As a Canadian reseller myself, I may be shooting myself in the foot by saying 
this, but I would have to say the opposite: yes, it is usually cheaper to 
purchase from the US, even AFTER taking into account the taxes (which you would 
have paid anyways), duties (which are usually non-existent on VoIP equipment) 
and brokerage/shipping (which can be had competitively if you know where to 
look).

However, there are a few things to be said in dealing with a Canadian reseller:

- peace of mind - you don't need to hunt around to figure out which shipping 
method is the cheapest, which has the lowest or no brokerage fees, etc.
- border issues - in addition to packages being held at the border on occasion, 
there have been many instances I have experienced where US vendors with no 
understanding of customs issues royally screw up customs documentation, 
resulting in incorrect charges and other problems.
- RMA issues - you don't want to pay shipping to the US and brokerage fees back 
(since most return shipping would be by Ground which does not include brokerage 
fees).
- quicker delivery - in addition to border issues, shipping is just generally 
quicker, especially when dealing with a vendor from your or neighbouring 
provinces.
- buy Canadian!

So, to sum it up, avoid the hassles, buy locally, unless you're talking about a 
10-20% savings and the amount being saved is significant (a few hundred 
dollars) - in which case, contact me and I'll see what buttons I can push and 
what arms I can twist to get you a better deal.

That's my 2 cents.

--
Nabeel Jafferali
www.voipdepot.ca


-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Alex @ Kovasys 
Inc.
Sent: May-04-08 3:36 PM
To: Bruce Nik
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [biz] Looking for Aastra 55i and Aastra 53i

Bruce,

You are 100% right. It is like buying a car in the US. It seems that
it is 30-40% cheaper but then when you start paying customs, duties,
PST/GST, shipping, exchange rate fees, etc. - it ends up being the
same if not more.

As a reseller we usually never make more than 5-10% on the hardware
sales due to manufacturers set prices - however since we are Canadian
we always guarantee prompt delivery.

--
Alex Kovalenko
Director of Operations
http://www.kovasys.com
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tel: 888.568.2747 x701

"IT Consulting & Staffing"
"Consultation et Recrutement en TI"



On Sun, May 4, 2008 at 2:55 PM, Bruce Nik <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>  Thanks for the offers.
>
>  Unfortunately I haven't received a good price offer yet. With the small gap 
> in US/CDN $, it is funny how Aastra prices haven't dropped in the Canadian 
> markets. In some cases it's $70 difference just cross the border. With 
> shipping and taxes it would still be cheaper to get it from USA. I know that 
> it's a channel partner's call to lower the prices in Canada and not the 
> online stores who receive it at such a high price.
>
>  Also as a side note, I am not looking to have these phones for myself. It's 
> for a client who looks up to me to get good prices for him.
>
>  Thanks> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected]> Date: Sat, 3 May 2008 
> 17:16:50 -0400> Subject: [biz] Looking for Aastra 55i and Aastra 53i> > > 
> Hello,> > Who has the best deal for Aastra 55i and Aastra 53i in town? There 
> are some good prices listed froogle for 55i. I am looking for at least 5 
> sets. Please e-mail me off the list.> > Thanks,> Bruce> 
> _________________________________________________________________> Turn every 
> day into $1000. Learn more at SignInAndWIN.ca> http://g.msn.ca/ca55/213
>
> _________________________________________________________________
>  If you like crossword puzzles, then you'll love Flexicon, a game which 
> combines four overlapping crossword puzzles into one!
>  http://g.msn.ca/ca55/208

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]


---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Reply via email to