"Whenever we get to these levels (Canadian dollar parity), Canadians start to think about cross border shopping. But it's not necessarily a great idea."
Well if you focus on the one example (Apple stuff) of where prices are actually reasonable in Canada, then you might think it's not worth the trip to the US. But, as my series of "Canadian Rip Off" posts have shown over the years (yup it's been that long) pricing parity still has a looooong way to go.
So, is cross-border shopping still a good idea? Unless you are looking for an Apple product or video game console (where markups are more reasonable) the answer is a HUGE "yes".
BestBuy.com
Pioneer VSX-1020-K
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550 USD (or 568 CAD, regular price)
BestBuy.ca
Pioneer VSX-1020-K
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800 CAD (regular price), 750 CAD (on sale at the time of this post, oooh!)
So after currency conversion we have a 32% markup (before taxes) when the same item is on "sale" in Canada, and not in the US. But, if you compare them at regular price it's a whopping 45.5% markup! Wow, I just set a new personal record (previous record here) for finding Canadian rip off prices! Let's see if anyone can beat a 45.5% markup...I'm sure someone will try.
I'm starting to like this new "Canadian Rip Off" series I just made up...It just feels good...
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