How does Big Al's Online explain this?

[blizzack1]

Check out these two links

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/catalog/product.xml?product_id=24927;category_id=1711

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=24927;category_id=1711

The links look the exact same, except the filter is 80$ in the states, and 160$ here in Canada

Based on the current exchange rate, it should be selling for 95$ Cdn...

Am I missing something here?  

- Josh

[jgolden]

Customs fees?

[Marc]

Duties may be different in Canada compared to US.  Eheim is a German company but I believe duties would be calculated based on where the filter is manufactured.

You would be best to ask Big Al's.

[BigDaddy]

Supply and demand is the answer.

Every store up here sells it for around 160... so that's what they sell it for.

Because they have more competition in the states... they have to drop their pricing to be more competitive there where stores like Drs. Foster & Smith and ThatPetPlace have pricing in the 80 dollar range.

[Nelson]

Duties may be different in Canada compared to US.  Eheim is a German company but I believe duties would be calculated based on where the filter is manufactured.

You would be best to ask Big Al's.

Exactly, goods manufactures in the US and Mexico are duty free (NAFTA) but goods manufactured off-shore are dutiable.

[blizzack1]

Supply and demand is the answer.

Every store up here sells it for around 160... so that's what they sell it for.

Because they have more competition in the states... they have to drop their pricing to be more competitive there where stores like Drs. Foster & Smith and ThatPetPlace have pricing in the 80 dollar range.

This is what I suspected.  Sounds like a real opportunity here for someone - even via ebay...  I guess I can't really blame them though...  I noticed they're $US 85 at petsmart.com... any idea what they sell for at Petsmart in Canada?

[BigDaddy]

Duties may be different in Canada compared to US.  Eheim is a German company but I believe duties would be calculated based on where the filter is manufactured.

You would be best to ask Big Al's.

Exactly, goods manufactures in the US and Mexico are duty free (NAFTA) but goods manufactured off-shore are dutiable.

I would agree if it wasn't for the fact that "American made" products also have a very dis-similar pricing scheme from Canada to the States.

Look at Coralife fixtures (California) ...  All-Glass aquariums and fixtures (Wisconsin)... their products sell for half the price in the States as well.

[Aiglos]

Its crazy;  I look at foster&Smiths site Constantly and prices are always about 1/2 of what we pay; its crazy.

Unfortanatly people WILL pay it here

[Mettle]

Unfortanatly people WILL pay it here

Because we have to. There's no other choice, really.

Pet product prices are dirt cheap in the states compared to Canada. That also goes for pricing of fish and other animals kept as pets. Especially since it's so easy to do mail orders down there - you can order right from breeders for a small fee. Ten times the population will give you ten times the demand and ten times the available places to get your products/pets from I guess.

[Nelson]

Duties may be different in Canada compared to US.  Eheim is a German company but I believe duties would be calculated based on where the filter is manufactured.

You would be best to ask Big Al's.

Exactly, goods manufactures in the US and Mexico are duty free (NAFTA) but goods manufactured off-shore are dutiable.

I would agree if it wasn't for the fact that "American made" products also have a very dis-similar pricing scheme from Canada to the States.

Look at Coralife fixtures (California) ...  All-Glass aquariums and fixtures (Wisconsin)... their products sell for half the price in the States as well.

There is no question about the difference between US nd Canadian pricing.  What Marc and I were comenting on was simply the application of duty.

[luvfishies]

BigAls online isn't allowed to undercut the BigAls brick and mortar stores up here. The US doesn't have brick and mortar BigAls.

[mseguin]

Not true, they undercut BA's stores by a fair margin on alot of stuff.

[Aiglos]

Not true, they undercut BA's stores by a fair margin on alot of stuff.

It works out in the end with our ovas discount that it is cheaper to buy instore.

[AdamR]

Big Al's online had Big Al's Natural Multi Gravel 22Lb for $9.99

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/catalog/product.xml?product_id=20507;category_id=2405

, the store in Kanata was selling the similar "Big Al's River Pebbles" at $16.99 (I think) I asked if they would price match with their own online store and they did .  

[artw]

why don't you just buy this filter online from dr f.s. or that fish place?

[kennyman]

Have you guys seen the webpage for the first Big All's US store in florida?

[Aiglos]

why don't you just buy this filter online from dr f.s. or that fish place?

They will not ship to canada; I have tried;

[Seanc]

They ship to Canada but the shiping is $$$. i think they said $120 us for a Eheim pro II and a heater

[blizzack1]

They ship to Canada but the shiping is $$$. i think they said $120 us for a Eheim pro II and a heater

I called that Drs Smith and something online store (name escapes me).  It was $US92 to ship a canister filter and external heater - the reason is that they only use some kind of priority international shipping, which i suspect makes dealing with customs a lot simplier.  

In any case, it works out to about the same price as buying from Big Al's Canada.

[BigDaddy]

That's why you get it shipped to Ogdensburg, NY and spend $15 dollars in gas to go get it.