Why does Amazon com not ship to Canada?

[03protege]

Gregger Rod and Custom, you have discovered the real reason for the price differences. By that I mean hidden taxes. The Value Added Tax (VAT) that is so popular with governments these days is mostly a hidden tax because it levies the tax at many levels (each time value is added to the product, and for the value added) and the only tax visible to the consumer is the amount added at the time of the sale.

The only way to fight this type of tax is to require the total accrued tax to be shown at the time of the final sale. I think the average Canadian consumer would be shocked at the amount of hidden tax they pay.

The shorthand way to estimate this is to compare the US price to the Canadian price, corrected for currency value.

If ALL taxes that were factored into a product were shown it would be truly staggering. A good eye opener for sure.

 

[dirttracker18]

I will argue that it is simple a case of price gouging more than anything else.

Take the case of Canadian made goods that are cheaper in the US.

I live in a lumber town and I can buy lumber harvested, and milled here cheaper at Menards in Duluth than here at home.

Same thing for Bombardier recreational products, cheaper right across the border than here in Canada.

The suppliers used to say it was the difference in the dollar but now that we have been at parity for some time, prices are the same but the excuses have changed.

I would love to support Canadian but I go where my dollars gets the most.

 

[Sureshot]

They got oil..so I think we need to free them and bring them some democracy!

From what I see on the news and hear on GJ I think you would be shocked at who actually lives in the land of the free.

Many good points on the price discrepancy and all true in certain instances. About ten years ago I was buying a new Peterbilt truck and the price fluctuated with the dollar but the truck was built in Quebec.

Some of the items freight costs depend on the method. Truckloads go through customs very efficiently and at any commercial port. UPS and USPS have to go to a handling facility and even a letter takes as much a two weeks longer to recieve. It is a matter of handling in bulk or individual items.

The t-shirt example I believe has something to do with cotton. I bought a set of tires and got a big bill at the border because the COO was actually Singapore or some odd place I wasn't expecting. It has to do with trade agreements with each country.

I live 20 minutes from the border and maintain an address on both sides.

Oh ya and Bombardier's answer to the price discrepancy was that they charge"what the market will bear". Some of the OEM's have rules resticting the dealers from selling out of country or even to a PO box in the US(differences in state sales tax). A physical address is required. They will also void the warranty or not honour it in Canada and make you take it back to the US for warranty.