Ridiculous pricing diff US vs Canada

bison

Well-known Member
I am shopping for a simple generator DPDT transfer switch.
US price under $160.
Canadian price $900+ :shock:
Same brand model and #.

you go figger
 
I find the same thing to be true not just in Canada, but right here!
Recently shopped for a couple of 24" safety grab bars for my two showers. I will only buy US made, when I can, and the Bobrick bars were priced from $100.00 EACH down to what I paid--$39.05 shipping included off eBay for two NEW Bars!
Just aggravating that you have to do price check on virtually everything you buy!!
 
Be careful. If it doesn't have CSA Approved on it,
the building inspector will disallow it, even if it
is the same model.
 
Bison seems like kind of an independent type, so I would be surprised if there is a building inspector involved. I know I have always found that having the building dept. involved in a project generally doesn't help things along very much.
 
(quoted from post at 13:28:36 10/08/14) [b:3635ea7f8a]Bison seems like kind of an independent type,[/b:3635ea7f8a] [b:3635ea7f8a]so I would be surprised if there is a building inspector involved[/b:3635ea7f8a]. I know I have always found that having the building dept. involved in a project generally doesn't help things along very much.
:wink:
 
(quoted from post at 13:23:36 10/08/14) Be careful. [b:5f4659b31d]If it doesn't have CSA Approved on it[/b:5f4659b31d],
the building inspector will disallow it, even if it
is the same model.
am pretty capable doing the approving myself, I don't need a sticker that says so.
 
(quoted from post at 13:26:51 10/08/14) Yup. Then tack on 13% or so HST (sales) tax in several provinces....
e're lucky, here in Alberta its only 5% pst, and on farm related stuff i get that back again anyway. :)
 
Funny, when we were talking about health care some people were claiming Canada was no more expensive to live in than the US. Every tax/regulatory cost/etc gets passed on to the consumer no matter where you live.
 
Something does not seem right on the price difference. How many amp transfer switch would you be talking about?
 
Canada has some more strict requirements than US.
Our friends built a cabin up there a few years ago,
and I know he couldn't use a water heater from the
US. I also noticed that they used all metal
electrical boxes, don't know if they were required
or if the contractor talked him into them. Not all
wood stove chimneys meet Canadian requirements.
 
(quoted from post at 17:05:51 10/08/14) Canada has some more strict requirements than US.
Our friends built a cabin up there a few years ago,
and I know he couldn't use a water heater from the
US. I also noticed that they used all metal
electrical boxes, don't know if they were required
or if the contractor talked him into them. Not all
wood stove chimneys meet Canadian requirements.
FAIAC as long as it meets or exceeds local code there should not be a problem.
As far as wood stove chimney goes i think anything less than steel well casing should not be allowed.
 
If it is made in the US there may be a "duty" on it if it is "shipped" to Canada.

We used to run into this when trying to return miss-shipped whole goods bundles back to the JD plant at Welland, Canada. On one hydraulic valve it only cost $35.00 to get it to Iowa. It was the wrong one. Missed the order code up. If we shipped it right back to where it came from, the shipping with the duty Canada wanted, was over $300. This was in the early 1990s.

JD got around this by having a warehouse in Buffalo, NY. So you shipped the returns to this warehouse and they took it across the border in a JD owned truck. Then there where no duty fees.
 
I am aware of the duty and taxes at the border.
The real problem is with the custom brokers who often try to pull a fast one by charging a ridiculous fee that can sometimes exceed the value of the parcel.
I had that happen a few times, when it did i phone head office I chew their azz out and accuse them of stealing, they are usually quick to refund the money.
 
So how do ya plan on obtaining the lectrical permit? Unless things work remarkably different where you are... we would have to get the power corp to do the main disconnect, then you change the wiring... then you do ALL of the paperwork before they reconnect... meaning that everything is up to local and national code... and work done by a licensed electrician.

Rod
 
There can be considerable duty here depending on the country of origin. If the US is the country of origin (manufacture) there is no duty. There would be a brokerage fee to bring it across the border...
What I've observed over the years is that prices are simply higher here because most importers do not give fair dollar exchange. That at times has accounted for 50% more in nominal figures... and I've seen as much as 20% even with the dollars on par. It's a profit center nobody wants to give up...

Rod
 
(quoted from post at 22:12:02 10/08/14) So how do ya plan on obtaining the lectrical permit? Unless things work remarkably different where you are... we would have to get the power corp to do the main disconnect, then you change the wiring... then you do ALL of the paperwork before they reconnect... meaning that everything is up to local and national code... and work done by a licensed electrician.

Rod
btaining the electrical permit can be done by phone and fax(if one wants to go that route)
Disconnecting the power means just flipping the main breaker at the utility pole.
When i build my new shop I went underground with all my power lines 2 years ago, i did that myself. After i was done I called the utility company to unhook the over head line from the pole and hook up my underground. They told me it could take a month for a guy to show up, i could not wait that long cause that meant not having power in my shop so i took the liberty to cut the seal on the breaker and switched the overhead and under ground line at the breaker.
When the guy finally showed up i handed him the permit and when he went to work he noticed the seal was broke he started to chew my azz out for doing that
I said bud you guys are slow as chit trough a funnel and there's no other way to get in that box and i needed power to my shop,... i am sure you got a new seal with you.
And that was that.:wink:
The inspector has yet to show up 2 years later
 
I used to see Canadians come to bike week in Daytona with no pipes or carburettors on their bikes . This was so they could install the parts during bike week and not pay duty when going back into Canada.
 
I have learned that shopping around is a good thing.
This one specifically is sold by Amazon.ca, so it's
shipped from within Canada and has free shipping.

I agree with you though. The difference is getting
better, but it's still crazy. Many sellers on Ebay
also participate in a global shipping program, and
for the most part the shipping charge is very
reasonable and the duty charge is normally within
10% of what it should be.
Transfer Switch 100 amp Amazon.ca
 

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