Reekor

As a vendor how do you justify Canadian over inflated car audio prices? But then again how does one justify price gouging.

happy_mcslappy

So then according to your way of thinking, its ok for your millwright brothers in the u.s. to make minimum wage and be happy?

I had a whole mental list of things to question you regarding your previous statements, but then I realized......why? Nothing that anybody else says on this board will make you see our point of view. You obviously dont understand marketing, supply and demand, or have any sort of business sense. I have been a straight forward internet consumer, retail consumer, retail car audio manager, as well as sales rep for a Canadian car audio distributor. I have seen all aspects of what you are saying and eventually you will realize how wrong you are.

Just give up and leave the post be.

zoomer

iTrader: (3)

While on the US vs Canada pricing, lets look at reality and
taking the exchange rate into account. US$1=CND$1.15
Alpine web site
IVAD310 US$1400 CDN$2000. That is %25 higher in Canada
CDA9857XM US$400 CDN$525 That is %15 higher in Canada. Actually reasonable.
SWS1242D US$170 CDN$259 is %32 higher in Canada
SWR1224D US$220 CDN$339 That is 34% higher in Canada.
Looks like the lower end pricing is more reasonable probably due to competition. The high end buyer is robbed blind unless the Canadian retailer is expected to discount more. But I dont see that, as mentioned by the previous poster that the Canadian shop is quoting MSRP. But you can do your own comparisons at other sites such as Polk that also show US and Canadian MSRP.
Dealers: Ask your distributor/manufacturer why Canadian prices have not fallen in line to reflect a higher Canadian Dollar? We no longer have a 60cent dollar of a few years ago. As a consumer I can accept maybe a 10-15% premium in Canada over US street price, but 35% is way too high.
The main problem in Canada is the lack of real discount internet sites to provide competition. Many of the US web discounters sell at close to wholesale prices. That is why you can pick up 2 Type Rs in the US for the price of 1 in Canada. The manufacturers still have good control over Canadian retailers and will shut them down if they sell over the internet. Only the big box stores have the clout to be allowed to sell over the internet, and then not all products and the prices are high unless there is a sale. The US is wide open now and good deals can be made.
I agree that if you know what you are doing, buy quality brands, use the products properly, you can certainly come out ahead by buying in the US. If you save 50% you can afford to pay for a repair now and then and still be ahead. If you are new to car audio, then by all means go to a reputable Canadian specialty car audio shop.

pinhead

and what makes you think your worth what you probably payed
what $20-$30 an hour
i run my own shop and don't even make close to that ripping people of every day
wait till your replaced by somebody who works in china for 10 cents a day
maybe then you will respect how a business is run
and how many installers make what a millwright makes
being that you do a simple job compared to an installer

Dukk

First off, I'm not taking sides - vendors have the right to make a living and consumers have the right to buy where they want.

I will point out two things though - If say something like a TypeR 12 is roughly twice the price in Canada as in the US at pretty much any shop you look at then doesn't it make more sense that the problem is the Canadian Distributor and not every single Canadian retailer? Personally I don't care to support manufacturers who have such large disparities in pricing.

Having said that - I cut 'some' slack to non-US companies. They face extra duties when importing to Canada. In my regular day job I import from many countries and I have to always be aware of additional duties when importing from countries other than the US..

So, basically, it's not always the guy you see on the other side of the counter that is tapping your wallet.

zoomer

iTrader: (3)

Lets not all get uptight about this issue and all you retailers out there: don't bash the consumer. If the consumer does not see the value of buying locally, it is not his fault, but the industry's. Manufacturers will look globally around the world to find lowest prices, retailers will do the same. Neither are ashamed of doing so as it is in the name of staying alive in an increasingly competitive global industry. There is no loyalty based on "buy North American" It is just business. So why are Canadian retaillers so upset when consumers do exactly the same and also look around for the best deals? Including south of the border? I also have owned a shop and I can vouch that it is long hours of hard work for very little pay. I don't think the store owners are driving around in very expensive cars or live in mansions. Even if products are sold at or close to MSRP most stores are making just enough to break even. This is not a very lucrative business. There are huge costs associated with running a retail business, especially in our smallish Canadian markets.
But consumers out there: Be honest with yourselves and with your local dealer. If you want to buy cheap in the US, by all means do so. We don't expect you to feel sympathy for the local dealer, but don't turn around and then expect top service from them. Dealers provide good service to their customers, not to those who buy somewhere else because they save a few dollars. If you can get Alpine subs at half price in the US, then do it, but don't blame the small canadian retailer, and certainly don't go to him to get your US products repaired.
Here is an example of some of the costs to a retailer: You buy a head unit today. You bring it back tomorrow because it is not working properly. Most dealers will exchange it on the spot. What do you think happens to the defective one? You think the dealer returns it and gets a refund? Oh no! He sends it back for warranty repairs, pays the shipping one way, then when it comes back he has to sell it at a deep demo discount as it no longer new!
Another interesting thing is happening in the retail industry. Big box stores are importing US market product purchased in bulk by their big US parents. The Canadian manufacturer does not warrant them and is not setup for repairs either. During the warranty period the big box store will refund or replace, but after the warranty is up, you have no where to go because the manufacturer in Canada will not repair it!

pinhead

this is a direct quote from mr Reekor
Canadian car audio stores jack up their prices as much as they can, it's a rip off.
as far as i can see it he isn't smart enough to make that statement
as i said run a store then your qualified to run your mouth
until then you don't know

Reekor

You are working in a simple profession that requires minimal electrical knowledge. How much do you think that you are worth? If you wanted to make $20-$30 you would have got into a licensed trade. I sure that you feel that you are talking to a car audio newbie, But I’ve been around long before pull out head units hit the scene, I do all of my own car audio and security work so don’t think that I don’t know what is involved in what you do. I for one could not do this type of work on a daily basis being bent down under a dash just don’t work for me as well as it did when I was 18.

With the jacked up car audio price are you all that surprised that its hard to make sale?

How would I get replaced by somebody who works in china for 10 cents? That doesn’t make sense? Unless you send the 500 - 3000 ton hydraulic presses that I work on for repairs to china LOL. What are you talking about?

Being that what I do a simple job compared to an installer, I have some free advice for you. Close up shop go and write your millwright ticket.

Reekor

Another thing that big box stores do, they sell extended over the counter exchange warranties. This is where they make a pile of money. If your item fails, you bring it back and they replace it with a new one. None of this stuff goes out for repairs, it gets sent to store chain’s return center, along with anything that was damaged in shipping, demo models, things with missing parts, outdated models, One major chain in the US uses this system to offer a 90 day no questions asked return policy. The return center then sells these items by pallets and truckload at about 18-23% of its retail (the store’s cost) value on a as-is, where-is basis. So in the long run the stores are pocketing the extended warranty fees and lose nothing to very little to dump this stuff. Most of this stuff is bought by liquidation salvage retailers that sell the stuff for 40 -70% of it’s retail value. The majority of this stuff you find is being sold on Ebay. That’s why you can find all kinds of cheap car audio on Ebay.

pinhead

[QUOTE=Reekor]You are working in a simple profession that requires minimal electrical knowledge [QUOTE]

another statement you just proved you no nothing about
i do more than deck and 4 install there buddy
and i have a trade certificate i am an automotive electronics techician
issued by the ontario ministry of trades and colleges and universities
this trade is what you make it
there is no end to what you can do
proving again you don't know
p.s. i have been in this trade since 8 tracks were around