iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

hmmm price gripe

Started by SwampDonkey, December 29, 2006, 08:38:14 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

SwampDonkey

My 14 year old garage door opener went, actually the driving mechanism in the motor is just plastic or teflon and it stripped. The door isn't hard to get up and down as I've moved it up and down by hand for several days now....

But, anyway they are $199.95 on sale before tax in Sears Canada. Went to Sears in Maine and got one for $154.00 (ME sales tax factored in) with our currency exchange according to Canada Customs. The box was packaged in Ontario Canada, says so on the box and assembled in Mexico. So why the $51.44 difference (incl 14 % HST)?  ::)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

thurlow

Same thing happened to me about 2 years ago; did a little searching on-line and found the repair parts (plastic gears) for about 20 bucks including shipping.  Took about 2 hours to fix..............I know this does you no good after the fact. ;D
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

Ron Wenrich

Just making up for those cheap drugs that the Canadians sell.   ;)
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

SwampDonkey

thurlow, I was going to do that, but would never have dreamed they had them online. Oh well I got spare parts, as this one is exactly the same opener.

Ron, the tax part I'm fine with, it's the before tax on the item from the same company that gripes a fella.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

farmerdoug

SD,

I think you hit it right on the head when you said assembled in Mexico.  :P
You see the company has to smuggle those openers into the USA and that costs dinero.   ::)
Now since you are in the next country then it costs more dinero to pay the Mexicans to smuggle the same one into your country.  ;) Hence there is your price difference.  ???

We have the same problem with oil and gas smuggled from the Middle East. :-\

:D :D :D :D
Farmerdoug
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

SwampDonkey

Yeah but they brought that stuff from Mexico to Canada to be packaged, then back south to the US. Somehow somebody has used some 'string theory' calculus and waved a magic wand and tossed them boxes like dice to get that price. errrr sumthin  ::)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

PineNut

The selling price does not always relate to the cost of production. It is more of a function of what they can get out of you.

woodmills1

I like string theory when the lovely Kathy wears it
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

leweee

SD I think it has to do with the cost of being lazy. ::)  :o ;D
     E Manual door opener much cheaper. :D
      The Sting of a cheap product lingers long after the joy of a bargain has passed. :)
just another beaver with a chainsaw &  it's never so bad that it couldn't get worse.

woodmills1

canadian shipping however is another animal.  once got a back charge from UPS due to a tarrif at the boarder they haddent counted on.   string theory :D
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

chainsaw_louie

I have heard from others that things are generally more expensive in Canada.  Could it be that you have bettter goverment provided health insurance or some such.  I know there are lots of very good and very cheap colleges and universitys in Canada, in fact I was surprised to learn that Canada does not have any private colleges like we do in the US.  For the same quality of school the price is much cheaper than in the US .... that money comes from somewhere.

DWM II

One of the great things about Sears is you can normally find parts online. I did for my washing machine, a $15 coupling saved the day!
Stewardship Counts!

farmerdoug

SD,

I am not sure why you guys pay so much more and the yax does not help either.  I guess that is why I see so many people from Canada shopping here in Port Huron.  I am sure they are not here for the atmosphere. ;)  It is fun watching a couple hiding a cart full of items is an car or truck before going back.

Now what gets me is why it was assembled in Mexico and then boxed in Canada and then shipped here.  I think the Mexicans could box it cheaper down there also. ???


Farmerdoug
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

SwampDonkey

farmerdoug and all, I do believe I made a mistake on the packaging location. I believe it is Ontario, California.  There is such a place I'm sure. Anyway, it's the same exact door opener as they sell in Canada. It's the same as my old one except the motion censors I had to install additional for the door to close. Anyway, I have lots of hardware spare parts. It was fun to install in the freezing cold. ;D

As far as the expense of items it depends on the area of the country you are in. Now yesterday we bought 6 fresh chickens $3.50 each, over here in the supermarket they would be close to $12.00 each.  ::) Cereal, bread, lumber, canned soup is cheaper to buy here. Electronics are now as cheap over here to buy, before they were twice as high. DVD's and CD's are as cheap or cheaper here. Computers are about the same here. Furniture is as cheap or cheaper here. Clothing is as cheap here. You just have to comparison shop. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

JimBuis

Did you ever hear of "reimporting"?  Here in Japan, it is often MUCH cheaper to buy Japanese products in the U.S.A. and pay the shipping to have them reimported back to Japan, than to buy the same product here in Tokyo.  Go figure! ::)

I read about a guy here in Tokyo who wanted to start a camera business dealing in Japanese cameras.  He approached the manufacturers here in Japan and was given shockingly high price quotes.  He found that the prices in the U.S. for the same exact products were so much cheaper he could reimport them and sell them for a handsome profit in his store.

I have had the same experience with other merchandise here.  I can buy a roundtrip plane ticket from Tokyo to California, buy a Husky 3120, bring it back with me on the airplane, pay myself $200 a day in wages for my trouble, and still save hundreds of dollars over the Tokyo price for the same chainsaw.

Some of this international commerce stuff does not make any sense no matter how you look at it.

Jim
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

maple flats

That is similar to a experience I had with our hot tub. We needed a new relay and the dealer's inhouse repairman told me it would cost $230.00 for the part (He said I had to get a whole new relay box) I said I would think about it. I then checked online and found the same relay number {a plug in module} for $3.20 but I had to buy 36 pcs. I then called the repairman and made a deal, he ended up buying 34 pcs at $7.00 ea and installed my unit (I kept 1 spare) for no labor charge, I would have installed it my self but the thing was where one had to be Houdini to work on it with 2 hands. End result, I made money and he was happy.
To find things online you often need to search it out many differant ways, (re-word what you want many times) and have as many detailed specs as needed to ensure getting the right thing.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

Corley5

I was looking at a 14.4 volt Lincoln grease gun at my local tractor place a while back and checked for the same thing on e-bay when I got home.  I bought one from a place in Oregon for 70 bucks less including shipping than I could local.  Doesn't pay to buy local  :( ::)  I love this internet thing  8) 8)  I needed a couple hydraulic hoses a while back and figured I'd give the new shop here in town some business.  Keep it local ya know  :) :)  I needed a 1/2" hose with male pipe on one end and #8 JIC female on the other and figured if I broke one I might as well have him make me an extra.  He soaked me for almost 70 bucks for the two hoses  :o  Since then I've went to the tractor place and another shop and have gotten 4 hoses made at each place for just slightly more than that.  After he made them he commented that he saved me a trip to Petoskey for hoses.  Yes he did but it woulda been cheaper to make the trip. 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Don_Papenburg

Jim that is called DUMPING the Japs did that with steel in the Ausyland till they had no steel industry left  then the price started up . the Chineese are doing that now in the US with a lot of products. Only with the help of Wally world/Samsclub
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

Thank You Sponsors!