Shipping ski equipment to Canada?

hemlock

I'm looking at getting new ski gear, (slalom ski and bindings) and am wondering what extra costs might be on top of shipping? Any Canadians order from a US site to get gear shipped up? US prices seem quite lower than local store pricing. Thanks!

jpattigr

Try Shuswap ski and Board in Calgary, great service and good prices, ship anywhere in Canada.

Justin_C

I order from Performance still. I find it cheaper than shuswap especially if you're looking for closeout gear. I do have the benefit of being about an hour and a half from the boarder so I can ship stuff within the states and pick it up there and bring it across then I only need to pay the cdn taxes. Just call down to performance though, they'll give you a quote on what it would cost to ship to your door!

hemlock

Perfski has the HO VtypeR on for $1087 US. Shuswap has it for $1779 CAD. That's almost $700 difference. Just need to figure out what shipping costs are, plus any other fees(duty?) and taxes.

Andre

I had my Vapor shipped in US and a friend was going skiing in upper NY state and brought it back as if it was his.
No taxes,free shipping,no duty...
If you live close to the border, be creative!
Local CC dealer pro shop wanted 2k plus taxes CDN...

pgmoore

@hemlock, I agree with @Mark_Matis. It's really more like a $350 difference based on today's FX rates. Certainly, that is not insignificant, but a bunch of that delta will get absorbed by shipping, customs, and duties. The total cost difference, to actually get the ski from the store into your house, might not be as much as it seems.

thager

I knew some canadians that bought full wetsuits here in MN then wore them under three piece suits in July to get them over the border without a tariff.

hemlock

Yes, the exchange rate will bite into the savings for sure. But as far as I can tell, there is no duty on waterskis since it is made in the US. Can anyone confirm this? I would just have to pay exchange, pay shipping, and my local tax. Pricing out the HO ski looks to be around $1456 US. Add exchange, moves it to $1892 CAD, plus local tax moves it to $2119 CAD final price. The same gear with free shipping from shushwap is $2345.
So, it's not too far off.
If you add 10% for warranty costs (Shipping back to US in case of warranty claim) then the pricing is practically on par.

wtrskior

No duty on skis. If you ship usps you shouldn't incur any brokerage fees, just an increased shipping rate and tax.

I'd ask shuswap to match the price, they advertise a price match program

prk

no duty if made in north america and there are lots of shops down their that don't charge shipping on buys over a couple hundred in the lower forty eight so if your close to the border just get it ship to the nearest US town plus some of the retailers are in states that have no sales tax, add bonus

Justin_C

@hemlock performance has some pretty good deals on some of their demo stock right now (I was tempted by a vapor!). Might not hurt to have a look at that option too. Can usually save some money and they're really good at sending pictures of what you're looking at so you don't get any nasty surprises when you receive it! On a side note, if I keep recommending perfski do you think they'll give me a discount? Ha!

hemlock

I asked perfski for a ship quote, and Bill responded promptly. Great service.
They seem to have the best prices I can find online thus far. I've bought my vest via Shuswap and they have great service too.

I'm currently riding an HO NOS from about 5 years ago. I have an animal front boot, with RTP, but recently had a crazy crash across the wakes which is unusual. (I'm 41 and have skied competitively since I was a teenager, although I haven't been to a tournament in the last while)
I felt I had good position and was clear to pass the wakes without issue, but something caught edge, took a header, and I had the wind knocked out of me while I slammed across the water.
So now, I'm 2nd guessing my ski. I'm 5'11 and 180 and my NOS is a 67".
I like it, but would like something more in control.
I'm skiing better than I ever have, and am wondering if it's time to upgrade my gear.
The HO direct connect system is of interest.
I feel comfortable running 28' off, but feel 32 and 35 are within reach.
Anyway, I'm shopping, not necessary buying, but shopping.

Damn, the new skis are expensive. But it seems at the end of the summer there might be some good sales.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback!

ironhorse

If you bring your quote into Shuswap and ask them to match they will do that but only if its not a crazy promo or clear out. They will calculate the shipping, taxes and if not a US mfg product, the duty. They are great to deal with and I have stopped cross border shopping to support them.

lpskier

H2OProshop.com will also ship world wide and has great prices. Their retail show room is one hour south of the Canadian border and about two hours from downtown Montreal and Ottowa. AND you can get an ice cream cone at their custard stand. They are also a Nautique dealer and have a extensive inventory of parts, not to mention ski, wakeboard and wake surf boats. #iskiconnelly

Justin_C

Give that it's late in the Canadian season, if you're just shopping, I'd wait till the new year to see if prices drop. I only say that cause I'm in a similar boat to you (no pun intended). I'm browsing for a new ski (probably a vapor but haven't discounted D3 or Goode) but have resolved to waiting out this year, saving a little more money and springing for something in the off-season!

Fam-man

Couple things to consider;
I believe Shuswap has a try & buy type of program where if you're not happy they will take the ski back and get you on something else, buying off the internet can make that difficult.
Ski-it-again will probably start loading up with end of season clearouts. Late last fall I purchased from a shop this way, got a good deal but had to wait all winter to try what I bought.

lpskier

A winter ski trip to LaPoint Ski Park in sunny and warm Orlando will let you exercise those late season purchases sooner rather than later. #iskiconnelly

CBR51

As wtrskior mentioned. I can't stress enough to make sure you only use USPS ( postal service) for shipping and not Courier. ( I have made the mistake! ). You are usually dinged with a huge brokerage fee with Courier

Jordan

@CBR51 is correct about using USPS!!!
Canadians pay HST on goods coming from the states

Glydon

x3 on USPS ! No duty as origin of manu. is United States.

supergadget

Shuswap - pretty hard to beat the service.
I've dealt with them several times this season alone.
Quick and professional . Ship directly to your door. Spend more time skiing.
I needed a specific tool, they sent the whole set no extra charge.

gsm_peter

Fwiw.
HO seems to be cheap in Sweden.
Www.froggy.se. 8900 sek approx 1037 usd.
And that includes 25% sales tax.....

Jrbeeks

Late to the party but for future reference, Shuswap now price matches US (after exchange)

hemlock

I ended up buying a Radar Vapor Graphite from Shuswap. Great service!
The goto place if you are in Western Canada.
If I was in the US, I would definitely reach out to perfski.

SkiJay

I know most purchasing decisions boil down to lowest price. But FWIW, no other ski shop in Canada does more for slalom skiing and slalom skiers than Shuswap Ski & Board.

It's not a watersports shop that also has a few skis. It's a big slalom ski shop that carries virtually everything serious slalom skiers need. They constantly sponsor tournaments, youth programs, and much more. Shuswap is like "Performance North." Their service is second to none, and if their aggressive pricing can be beaten on some item, I've seen them price match.

It will be a sad day in water skiing if this dedicated slalom shop ever goes away. So I'd say support those who support us. At least give them a chance to price match.

smalor

+1 for Shuswap.....Buy all my gear there......feel very fortunate to be able to buy from good people somewhat locally

FSSPCat

Good choice. I worked at a few shops in Calgary that have since closed down, and strictly from a warranty perspective, it's better to buy local. Plus, Shuswap has great customer service and really take care of their loyal customers.

skihart

Shuswap is great. I buy a ton of gear there. On many things it's actually cheaper than in the US after exchange. Mike and his crew really take care of you too.

MuskokaKy

#Shuswap!!

SM

@lpskier is my new ski available yet?

lpskier

@sm I don't think so. T3 works as well in cold water as in warm, on the same settings I ran in Florida. Stroked my first attempted Adirondack 35 and post cancer PBed at Trophy two weeks ago. The T3 is a keeper.