Buying gear in Canada?

[jski]

I'm planning a family ski trip in mid-Febuary to Mt. Tremblant, and I'm wondering if it's worth it to buy skis while I'm there.

My kids' learning to ski and snowboard has been the incentive for me to get back into the sport, and it's been great. Really looking forward to not have to rent gear, though.

The exchange rate is about 24% in favor of the US dollar, but does that really result in savings? That is, is there a higher MSRP on gear in Canada that erodes potential savings?

I think the combined sales taxes come out to about 19% (GST + province). As a non-resident, can I apply for refund, like one does for VAT in Europe?

Thanks.

 

[Jilly]

I'm in Tremblant right now! Also there is the TVA, Tremblant resort tax of 3%. But if you head over to Daniel Lachance or Ski Max, that tax doesn't apply. What skis are you thinking of and I'll check to see what the price may be.

 

[trailtrimmer]

Mid February may be a bit early. March/April is great timing as everything starts going on clearance, between the discount and exchange rate, it's not unheard of to be looking at 45 to 60% off on some of your purchases.

 

[WheatKing]

Gear is cheaper in the US.. Doesn't matter what you intend on purchasing, we're generally screwed up here. Your best bet if your looking for a deal is to contact some of the vendors like ski essentials on this forum or other vendor before you go.

 

[raytseng]

It really depends only if you're buying higher end stuff that is only avail at msrp and doesn't go on sale. Then its brand by brand if they take usd or cad into account.

if your shopping sales then timing a sale for end of seasom at any US shop or online that have a huge discount that probably gets you more.

Was in banff last week with friends looking for Patagonia They were ready to throw down money for full new setups, and patagonia price is the same usd and cad number and is msrp; but sizewise the store didn't have what they were looking for and even considering ordering in wouldn't come in time.

Other high end msrp only brands like stockli or as a better example my souvenir shopping at Roots literally have the tag printed with different USD and CAD pricing, so they are aware of exchange rate.

If youre looking to rent/demoing and purchasing skis anyway there, its not a bad idea at least you save on bag fees one way and reduce 1 bag of travel hassle.

 

[Dwight]

Discounts are everywhere in the US right now.

Did you know if you message @SkiEssentials , they will give you another discount code for being a pugski member?
One of the many sites that has discounts/deals.

 

[ARL67]

A lot of skis in Canada have the same MSRP as the US, but in Canadian dollars. Check out Corbetts in Oakville Ontario or their large EBay store ASOGEAR which usually offer free shipping to the USA. At end of season, most everything at Corbetts is 40% off. Of course, support your local dealer too.

 

[jmills115]

In the off-season I bought a couple pair of skis online from Corbetts with free shipping and no tax. I bought a Line Pescado for $435 and a Rossi Star 7 was $290 which included an Axial binding. These are after converting to US dollars and the cheapest I could find the Pescado for elsewhere was $539. I have bought a few pivots at a good price as wel.

 

[GregK]

A lot of skis in Canada have the same MSRP as the US, but in Canadian dollars. Check out Corbetts in Oakville Ontario or their large EBay store ASOGEAR which usually offer free shipping to the USA. At end of season, most everything at Corbetts is 40% off. Of course, support your local dealer too.

^^^^This!

Don’t know where other Canadians are getting the idea we pay more as I pay at least 40% (often 50-60%) less than buying in the States on most ski gear. As mentioned, places like Corbetts.com, ASOGear.com, SkiTown.ca etc etc all routinely sell stuff for lower dollar amounts then what it’s selling for in the States in U.S. dollars.

The exception are US made skis like ON3P or Moment etc which cost 30% more(the exchange rate) more for Canadians.