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Other great classified add sources,even Canada?

This site is a great find.
I've waiting 18 months for a dealer to provide a Wadia 830 then 831 now 301. What a joke!
I have been very spectacle about internet buying but recently bought a satellite TV system privately from an ebay contact. Best move I have made for a while. I did the research and found a great deal of support out there.
There is no turning back. (Thank our times for high speed)
Now I'm going to upgrade my stereo system ASAP.
I've talked to a few sellers of Wadia 830s and it is just matter of time.
One problem appears to be buying and selling from Canada.
There is no problem shipping to Canada via the postal
system. Customs fee is $5. Payment can easily be made in US or CND funds. Canada Customs has told me there are no duty fees on US made goods shipped to Canada but there is 15% tax up here on the declared purchase price. You can insure the shipment for any amount but declare the parcel value for less. This was actually explained to me by a Canada Customs info service person. This requires a note attached to the box.
Free trade is here but sometimes it is not straightforward.
Maybe that is why most of the Audiogon classifieds list
Ship to: US only. Live and learn I guess but it would be nice to have a level playing field. Another "outside the main stream" dissadvantage is all it amounts to.

Anyway I'm just starting into this and looking for more good used hi end audio listings. Hopefully I can avoid surprises and extra fees. Any advice others may have would save everyone involved time and money.
Thanks for listening.
seeker999
12 responses Add your response
sean
6,231 posts
 
While this is not exactly part of the "Canadian / American" thread, Norbert ( formerly of AudioReview ) just started a new website. I think you'll see some similarities to the "old" AudioReview that many of us used to love ( MANY moons ago... ). Sean
>

http://www.audioutopia.com/classifieds/daily.shtml
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Rgd- You are correct re: 9/11 issues, and actually the recent cross-border mailings have all be more rapid than I expected. My horror story was in a m.o. sent a couple of years ago. It came back after one month, stating no such address. Address was correct, and when I sent it again, it got through in about 1 week. Hope I didn't sound chauvanistic; just stating my experience.
ghostrider45
449 posts
 
I've bought used equipment twice from Canada for shipment to USA. Both times UPS sent me a bill a couple of weeks later for customs. It was about $20 as I recall.
rgd
656 posts
 
Swampwalker - while I will agree that all postal services can be less than speedy I think that recent postal scares and everything since Sept 11th has things moving slower than normal. From my home in western Canada, on Nov 8th, I sent two money orders Canada Express post "guaranteed" to be in NYC and California in 4 business days that left Canada on the 12th (a weekend in the middle and according to the Canada Post website) which finally arrived at their respective destinations on the 19th & 21st! So it would appear that the delay was on the US side of the border. I think we have to have patience which may be a tough thing to attain for those of us who swap,sell and buy on this site...
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
There seems to be no rhyme or reason, but in buying multiple items from Canada, I've gotten charged a customs/brokerage fee ($19) once. Other than the sometimes slow pace of Canada Post, they've all been smooth.
tbadder
103 posts
 
I'm here in the States and found that buying Canadian isn't a problem. In fact, transactions from both sides have been identical for me. No customs fee, no UPS fees, nothing. Not sure why as I hear horror stories sometimes about the difficulties in transportation from Canada to the U.S.
danner
202 posts
 
I've bought tubes from thetubestore.com that is in Hamilton, Ontario with fine results. Didn't even realize they were outside the US until I wanted to return some tubes. Then I was told that they have to pay import fees on anything returned that is declared to be more than $5. Makes a lot of sense, an import fee on returned murchandise.
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pretender
28 posts
 
What is involved in a reverse transaction--A person from the US purchasing an item from a person in Canada? Does it make any difference if it is a used piece of equipment, originally made in the US?
jeffloistarca
1,004 posts
 
I've bought and sold a fair amount on Audiocentre.com, no luck at all on CanuckAudio. Odd, maybe it's cuz Audiocentre is here in Montreal so people assume it's a local sale? As for purchases from the U.S. well, it's damned expensive so you have to make sure it's something you really want and is at a terrific price. By the time you pay exchange on the currency, shipping, customs brokerage fees, and taxes you find that the $1000 item listed here cost you $2000 Cdn. Food for thought. I've had nothing but good experiences here (knock on wood) so you've come to a good site. Enjoy the hobby, Jeff
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Other good sources are Audioweb.com and Audioshopper.com --- You will see some of the same ads as here; many people post in more than one place.
perfectimage
406 posts
 
I have delt with Candian transactions and I have a little advice. If you get a money order get it in U.S. funds from an American bank. A money order from a Canadian Bank takes three weeks to clear. At least at my bank. Paypal will of course bypass this whole problem.

If it says U.S. Only dont be afraid to email them and ask anyway. I put that in my adds but I really dont have a problem with Canada its just that I dont want to deal with someone from some small nation I never heard of half way across the globe. And that is just because I dont know what it intails.
rgd
656 posts
 
There are only 2 sites in Canada that I know of - the Audio Centre has a small discussion and for sale board - www.audiocentre.com. The other being www.canuckaudiomart.com. which is much better and free! I have had successful transactions going both ways over the border and have found that some US sellers here will at least entertain the option of selling to us "Canucks" so all it takes is an e-mail. Depending on the traffic on the item the seller may have to take a "northern offer" seriously. The biggest stumbling block at present is the US/Canadian dollar differential at $1US = $1.635 Cdn.

Glad to hear that another Canuck has joined the ranks - now maybe we account for about 3% of the population...
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