How to purchase a Thinkpad from US in Canada??

Hi. I'm from Canada, and I'm looking for a Thinkpad laptop for my school work.

I checked out Lenovo.ca, and compare to Us, the prices are crazy!!!

I think Canada is the worst place to purchase a thinkpad --;;;

So, I decided to buy from US.

but, I don't know where and how to buy, so If you guys have some

info(famous ebay seller, etc), please let me know.

Also, I have a question about the warranty.

1) Can I extend the warranty of a US version thinkpad laptop in Canada??

2) Does Lenovo Canada offer a great service??

I'll appreciate your answers.

 

before you jump to purchase in the US, factor in first --brokerage fees (that the shipper UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.) would charge you, GST, excise custom's tax. if you still save a lot then go ahead but if not think again. if you have friends crossing the border and they would be staying for more than a week then ask them to buy it for you instead. if you have non-canadian friends coming over request them to buy it for you. these things are subject to hefty taxation when shipped.

 

brokerage fees ??? I know I have to pay like 60 bucks for the

shipping, but is there another fee?? If there is, let me know.

Paying tax(Gst+Pst 15%) wouldn't be matter because I have to pay tax

in Canada anyway. However, If I have to pay more then 15%(except

shipping&insurance)for the purchase from US, that would be a problem

 

It should only be shipping + brokerage fee + tax.

The brokerage fee is what the shipping company charges to collect the tax for Customs Canada. USPS is the most clear, $5 fee for normal shipments, $8 for express. UPS and Fedex ground services charge depending on the value, so for a laptop you'll get raped by their brokerage fee. The fee is built into the shipping cost for the faster air services, but of course it costs more to ship.

 

if you can get the merchant to undervalue the price of merchandise when filling up the declaration form when shipping, you will be able to save some more. some merchants maybe unwilling to do this, but if you do find a legitimate online seller willing to go this extra mile, there are certain trade-offs which you should be aware. if you get shipping insurance, you get only the equivalent of the declared value. so an undervalued declaration while it would save you a good deal, would also be working against you when something happens to the shipment on the way to you. USPS, Canada Posts, DHL, FedEx, UPS, Purolator do at times screw up and mishandle shipment even if you say that contents are fragile.

 

You can get upto 20% off the purchase of Lenovo web-listed price by going through the visaperks.ca link.

As for warranty:
1) It depends on the version of the laptop you are purchasing.
2) Warranty service is currently done by IBM Canada, not Lenovo. I do not know if and when that will change.

In my opinion, it is not worth the risk and hassle of getting the items shipped to Canada from the US. Lazybum131 has it right on in terms of brokerage fees; those will really kill you, especially UPS as you can expect a couple hundred in brokerage fees.

So remember: Total price = US Price + currency conversion + shipping & insurance + brokerage fees ($5 - $200+) + 15% tax (depending on province) + customs fee ($5 CDN).

 

Hi!

I had the same problem as you. I wanted to buy a Lenovo but Lenovo Canada has very limited models and the cheapest X60s in their list was around CAD3000$.

I did some research and here's what I found. If you buy from US, you get lower price but:

1- Since you buy it from a reseller, you won't have the 30 days returned.

2- You will have to pay 15% taxes and Brokerage fees

3- You won't have to wait as long as if you would buy directly from lenovo.


I looked around for resellers and finally found 2-3 that ships to Canada. I then went to check the reseller rating and I choose Euclid. The X60S I wanted was listed US1800$ (around CAD2000$).

Now the problem was if it was worth to order from Euclid or directly from lenovo Canada. I realized that even with 15% taxes and crazy Brokerage fees, it can't go over CAD3000$.

UPS is the worst to choose because they have crazy brokerage fees. USPS is the cheapest way but Euclid didn't offer it. They offered Fedex express but keep in mind that express shipping reduces brokerage fees but my main point is that in the worst case, it can't be over Lenovo Canada prices.

Also, like I pointed above I had friends that bought new models (T60/X60) from Lenovo Canada and they still haven't received it. Purchasing through a retailer can save your shipment time.

I purchased my X60S on the 11/05/2006. They called me next morning to confirm the credit card and purchase, I'm now waiting for the product. They have been really fast in answering my question so far.

My shipment should arrive the 26/05/2006 so I'll let you know how it goes. Hope it helped. Glad to see there are some Canadians in forum

 

Thank you for all of your answers.

I guess I'm just going to buy through visaperks.ca.

How come the shipping takes like a month??

I'm pretty shocked