# US Prices vs. Canadian Prices



## Finkangel (May 7, 2006)

Are there any retailers out there offering US prices now that US and Canadian dollars are practically the same? I noticed a few storesin Alberta that dont even offer exhcange rates and treat them on par.


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## djstp (Mar 10, 2006)

thats pretty much the norm at the current economic status

although our beer has a better percentage of alcohol in it, our strippers go the full distance, and our air smells fresher, outside of that, the rest is all par


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

Finkangel said:


> Are there any retailers out there offering US prices now that US and Canadian dollars are practically the same? I noticed a few storesin Alberta that dont even offer exhcange rates and treat them on par.


You have to remember that this is a bonus for those retailers. Typically unless it is a promotional activity, exchange rates are not as favourable at a retailer. Those stores in Alberta are actually making money (small amounts) from their customers.


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## Kyle (Oct 11, 2005)

It is a source of some consternation, though... those prices. However, we Canadians are so adamant that we are _not_ like Americans, maybe we just can't have our cake and eat it too. What I really mean is...

For those of you who haven't looked:

Canadian MacBook = $1,249.00 
The American MacBook = 1,147.79 Canadian
The Japanese MacBook = $1,197.50 Canadian

*But*
UK MacBook = 1,498.76
Irish MacBook = 1,512.54
Norway = 1,693.44
Luxembourg = 1,437.51

Etc... So my point is that prices are simply different in different countries. Even those that share a currency (Euro). Go figure.


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## DempsyMac (May 24, 2007)

Let me give you a view on this from a retailers perspective and let you know how it works.

I tell Apple that I want to have the lowest price all the time and that being competitive is very important. US pricing is used as the point of comparison well because they are so close and because Apple is a US company.

Right now our CDN $ is high and that is great, but we have not seen it impact pricing for a few reasons. Apple (like other large companies) buy up currency so that prices do not change every day or week, this is a good thing most of the time as I am sure that you would not want to see a $1249 MacBook today and a $1247 MacBook tomorrow and a $1255 MacBook in two weeks would drive everyone crazy (especially my we designer). With Apple offering a standard price point both for customers and for dealers we don't have to deal with small changes. BUT that also means that we don't see big drops quickly either, now you can say "on man that blows" but it does mean that it goes the other way as well, if our dollar was to take a big drop no one wants to see prices going up right?

Apple has been rather good in the past to update there US dollar conversion when a new unit is announced so lets all hope that when we see new units come out that we see a more competitive USD. I know that I have been telling Apple that something needs to be done for some time.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

Kyle said:


> It is a source of some consternation, though... those prices. However, we Canadians are so adamant that we are _not_ like Americans, maybe we just can't have our cake and eat it too. What I really mean is...
> 
> For those of you who haven't looked:
> 
> ...


I used to do global pricing at the manufacturer level. 
Different countries, different markets. Also different support, marketing and sales cost and different competitors.
All of this and more play a part in pricing a product at the manufacturer level - retail pricing is then another kettle of fish.

I think Apple is to be commended in the way they have adjusted Cdn. pricing to follow the Cdn. vs. US dollar exchange rate. Take a look at some other products - books and magazines are especially bad. Pricing on many of those still assume the Cdn. dollar is at 65 cents US.


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## Kyle (Oct 11, 2005)

yeah, what krs said
lol


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## Starkicker (Jun 12, 2007)

Sorry, I hate to bring up a dead thread - but assuming that the MacBook will be refreshed in the coming months as per the mac rumour sites, will that mean that the prices will be adjusted for the new higher exchange rate as well? Is this what's happened historically in the past?


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

Price Adjustments do usually (historically) happen during porduct refreshes. The MacBook probably won't be refreshed until sometime around Leopard though -- which is October. 

If the dollar stays high (which I think most are expecting it to) then there could be a price adjustment.


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## Starkicker (Jun 12, 2007)

fyrefly said:


> Price Adjustments do usually (historically) happen during porduct refreshes. The MacBook probably won't be refreshed until sometime around Leopard though -- which is October.
> 
> If the dollar stays high (which I think most are expecting it to) then there could be a price adjustment.


That's great news! I was thinking about heading Stateside to pick up a Mac, but would much prefer to buy it locally. When I ran the numbers, the US MacBook was about $300 cheaper than buying it here (including all applicable taxes and such).


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

Kyle said:


> UK MacBook = 1,498.76
> Irish MacBook = 1,512.54
> Norway = 1,693.44
> Luxembourg = 1,437.51


These prices most likely include sales taxes.


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## spicyapple (Aug 17, 2006)

How does this apply to the online Apple store since they ship from California / China or a warehouse in Canada?

I'm holding off a Mac Pro purchase because the difference in Cdn/US pricing has been going on for several months with little change. It's a win for Apple (and they know it) unless of course they come across shoppers like me who can wait it out for something more reasonable. 

I shop at BHphotovideo.com in NY and it's just one price. You just have it converted in US dollars and they ship to Canada. The US Apple Store doesn't ship to Canadian addresses, unfortunately (probably has to do with agreements with Apple resellers).


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

spicyapple said:


> How does this apply to the online Apple store since they ship from California / China or a warehouse in Canada?
> 
> I'm holding off a Mac Pro purchase because the difference in Cdn/US pricing has been going on for several months with little change. It's a win for Apple (and they know it) unless of course they come across shoppers like me who can wait it out for something more reasonable.
> 
> I shop at BHphotovideo.com in NY and it's just one price. You just have it converted in US dollars and they ship to Canada. The US Apple Store doesn't ship to Canadian addresses, unfortunately (probably has to do with agreements with Apple resellers).


I don't see any savings at all buying from the US.

PHphotovideo shows the basic MacBookPro at $US 2000.-. When I converted that to Cdn Dollars using today's exchange rate plus the 2% the CC tacks on, I get $C 2176 vs a Cdn price from Apple of $C 2199.-
And from the US you still need to pay for shipping, so it would actually be more expensive buying in the US and having it shipped.
The other consideration are any rebates for printers etc. US rebate offers may not apply to Canada.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

iMatt said:


> These prices most likely include sales taxes.


Yes - prices in Europe always include the VAT and the VAT is different in every country.


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