacturers obviously plan to sell into Euope too. I assume they have an extensive organization to translate into the top 20 world languages (and French). I doubt the special effort costs much or delays much.

As for immediacy of service - in the middle of nowhere, hours from the nearest big city (or Winnipeg, whatever category it falls into) I am pleasantly surprised if it is actually available. Mail order from anywhere is N.America is as immediate as anything.

Walmart, I see, has the A60 and A70 on display. I wonder how timely it will be bringing in the A80. They usually aren't that bad price-wise. (Find a friend who works there and get their 10% discount.)

MarekM said:

In addition to wait, paperwork uncertainty about condition,
difficult return,when buying by mail/courier, I wonder why
immediacy of possesion of a new camera purchased locally is never
mentioned as a decision factor.
I will speak for myself, but once I decide to buy something, I get
pretty excited and want it now, not in a week or so by mail.

I generally do not buy by mail, for many reasons, support of local
stores is one. I think, though, that rationale is different for
others for many reasons, one of them being the place of residence.
Those who live in large cities in Canada have access to many local
photo stores with prices fairly competitive with US ones. Those who
live in small establishments are certainly at a disadvantage, and
there buying by mail makes more sense.

One of the posters earlier had a good point about bilingual
manuals, boxes, etc. It certainly adds to the cost of anything that
we buy in Canada.
Rgds

Click to expand...

But we can all agree that Mulroney is an @& ^( &#$^, right?
And Chretien ain't much better.

MarekM said:

Peace.

Click to expand...