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Expensive Eheims????
The discussion of pricing on Eheim filters makes me laugh. Mainly, because
some of you think that the "sale" pricing which was mentioned by the initial
poster is _still_ too expensive.
I do a lot of mail order shopping for aquarium supplies. I also buy a lot at
local aquarium stores. To see just how "in the ball park" the quoted price
for the Eheim units was, I checked some of the competing online dealers, one
of which is Canadian (I'm not naming names.....). Now, this one particular
Canadian outfit has a web site which has separate sections with pricing for
U.S. or Canadian customers. So I decided to compare their offerings:
Price in U.S. $ for American Customers
Eheim 2228 - $ 179.99 U.S.
Price in Canadian $ for Canadian Customers
Eheim 2228 - $ 449.99 Cdn.
Lately, given the US-Cdn exchange rate, and with shipping and GST factored
in, I have found that a close approximation of what something from a U.S.
based mail order retailer is going to cost me (in Canadian dollars) is to
just take the U.S. $ price and double it. This can vary, usually the price
to me will work out to be a bit less, but its a good estimate and can serve
as a comparison for how good local prices are (or aren't as the case may
be).
So, let's see....... $ 179.99 U.S. X 2 = (approximately) $ 360.00 Cdn.
If I bought the Eheim unit from a US based mail order source (or from this
particular Canadian outfit, using their U.S. $ pricing), I would end up
having to shell out in the neighbourhood of $ 360.00 Cdn. That would include
shipping of the filter AND the GST I would be charged once it crossed the
border.
BUT, if I placed the order for the SAME filter with the same Canadian
company, but used their Canadian $ price list, I would have to spend $
517.49 Cdn ($ 449.99 for the filter + $67.50 for GST & PST). This doesn't
include shipping fees.
That is a difference of $ 157.49 Cdn., or if we take taxes out of the
equation, a difference of around $ 90.00 Cdn. And that is using TWICE the
U.S. pricing as an approximation - the difference would probably be more,
depending upon the exhange rate charged by the financial institution on the
day of the transaction.
Who's crazy here?
So, the next time you think that some of the U.S. based mail order outfits
are ripping you off, think again. Some of us who don't live in the U.S. are
faced with local pricing which can be MUCH higher than what you enjoy.
I've written the company in question, and pointed out the wide spread in the
pricing that they charge their U.S. and Canadian customers. Haven't had a
response yet though......
I am very proudly Canadian, but I'm a Canadian who will never again feel
guilty about spending my money with U.S. based mail order companies.
James Purchase
Toronto