Americans buy Cameras in Canada - for now

[jedinite]

I've posted this a few times in replies to the "What Camera I Should Buy" threads but I wanted to tell you all a little secret for those of you that live in the US.

Buy your cameras in Canada. Based on today's exchange rate, the USD is worth $1.30 CAD, and most camera and equipment prices are based on when the USD to CAD was pretty much 1:1. An good example is the 50D retails in the US for $1399USD and it sells for $1399CAD, so right away you get a 30% discount. GST in Canada is 5% and depending on the province you can expect to pay anywhere from 0% to 8% PST. Alberta is the only province with 0% PST.

So even though the world economy seems like it taking a shit, there are deals to be had. I don't know how long the USD will continue to stay strong vs the Canadian dollar and I don't know when the retailers will re-adjust their prices but I'm thinking of buying some more equipment based on this fact and I'll be saving myself hundreds.

This deal of course will be better for those of you that live in border cities or are already planning to make a trip North of the border. Otherwise, the savings you get will probably be offset by the cost of the trip, but hey you get a trip out of it at least. Cheers!

[jedinite]

Looks like the CAD is gaining a bit of it's loses and American retailers are starting to drop prices on stuff, so it's harder to find deals in Canada. Oh well, hope some of you got a chance to get some cost savings.

[Rhys]

My 30D has plummeted in price. I paid over $1000 for mine and now they're $600! Ah well, c'est la vie!

[DonSchap]

The one thing we can almost always count on is that technology (the camera body) will drop in price, year over year, as newer models are introduced. You just need to get your use out of it and be ready to unload it for the next model or live with the depreciation. :rolleyes: It is not an investment, but a tool to create a business, if you are so inclined. You have to keep those tools sharp! ;)

[cdifoto]

Depreciation doesn't apply until you go to sell. Use the snot out of it until it dies and you have no worries.

You can always eBay a broken body with full disclosure and get something out of an otherwise useless bit of kit.

[lawhamptons]

For most of us "amateur enthusiasts" who dont earn a living from photography, do we really need to fall for the technology changes of each manufacturer each year or even sooner? For example a Canon 40D or a Nikon D80, although last year's goods, perform as well for us and give us as good results as the new 50D or D90 (without the camcorder function). Times are tough. So I am buying a new DSLR and looking for the best deal on a midrange DSLR which right now seems to be the D 80. Maybe we should wait to a week before Christmas when, if things keep going like they are, and maybe GM folds, these "toys" for us non professionals will really be cheaper. Just my thought in response to Don, whose posts are very interesting and informative and this is the first one of the many of his that I read today that I really thought needed more when he recommended being ready to unload for a new model.

[Rachel Archer]

I would certainly recommend buying your camera through a Canadian website if possible, at this time. Yesterday I bought the Canon Powershot SD850 IS (refurbished) from the eStore for Canon Canada (estore.canon.ca) for only $139.99, which equals $112.96 USD by the latest exchange. A steal for a camera that only a year ago retailed at $400 USD (around $500 Canadian!).

But even when you find a camera for the same price, it still makes sense. For example, the Powershot G10 is $499 on Canon's USA site. It's selling for the same price in Canadian dollars up here (though I've noticed at least two stores offering it for $440 Canadian). So if you bought it here, you could get the same camera for only $355 to $403 USD, rather than $500 USD.

Rachel :)

[digitalintrigue]

Buy from a Canadian ebay seller using the Live.com cashback, and you get up to 30% off on top of the 30% exchange rate advantage :)