Canada Versus US

I just rtealized the americans are getting WAY better deals than us canadians. After customizing the same laptop on the canadian website and 1 on the american website.. I get the same laptop for 300 dollars less =( That is with no coupons no nothing. Why does dell treat us candians that way =( Don't get me wrong, I mean, when i compare these prices with retail store prices, we're still getting a better deal.. But I was just wondering, why are we forced to pay so much more =(

 

The big guns are comin' out...

 

Yup, we get screwed on pretty much all products vs. the US... it really sucks considering our dollar is kicking their dollars a$$!

 

Usa Usa Usa Usa!

 

Yeah, we're screwed on everything. Check out books and games. A $34.99 DS game will often cost $49.99 in Canada. $49.99 console games cost $59.99 or $69.99 in Canada. $49.99 is only 52 bucks in Canadian and that gap is closing. I agree: it sucks.

 

Ya Really! It's an obvious trend, alot of things are much cheaper in the States.

One large reason is the population, compared to Canada, it's only a fraction. Then there is taxes up here...

 

Yup, the excuse that our prices were so off because of the cost of their dollar is obviously not true anymore but the prices still stuck!

 

From what I hear, we're much better off on most products than places like Australia or Europe. Stuff like Xbox 360 or iPods, while more expensive than in the States, are much much cheaper here than elsewhere... so I guess we can't complain TOO much.

 

There's a lot of reasons why things are more expensive in Canada:
1) Canadian dollar is over-valued big-time. The rise of CDN dollar is a pain in the arse, for most including customers.
2) US has a larger market, hence more customers and hence lower prices
3) Canada charges 14% VAT tax compared to 5% in US

Let's face it, Canada is run solely on taxes. Only in Canada, a penny saved is a penny taxed. I wonder how long will the Canadian economy sustain itself if this continues. What can you say about a gov't that makes $800 million in surplus and yet continues to ripoff its ppl.

 

lol not to mention the eastern provinces in debt lol..
like my friend said aha.. bc, ab, sask, and maybe manitoba can seperate off from the estern provinces xD

 

heh that's a whole different matter

 

I think the correct way of putting it is that a penny earned is TWO pennies taxed!

 

Enjoy paying for all the services the Federal government currently pays for, like your police service, the RCMP.

Also, the taxes in Canada really aren't that bad. And the 14% tax is added on top of our already higher prices. lol

 

Hmm can't you buy it from the US site, ship it to a friend or relative in the US, and then have them ship it to you in Canada?

 

Considering Alberta is debt-free...

But regardless, how can you say taxes aren't that bad? Income tax is through the roof; depending on the province, you can be taxed over 50% of your income. Tax Freedom Day in Canada is on average well into the 6th month of the year...

 

If you could smuggle it into the country, sure. Otherwise, you're nailed with customs tax at the border.
Besides, I think you need a US residence associated with your credit card to be able to order off the US site (not sure about that one).

 

Our girls are better looking, and our pot is tastier and more abundant. It's a worthy trade, unless you're a heterosexual Canadian female who doesn't smoke pot (as if they exist).

 

The price has nothing to do with taxes.

The value of a good is based entirely upon its value in the market, NOT on the cost to produce. This is why, when a company finds that it is suddenly much cheaper to produce its goods (eg, due to outsourcing its labor to other countries), its prices do not go down. They remain the same, and profits increase.

Modern capitalism is so arse-backwards it's not even funny. It's become a self-destructive aristocratic system that teaches its serfs that the only tools which can lift them out of serfdom are the ones that press them back into it.

/pinko rant/

 

btw, Canadians get Mystery Coupon days with up to 75% off :|

 

Perhaps, but like myself... most Canadians dont' know about this.

 

Meh.. it works out in other ways, like free healthcare. You might not appreciate it now but you will as you get older and your body starts to break down like my parents and grandparents. lol

 

"3) Canada charges 14% VAT tax compared to 5% in US"

The USA has 5% VAT tax??

 

It's NOT free... we pay for it (through the teeth!) in taxes!

I'm healthy and so are my wife and kids... we don't rely on the healthcare system as much as some people do... I still have to pay for it!

 

You could live in northern Montana, and drive up to lethbridge or Calgary whenever you needed cheap medical care, like my parents do, lol.
(best of both worlds)

Yeah, Americans are the "Mexicans" of Canada.

 

Health is not a permanent state for any human being. Every single person in your family, yourself included, will eventually have a serious need for the health care that the county promises and secures for all its citizens. That's the reality of the life that the system is there to answer.

There are a lot of Canadian social programs I'm not happy about paying for, but heath care is not one of them. I could never begrudge any Canadian citizen, or anyone driving up from Montana, their health and livelihood.

 

Clearly I didn't mean that it was 100% free. "Free" healthcare means that you can walk in and out of the hospital without paying a dime. Don't nitpick.

 

Manufacturing gorging is and will be unpreventable until gvmt steps in. And if gvmt steps in (which will never happen) they will start at the auto industry first.

With the cdn dollar as strong as it is theres should only be a 5-10% cost difference between US goods and Cdn bought goods.
On a wholesale level that is very much the case. The cost of whole raw materials is almost at par but the manufacturers are NOT reflecting their cost to the consumer so in turn we are paying more for our products vs last yr.

OMVIC and the APA are getting complaints about auto prices everyday and by the dozens if not hundreds. All manufacturers on every level on every consumerable product is taking advantage and we have no choice but to suck it up or cross border shop with the result losing warranty coverage or paying duties (duties chargable on short term trips)


On healthcare, what canada has improves the overall quality of life. Thou every working cdn plays 50% of their money of taxes theres lots of creative ways to reduce it significantly.
You cant debate the healthcare blanket with cost becuase you'll never know when you'll need it.

 

Yeah, I know you didn't mean entirely free!

The point is if you want service, you have to pay for it... our system is less than ideal... trust me.

The private clinics here are the ones that look after people in a hurry... you don't get that with the public system.

 

I dunno.. everyone I know has been pretty well serviced, with the exception of my mother who had a bad knee and had to wait a while to get an MRI.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I definitely appreciate it, and enjoy having our healthcare system despite its shortcomings. Obviously, the money to pay for that system comes out of our taxes. My point was simply that you can't say we don't pay that many taxes.. we do, we pay a tremendous amount of tax, regardless of how it is used.

 

Never mind the tax! if the us. price including the u.s. tax & shipping is less than the converted dollar amount plus your fed tax of 6% and your provincial sales tax is less then buy from U.S. customs only charge you canadian taxes on a DELL not on shipping. If you live near the border there are a ton of MAIL ETC. places that you can use an actual st. address and pay $4-$5.00 for them to receive it and hold for you. LOL

 

The "free" healthcare, for which the gov't pays billions of dollars, isn't the real issue. What I find more frustrating is that in Canada, there are more people living on welfare than there are tax payers. So, if you are one of the very few who pay taxes, you know what that means .. high taxes, very high taxes. And what does Canada do with that money? Spend it on discussing gay rights, debating on legalizing pot and buy old second-hand leaky nuclear subs from UK. Its sad to see where my tax dollars are going

 

Ummm...thats not true

 

I hear you guys when it comes to products up here in Canada we pay through the roof compared to our American neighbours ,I remember when I purchased my Inspiron 9400 back in Februay of 2006 the total (including taxes) came up to 3200$ while a similarly configured 9400 could be had for almost 1000$ less on the Dell US website(factoring in those 500$ or 600$ dollar coupons they use to have back in those days for American customers)

 

When there are long period of currency stability, CDN prices typically reflect US prices + exchange, if not a little bit better (ie. when the exchange was 55-60% prices were usually only 50% more). However when there is a quick downwards trend, companies just don't feel the need to constantly update their prices. Books, magazines, CD/DVDs and cars have been notorious for this. "We update our prices once a year". Right, like if the CDN dollar suddenly fell to half its value you wouldn't start charging more right away.

Right now, Canadian importers are taking advantage of the situation. They're buying stuff nearly at par, and charging anywhere from 15 to 50% more than they should be. With the amount of stuff brought in from the US, we should probably be seeing *negative* inflation. I mean our dollar buys over 50% more from the US than it did a little while ago (US prices have gone up a BIT but not much), and somehow average prices in Canada are still going UP? Uh huh.

Personally, this drives me nuts, since while I live in Canada all my income is derived in $US - which means over the past few years I've lost 50% of my income simply after conversion to Canadian dollars. So I tend to prefer to buy stuff, especially large ticket items, in $US where ever possible. And where I can't, I expect to be able to get it at a comparible price to what I could have got it for from the States.

Which basically means I'm very frustrated with Dell Canada.

 

To make it worse, they weren't actually nuclear. They were diesel-powered.

 

"To make it worse, they weren't actually nuclear. They were diesel-powered."
Ouch! I want my taxes back! LOL

 

You don't know what you're talking about. More people living on welfare than tax payers? Do you make this stuff up?

One of the very few who pay taxes. Hahah... good one. I guess I'm just that lucky.

I knew from the topic of this thread that it was going to degenerate into nothing but biased arugments.

 

It was a sarcastic comment.

I live in Toronto (financial capital) and yet there are plenty of people off of welfare here. But, don't be surprized to find these jobless people living in 'big' houses, driving SUVs and living large. Look around, and you'll find enough people who collect EI (Employment Insurance) from the gov't while working on cash. Ask a construction worker in Toronto how much he earns from his under-the-table payments.

 

Uhh...come again?

 

Sure a lot of canadians dont know about the mystery coupon, but a lot of americans have no clue that they could get a 300 off coupon. But everything aside I still think Canada has it better, you did after all get to watch the NHL awards show while the only thing i could do was read about it online.

 

you guys (the US) have the $300 plus that deal where you get 2gb of ram and 160gb hard drive for free (on select notebooks)....we dont ...I guess we sparatically get random coupons of good value but I want my laptop now! haha

 

lol i sued a 300$ copuon for US only in canada xD