I have noticed a lot of price comparisons on various markers on this site, and have come to the conclusion that there is a significantly different pricing scheme for markers and equipment here in the great white north. For example, Phantoms for $50, these must be used, because the best new price I've found so far is more like $250Cad. And I'm wondering where to find the elusive $100 Spider, which seems to list new for $160Cad. I know all about currency conversion, but if marker A is cheaper than marker B in the US of A, shouldn't it also be cheaper in Canada?
Are we Canadians getting ripped off? Or am I missing something? Either way, I'd like to know, and if we are getting gouged, is there something I, or we can do about it?
Also, before I get flamed, I've asked that this thread be moved to the proper forum. Mistake on my part posting it here, sorry.
Last edited by PlayingWithFire : February 27th at 06:08 PM.
New Phantoms have never been $50. The cheap Spyders were only because they were discontinued stock and being blown out for next to nothing. U.S/Canadian pricing is very similiar once you factor in the cost of shipping/brokerage, dollar conversion, tax, etc the prices aren't far off enough to constitute a conspiracy.
Then there are definitely some people on this forum making some bogus claims. The Phantom bit was a miss read on my part, but there seems to be some confusion about the list price of a number of low end markers, esp in relation to each other. I was just wondering if these claims of new guns going for 1/2 list price were true, and I was getting gouged, or if people were listing sale/clearance pricing as market price, just to prove a point. What you're saying makes me think it's the second scenario.
Thanks for the quick reply.
Those Spyders were going cheap at a number of larger retailers like Action Village for a long time it wasn't like it was a one time deal at "Bob's Discount Paintball Shack". Also $160CDN right now is about $125USD so the extra $25 isn't a big deal if you factor in the shipping costs.
PlayingWithFire, stuff in canada is always more expensive, especially if this stuff has to be imported from the US. Customs Canada takes a massive cut in taxing imports, so stuff gets expensive. But you could just buy something off the states with a canadian credit card from a store that ships UPS to canada. However, remember that if the item is over $100CAD, you have to pay customs on it, which will in the end cause any marker to cost whatever canadian stores are asking for it.
As I said, the $50 Phantom was a mistake on my part. The ting that bothers me is that I'm seeing people mention that a specific marker or accessory is less costly than another specific similar piece of equipment. Yet when I look into the prices, I often come to find that the items mentioned are either the same price, or that the first (and supposedly cheaper) item is more expensive (though often not by much) than the second, supposedly more expensive item, from Canadian retailers.
Now, I have looked into this, and have found that these people, for the most part, know what they are talking about in their "home markets", so it's not as if they are lying, but that once you cross the boarder, not only does the price go up (expected), but, on some manufacturers goods, it goes up more than others.
I can only assume that some manufacturers aren't getting as good a deal from their shipping broker. It's not something I'm loosing sleep over, but it is annoying.
Well since your in canada, some of the price might be due to how far the item has to come from. Maybe a marker made in Californa is the one price in the US and more in Canada. I don't know. Just an idea.
Canadian Pricing
