Just wondering if anyone has ordered the panasonic from up here. The price difference is huge, especially with the current rebate. Does anyone know what the duty cost is for this? Or where I can find out? I have a US address I can use for the rebate so I'm pretty sure that even after duties and taxes and exchange rate I'd still be saving close to 2k.

I wonder when Panasonic Canada will get their head out of their ***. I bought a Panny AE300 years ago and it was 1-2k cheaper to order it out of the States. Years later and Panasonic Canada is still gouging Canadian customers. I would definitely order it from the States and teach Panasonic Canada a lesson. It really hurts dealers in Canada, because there is no possible way for them to compete against the American dealers. If I was them I would refuse to carry Panasonic's overpriced products. If all the dealers banded together and demanded fair pricing Panasonic would be forced to smarten up.

I wonder when Panasonic Canada will get their head out of their ***. I bought a Panny AE300 years ago and it was 1-2k cheaper to order it out of the States. Years later and Panasonic Canada is still gouging Canadian customers. I would definitely order it from the States and teach Panasonic Canada a lesson. It really hurts dealers in Canada, because there is no possible way for them to compete against the American dealers. If I was them I would refuse to carry Panasonic's overpriced products. If all the dealers banded together and demanded fair pricing Panasonic would be forced to smarten up.

Are there even US companies that ship electronis to Canada? I certainly have never found any online dealers who do this...

Are there even US companies that ship electronis to Canada? I certainly have never found any online dealers who do this...

In my experience I would say that 75% of US online electronics companies ship to Canada...

In my experience I would say that 75% of US online electronics companies ship to Canada...

You are probably correct but the purchase in most cases will only be covered under warranty here in the states. This seams to be their answer to the "price japan" spree a few years ago where US divisions lost a lot of sales.

I wonder when Panasonic Canada will get their head out of their ***. I bought a Panny AE300 years ago and it was 1-2k cheaper to order it out of the States. Years later and Panasonic Canada is still gouging Canadian customers. I would definitely order it from the States and teach Panasonic Canada a lesson. It really hurts dealers in Canada, because there is no possible way for them to compete against the American dealers. If I was them I would refuse to carry Panasonic's overpriced products. If all the dealers banded together and demanded fair pricing Panasonic would be forced to smarten up.Its not just Panasonic - with the fast rise of the dollar things are out of whack across the board. Auto makers are the worst offenders. Most of them claim that its because the inventory was purchased with a much lower dollar but that argument is difficult to swallow given the percentage price difference. As Alan points out, most companies use the warranty as the deterrent, but this becomes less effective as the price gap widens.

maxmonty - you will not pay Duty on electronics purchased in the United States. Only GST and PST (if applicable). The only additional charge is brokerage fees which vary greatly depending on the carrier used to ship it.

The price difference on the Panasonic Ae1000 between Canada and the US is so great that for me I would feel ripped off if I bought it, knowing that a US customer paid about half what I would have paid.

I made a call to a US epson dealer and they were not allowed to sell in Canada even though they have a North American warranty as well as rebates on both sides of the border.

I bought a benq a few years ago from a US reseller and have had no issue at all with getting warranty support. Prior to the purchase I checked with Benq Canada and they confirmed that warranty on a US purchase would be honoured. Their warranty support was great I might add. You deal with the US call center but you ship to a Canadian repair centre for work. That was a few years ago. Pricing of benq projectors now looks about the same between the US and Canada. In fact, at one point about a year ago, the benq 8720 was priced with a similar dollar amount on both sides of the border. At that time, given the exchange rate, a US customer would have had a great deal buying from Canada, although I don't know anything about duties, etc. going that way.

I understand that AVS is allowed to sell Sony products to Canada and would help facilitate warranty support for a Canadian customer by acting as a go-between for shipping. If this is correct I would say that the best deal to be had for Canadians is to buy a Sony Pearl from AVS, have them check it out before shipping, and assume that warranty support is going to be a minor inconvience at worst. There is currently a big difference between Canadian/US pricing on the Pearl.

Strange_brew,

You're right that the fast rise of the dollar is causing a big disparity. Other reasons, or excuses, depending on what one believes, is that the cost of doing business is higher in Canada with their higher taxes (business I suppose) and smaller market. The other reason is price gouging as has already been mentioned.

Its not just Panasonic - with the fast rise of the dollar things are out of whack across the board. Auto makers are the worst offenders. Most of them claim that its because the inventory was purchased with a much lower dollar but that argument is difficult to swallow given the percentage price difference. As Alan points out, most companies use the warranty as the deterrent, but this becomes less effective as the price gap widens.

maxmonty - you will not pay Duty on electronics purchased in the United States. Only GST and PST (if applicable). The only additional charge is brokerage fees which vary greatly depending on the carrier used to ship it.

I thought only electronics manufactured in the US were exempt from duties? Is the Panasonic made in the states or imported from Japan? Just don't want to get clobbered with an unexpected charge....

Informative thread. I'm also looking to buy the Pioneer 6010FD plasma from the US. I'm certain I'd be saving a few thousands by doing this even if I have to pay duty fees.

I'm guessing an alternative is to just drive across the border, buy the TV, and bring it back - has anyone done this? Does anyone know what the typical duty fees are for example on $5000 US? Or, couldn't one just claim that the TV was given as a gift from a relative/friend (if you have one living in the city) and not pay any duties?