Greetings from Okotoks, AB (just south of Calgary). Have had a few good deals via Audiogon - gear going both ways. Been here for 6 years (formerly from Kirkland, PQ). Wish more listings would say "willing to ship to US & Canada... Unless its a cdp there is very litlle extra to do when shipping gear cross-border especially if it is manufactured in either the US or Canada. One drawback is no COD from one country to another! Email is rdavis@cadvision.com |
Hey Jefflo- whasssuppp? Suttsy here in T.O. |
I'm in Vancouver. I've purchased both my power amp and preamp from this site. |
Good day from Thunder Bay On. where there is still about 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground.
I too get really P.O'ed when our friends at customs want to charge me 15% tax (PST and GST)on a piece of gear that might be 5 or even 10 years old. Also the tax is charged on the CDN. amount of the purchase, meaning that a $1000 USD. purchase will be taxed on $1500 CDN.(after exchange). So now that good deal on a used piece of gear that you bought across the border for 1000 USD. is going to cost you about 1725 CDN. plus shipping and any import duties that might be applicable for that particular item. ROBBERY !!!!!
I must admit though, I'd be pretty much lost without our friends to the south, as this is where all my previous gear went, and all my replacements are coming from. Living close to the border helps a lot though. Most of the sales and purchases that I have made all went through a border store on the U.S. side. I then take all the items through customs myself. Saves a lot of time and $$$ that way. Every now and again, I do have to tell a little white lie to get something across. I haven't been arrested yet, which I consider a good thing.
Anyway, we're all having fun, right?? Take care all.
Regards,,,,,,,,,,, Wayne |
Vancouver also. When I do the math on the used gear here with shipping, duties, taxes etc. I find it cheaper to look in Canada with our strong peso. BTW if you buy out of your province you don't pay PST. Regards. |
Rgd...Kirkland? C'mon, I live in Kirkland. Vendome street, one block from Emile Nelligan school. This is almost surreal! And as for snow, got 6 feet of snow on my front lawn, thank goodness it has no effect on my system. Jeff |
What abt us dualies? I'm between Ohio and T.O. every month - Awdeeofyle |
Here in winterpeg Hi-Fi is my way of surviving the long cold winter.
It is to bad that many of the "sponsers"of this site refuse to deal or to ship to canada. |
Near London, Ontario. Headin' to the US in a few months, so consolidating my system.... |
Montreal, Toronto, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Vancouver. Covers most of the country, just missing the Maritimes. For a country with a population hovering around 30 million people, we seem to have quite a few audiophiles, must be the inclement weather that keeps us locked up indoors for a chunk of the year. I've been very impressed with the honesty and ease of doing business with the Audiogoners, bought lots and sold lots here. As for our American neighbors, good bunch who are willing to learn how to stretch the truth on the forms to avoid us paying the taxman. Happy listening! Jeff |
Hello from Malagash, Nova Scotia, home of Jost vineyards, makers of Canadas' best ice wine...I've bought acoustic zen cables from Jody at Brooklyn audio here on audiogon and he is located at Brooklyn, N.S. he also sold my red dawns on the web here....Now we're sea to sea...eh? Cheers, Lloyd |
Mississauga,Ontario.To bad so many of our friends to the South wont ship North.1 EXTRA PIECE OF PAPER TO FILL OUT. |
Hi from Fall River, just west of Halifax. Great thread Jefflo, nice to know fellow Canadians out there in audioland.
Cheers, Mike |
Got a question for one of you Canadians, eh? If I were to drive up to PQ from New Hampshire to buy a used piece of audio gear, what would happen when I got to the border on the way home, eh? (Sorry about the "eh" at the end of each sentence - just kidding around. No offence meant, eh) ;>) |
Hi Elgordo.
It depends on where the product was made. If it was made in Canada or in the US. and under $3000 USD. there is no charge, except they might get you for a $5 charge for the paper work. If it's over $3000 USD., they will ask you to go through a brokerage firm. Between you and the seller, I'm sure that you can "FIX" the sale price.I'm not too sure how it will work if the piece of gear was made in the U.K. or somewhere else, as all of the pieces that I brought across were made here or in the US. You can also check with US. costoms and I'm sure they can give you all the information you need.
Good luck. Wayne |
El Gordo, if you drive to PQ, gimme a shout. Drop by, we'll spin some tunes and have a good Canadian beer. Whatcha got lined up to buy BTW? Jeff |
1. Tandberg 3001a tuner for U$ 650.00, shipping included.
The Seller wrhigts on the package:" old tuner for a friend"
value $100.00 ( doesn't say what kind...). Insures it for
U$650.00. Got it through Post air mail in 8 days. Duty $15.
2. E88CC Siemens tubes for U$85.00 Seller states: " tubes,
value U$85 ( translates into Can$130.00 ). Duty fees $25.
I don't mean to say: "better buy a tuner than tubes..." but
make sure you instruct the Seller with respect to "value"
issue and other additional information. Specialy when they
live in California while we enjoy the long winter up North ...and have to pay 15% tax too( that's 7%GST and 8%PST ).
What a life! Cheers! |
hey, all you canadian guys: i say forgetabout the hifi gear for awhile. you gotta save up enough to keep at least one NHL team in canada. i mean, do ya' really think they should be playing "the coolest game on earth" in florida? texas? north (or south) carolina? california? don't get me wrong, i'm mighty glad us folk in denver got the nordiques. but it would be no small loss to have the maple leaf flag that proudly hangs in all our stadia replaced with a banner reading "blame it on canada." pretty neat to see y'all hangin'. great post jeff. -kelly |
Kelly, wanna buy an NBA team, cheap? I don't know under what category to place the ad here. Maybe under speakers, five channel? |
Cornfedboy why did Denver lose its first NHL team.My guess is the fans are frontrunners. |
Jeff. Another hello from the west. I also lived not too far down the road from you in TMR. Have been here in Calgary since 88. I search his site a lot but have not bought cross border yet. In fact buy new a lot but as my gear gets to a higher level will soon be forced to buy used. Fyi, I placed a wanted ad once and was really suprised at the number of Canadian guys who responded but whom I had never seen in the forms
Cheers steve |
Brampton, Ontario...home to Magnum Dynalab...is where this active audiolover lives. And Jeffo, since when were Canada Customs "our good friends"...remember the old days with punitive import duty and sales tax? I surely do..when I had to buy my kart-racing parts from good ole USA. By the way, I'm a 'tube 'n tuner' guy with many Scott tuners (no 4310 but I do have a 310E and 310D/mpx. Make my own custom solid aluminum racks from bar stock. Always something new. Colm |
ElGordo, if you return to the States with audio gear, NOTHING will happen to you at the border! Unless it were during the Cold War Years and you happened to have Russian (ssh!) tubes under your balaclava! And don't mention "Lamm" either. Remember, some of the worrld's BEST gear is made here in the Great White North.. we don't spend all of our time just playing HOCKEY (ICE is Labatt's..too strong for you guys)..check out Newform Research ribbon speakers, for e.g. Regards, Colm |
I live just north of Vancouver BC in Gibsons. I live close to the US board and have a post office box in Blaine WA. I have purchased most of my audio equipment for US.
This is a great site |
London, Ontario between Toronto and Detroit. Kind of an audiophile on a budget but very appreciative of this site and the many friendly and knowledgeable members. |
Kelly where in denver, I lived in Golden for awhile.Hows the weather.I worked down town. great place denver i think often of it. Every weekend id go to twin lakes on the back side of aspen fishing, great fishing above twin lakes at the .Cant think of that lake , but great fishing. Hope all is well in denver.
steve |
I'm in Toronto.
Hey Stereokarter, now that you mention it, I'm looking for a Magnum Dynalab tuner -- maybe an FT-11 or reasonably priced 101A. Any clues where to find these used in Ontario (guess the company doesn't leave piles of them outside their head office, huh?)
Alan |
No, Manfred is pretty tight with 101a's..after all it is his bread & butter. However, my daughter plays baseball with his grand-daughter, and you should hear the stories about the dedicated wiring at his cottage! MD tuners are scarce in Ont....though the odd one does show in Buy & Sell or in audio stores. They go immediately, and are often resold on eBay! The 101A (I've owned 2 different ones) are a standard and a delight to use, with a superbly selective and clear sound...I prefer my Scott tuners but these are much less sensitive and are more difficult to use..read fragile in comparison to MD. Next for me will be the big MD! |
I'm in Dundas Ontario, just southwest of Toronto. I've got to say I rather enjoy this site and particularly the forums.
Happy Trails!
Vince@Freewheel |
Vince you are very fortunate.Alternative Audio in Dundas is by far and away the best high end store i have ever been in. |
I live in Ottawa; but not the capital of music or hi-fi gears. The local dealers here are not ideal. I was about to upgrade my system for two years. However, Paradigm titan is sitting in my living room, although my listening is via my Sen600 most of the time. Anyway, I turned to audiogon and look for the advice and gears.
I often ask myself if the ideal high end dealer exists. Someone are not trying to sell you a two grand speaker at your first visit. No offence to the people at GTA, montreal, and west.
Happy listening to all |
I am in the greater, greater Montreal area. Longueuil, which is to Montreal what New Jersey is to NYC. Did I say that? Well all comparaisons are odious. Canada does not have a floating currency, it has a sinking currency, to borrow from one of our fine banks' executives. Could it be time to adopt the USD? It will not be done for the sake of audio equipment, that's for sure. Not even a reasonably sized blip on the economy's radar screen. All is not so dark, friends and neighbours, as I found out not too long ago, quite a few Canadian companies do produce a variety of good to extremely good hi-fi equipment. Insofar as buying used from our good neighbours to the South, makes very little economic sense, factoring in shipping paid for in USD, the GST and PST based on the equivalent in CDN $ for which we are fleeced at the border, the usual brokerage fee (hey UPS as a right to be paid for its efforts too), the rate at which credit card cos charge for exchanging money if you are buying from a dealer and using plastic, and the hassle in trying to ship something back should it prove to be defective for whatever reason (try getting your $ from the Federal Gov't- like all of them, way better at collecting than cutting a cheque). My pet peeve: Canadian vendors who don't even bother giving a price in CND $ when they post (all of them actually...). Better yet, the friendly fellow who did not deign to reply to my e-mail asking how much he wanted for an Audio Research LS-16 in CDN $ and where he was situated. Somebody out there has discovered a form of audio arbitrage in scooping up high end products (the few that can be found)in Canada and being paid USD for them. |
I am in St.Catharines. I am close enough to the U.S. to drive over whenever I want so if something in the states is a good deal I just mail it to Tonowanda N.Y. and go pick it up. No brokerage fees and alot of times no taxes either if its not too big of an item.What sucks about this area is no REAL hi-fi stores in the immediate area.I bought my audiolab and ProAc peices off the owner of a store that no longer exists in the area. I still appreciate quality audio but not quite into it like I was before. I used to live at the electronics store in my youth. |
I live in Greenfield Park, not far from Pbb's Longeuil. I agree with Pbb with respect to buying Canadian gear-much more cost effective and the equipment is top notch!
Salut, Bob P. |
I live in Edmonton, AB. Have bought and sold via this site. You can occasionally find worthwhile deals for buying (once you take customs fees/gst into account). I almost never ship by UPS/FEDEX ground (they charge astronomical "processing" fees. |
Hello from Regina, Saskatchewan. Though I haven't bought anything from this site, I have made some inquiries, and found that even with ads saying "ship only to the USA", many sellers are willing to ship to Canada if asked.
|
Is it possible to buy audio equipment made in Canada for much less than here in the States? Specifically, I see Bryston 4B-ST's available on the web for about $1800 U.S. I've yet to find a website in Canada that lists the prices at all. I'll be skiing at Blue Mountain this winter and was thinking that maybe I could save a few loonies by purchasing while I'm there. Any store recomendations? Thanks- |
Not sure about all products originating in Canada but I would guess after converting your US money into Canadian dollars (currently in the crapper) you would come out ahead. As far as Bryston goes they discourage Canadian dealers to ship cross-border. Now if you were to walk through the door of a Canadian Bryston dealer I'm sure they would make it worth your while without hesitation. Where abouts is "Blue Mountain??? |
Firstly - Not to slag the local scene, or your ski plans (I too snow-board or two-plank at 'Blue') ...But Blue Mountain Ain't even a mountain, more of a large hill. FYI Blue Mountain is in Southern Ontario, about 1 & 3/4 hours from Toronto proper. It's at the edge of South-Western Georgian Bay. Its a nice little condominium strewn winter playground for those who want to partake in snow sports, but can't get out to Quebec, British Columbia (Whistler Black Comb) or Stateside for the weekend.
As for the Bryston dealers etc., you'll find that greenbacks are very popular anywhere in Canada – But you'll find better audio deals in Western Canada. There's a real protectionist mentality in THIS country. Too bad the government’s selling the people out anyway - and cheaply I might add.
...At any rate you might find a deal, but its not going to be that great because you'll have to find a way around the GST. You could pay here and have it shipped state-side, but the dealer will have already paid Goods and Services Tax (to Bryston) and won't be willing to do the paperwork to recoup it - you'd have to chase the CDN Govt. for it (that's 7% bro!) So... looking closer to home might be better. I purchase most of my stuff when I'm in Ohio - whether local sales or not.
Good luck,
Mike |
Matt Nalbandian - In Ottawa, passionate Audiophile wannabe, think he has a good ear, can hold a note !
here is my Audio Web page : http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/mzn50/
best regards !!
Matt |
For high-end audio stores try Take5 Audio (site), nw of Toronto, and in The Toronto Area, American Sound - "Angie's" the biggest and best known with all the big namebrands (site), Audio One, Audio Excellence (2 stores), Brack Electronics (2 stores), Applause Audio (downtown), Executive Stereo (uptown), Great Metroploitan Sound (nearby ES), and Alternative Audio in Dundas (near Hamilton). That's IT!
P.S. In Blue Mountain you have your transistor radio for your enjoyment! |
Eric Buckingham
Waterloo/Sudbury. University Student currently in Waterloo Studying Biotechnology. Always tweeking and changing components around. Hope to meet most of you in my journeys on the Gon. All the best, Eric. |
I have a suggestion on how our friends in the great white north could quickly identify themselves:
Everyone adds an *, EH?* to the end of their user name like, for example - Jeffloistarca, eh? |
Angela - I guess the same could be said of Americans and their frequent use of Unhunh (sic)... |
Angela, perhaps it would be better if we only included 60%-70% of our monikers and 60%-70% of our opinions in order to reflect the real value of our dollar. That would mean we would call you either Angel or Ange, depending on the commodities market values. Let us know which you prefer. --Lorne. |
|
I assume that makes me Blue, eh? |
I think that might make you LA Blue Eh! :) Or maybe 'Out of the Blue' eh. |
Rob in Vancouver. I always seemed to have something Canadian eh! in my equipment rack. Dayton Wright (OK, some years ago), Classe, Magnum D, Foundation Research, Rix Rax speaker stands. Same with source material - I have a lot of the vinyl Bruce Cockburn, Joni, Neil, Ian Tyson and Rough Trade issued. And I still search the bins for Stony Plain and True North (Eugene Martynec).
Who's bought equipment stateside and driven it cross border? Think of a 100lb amp, not a MC cartridge. Creative bills of sale aside, are duty and excise payable or is PST/GST all that's due on US made electronics? Any gotchas or tricks of trade you can share? |
Rphare eh
If I have it right you just pay pst/gst except if product comes from outside USA. Uhhunh .
Although with the Cad. dollar being what it is, the value of Canadian made audio can't be ignored. Our Uhhunh friends are always commenting on this site about what great value Bryston, Paradigm or Sonic Frontiers are eh! However few of them know if they buy in Canada with converted US dollars then the best deals will be found. On an aside, once when we were 19 yrs old we drove up from Middlebury college in VT. with a back seat full of used audio gear. The Canadian customs guy had one look and pulled out a Consumers Distributers catalogue. He started to calculate the duty and taxes based on what our stuff looked like compared to the pictures in the book.
When we told him we had no money for any of that he let us go back into the US to supposedly leave the stuff at a cousin's. Five miles down the road we cut over to a farmers road and made a bee line straight to montreal. What better did we know eh.
Cheers. Alberta _eh _steve eh |
