Going Concerns: Cross Border Shopping Newserial Part 1
Posted November 19, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Part 1 of our week-long newserial on cross border shopping will appear here after CityNews at Six. Until then, here are some pros and cons on buying it over there or spending your money here.
The Pros
Savings & The Dollar
It’s really the main reason to head across the border. With the Canuck buck ahead of its U.S. counterpart for the first time in three decades, it costs you less for many items than ever before.
The Choice
Because the U.S. is a much bigger market than Canada, there are often more things to choose from south of the border on everything from electronics to cereal than you’ll ever get here. A small example? One Canadian who occasionally heads south always comes back toting his personal favourite breakfast, Cocoa Rice Krispies, a chocolate version of the popular morning staple. For reasons that have never been clear, it’s simply not for sale in Canada but is a staple on store shelves there.
Duty Free
There are specific rules about how long you have to be away and what you can bring back duty free, but generally the longer you’re gone the more you can bring back without paying anything.
Keep in mind that some items still require the GST, even though they weren’t made or sold in Canada. But you’d have to pay it if you bought something here, so it doesn’t really add that much to the cost. Many products made in Mexico and the U.S. fall under the Free Trade Agreement and give you breaks on duty and tariffs. So do other specific nations. See the list here.
We’ve outlined the kinds of items that are exempt here.
Black Friday
It’s the traditional day when U.S. retailers begin their holiday sales. It mostly starts the day after Thanksgiving, which in 2007 means Friday, November 23 rd. But some anxious merchants have vowed to begin the merchandising madness the day before, in the midst of all those football games and turkey dinners. Many of the best specials are door crashers and require shoppers to line up outside as early as 4am or 5am in order to get the best deals and the loss leaders. So if you’re planning to go, head down the day before.
The Cons
The Gas/The Trip
It’s a long way to go to save a few bucks. Factor in the cost of gas, a meal or two and the time it will take to get there and you may decide it’s better and cheaper to stay home.
The Border Waits
They can be up to 2 or 3 hours, depending on when you go. Officials are trying to reduce them, but so far there hasn’t been much evidence that’s happening. They can be gas wasters and patience testers – not to mention bladder busters, if you didn’t use that last rest stop before getting into line.
Previous story:
Is a three hour wait worth it?
We’ve published these countless times before, but you need to know before you go. Here’s where you can find the wait times for border points between Canada and the U.S.
The Warranties
What you get in the U.S. isn’t always guaranteed here. Some warranties are only good in the countries where you purchased them. So if you buy electronics, for example, and something goes wrong, you’ll either have to pay for the repair here or ship it back to the country of origin at your expense to get it fixed. And shipping charges can be costly, sometimes even more than what you paid for the broken item – not to mention the length of time it will take to get it fixed and back to you.
The Exchange
Most banks and money traders won’t give you the exact amount in exchange for your dollar, so you’ll still end up losing something in the trade, even if ours is worth more than theirs. The same goes for credit card companies. The common wisdom still seems to be exchange your money here because you’ll get less for it once you’re across the border.
There may be a few outlets in Buffalo that will take Canadian cash, but it’s important you know that before you head over there.
