why does hardware cost more in Canada than U.S??

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bernse

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2000
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Geez guys, I don't know what Canada you all live in, but if you take into account the difference on the dollar I think Canada is one of the cheapest countries to live in....then again I live in Alberta too.

 

SaturnX

Diamond Member
Jul 16, 2000
3,415
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76
Heh, I live in Ontario, and yeah the prices do add up with tax and all, recently I purchased a 128MB DIMM from Mushkin for $89 USD, after exchange it was $137 CAD, and then because I live in Ontario there was 15% tax on entering the province, so the total was....$157 CAD. Pretty steep for 128MB of RAM, but even though It's expensive, I trust Mushkin, and they have always provided better quality, hence I pay the premium.

bernse: As far as I know Alberta doesn't have PST, do they? That alone already cuts prices a fare amount. Ontario's got 8% PST, and that really adds up.

--Mark

[Edit]

However, ATi is Canadian, that's one major company in Canada :D

[/Edit]
 

Quad

Golden Member
Nov 18, 2000
1,222
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alright dudes, EVERYONE WHO SAID CANADA SUCKS IS A BIG LOSER! canada's the best country every! hehehe

anyways, the prices aren't that bad here. i live in ontario myself, and u just gotta shop around. like buy yur hsf from one store and yur cpu from another. take yur time and ask other ppl who live near you where they bought their stuff.

but in general, things are more expensive in canada....prolly cuz most of the stuff is made in the states: DAMN AMERICANS! j/k :)

quad
 

Vrangel

Golden Member
Jan 12, 2000
1,259
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Soccerman
Stimulating economy by government spending doesnt work.
Its a part of bankrupt socialist ideology.
Japan tried it for ten years now and all they got is huge debt and
ten years of rolling recession.

Tax cuts is the way to go.People get to spend money directly
rather than through government bureaucracy.

 

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
2,731
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Well it's like Whisky - you can get it much cheaper outside Scotland.

Canada - great country, makes me think of chicks and waterbeds for some reason.....mmmm.... :)

It's normally all to do with taxes and how much the agents/retailers want to screw the punters - or how much the punters are willing to be screwed.

In my home country (U.K.) "we" (The British public) seem to have a thing about letting ourselves get totally shafted on prices for various bits of gear. From Computers to Cars. Although there has been some improvements in recent years. This is a generally European thing....

Even here in Hong Kong without any taxes on goods (not tobacco/alcohol etc) we still have generally higher prices than the US - especially the US discount online stores which seem to offer unbelievable deals at times.

However the US postal rates to other countries are ridiculous - I think I was quoted US$112 to send one measly piece of RAM to Hong Kong, the RAM was only US$80 or something at the time....lol
I'm not sure if it was going to be hand delivered by the President or such but they must as well just say
Overseas orders - we are not interested!
 

skapegoat

Junior Member
Jan 29, 2001
13
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0
while the prices in canada are more expensive i have found that it is still cheaper to buy computer stuff here, you just have to shop around. i just recently bought a stick of 128 mb ram for 65 bucks, to the guy that got the mushkin ram for about the same price you paid i could get 264 mb on generic ram. i would rather have 264mb of generic ram then have 128 of top-o-the-line ram
 

peemo

Golden Member
Oct 17, 1999
1,329
0
0
I find that in Toronto there are a lot of local shops run by stupid greedy f#cks who just overcharge. There are some exceptions like Promax. All you Ontario residents please post some decent shopping locations, either retail stores or reliable online sites. I'm thinking of buying on NCIX just to avoid the Ontario sales tax.
 

Soccerman

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,378
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0
!!

Stimulating economy by government spending doesnt work. Its a part of bankrupt socialist ideology. Japan tried it for ten years now and all they got is huge debt and ten years of rolling recession.

Tax cuts is the way to go.People get to spend money directly rather than through government bureaucracy.


well, I'm sorry to say, but Canada's been doing the same thing for years and years.. we generated a massive deficit because of the previous government (I haven't a clue how they did that), but we're back on our feet again.

people still spend money when they give the government their money. in fact, doing it that way makes life extremely easy for us Canadians.. we don't have to worry about paying for school, health care, etc etc. it all gets funded by the government (which is funded by us) with taxes.

with the US, when you experience an economic slowdown, the result is less people with jobs, companies going bankrupt, etc. With Canada, you experience similar effects, though not necessarily to such magnitude, because alot of jobs that are taken care of by companies in the states are taken care of by the government here in Canada.

our population has a much higher chance of working for the government (my dad does, he works at a powerhouse that provides heat for a hospital) then you would in the states.

the more people that can stay working, the less people who have no jobs, the more taxes you get, the better the quality of life (social spending is sustained), the more the government can spend on projects to stimulate our economy.

with the US, sure, you can lower taxes. so can we (though we don't, becuase we have such a large government, and because we're still paying off our deficit).

but that's just the tip of the iceburg here.. In Canada, more of our money gets circulated within our country then in the States.

our downfall? if ever a government that comes into power does similar things like that last one did, we're in trouble. which is why we have to rely on voting to keep our country running at prime.