Canadian Vs. Overseas businesses
 

If the Canadian market could be penetrated (tee hee) by American distributors/retailers, who would promise to lower prices for airsoft replicas in Canada, would you buy their products or stick with the current "made in Canada" retail/distribution chain?

State any reservations you have (ie: 'national loyalty', friendship, etc.)in the comments.

why is the poll closed?

I'd vote but it said the poll is closed.I myself go for honest to
the customer retailing.If the Americans or other national parties
can bring it in without the massive markups that have been seen
in the past and SOME current retailers.Then yes I'd buy from them.
BUT,if I had a choice between two equal retailers,one from Canada
and the other outside our country,I'd stay in country.:cool:

+1.... 200-300% markup isnt a good thing... :(

I would buy from the one I am getting the best deal from

Now not the cheapest deal I mean the best deal.. If if others started to offer guns to Canadians for a price but the local gun (exact gun) was a bit more but local then local of course.

Everyone always says Airsoft is a 1k start up hobby/sport..

why not make is a $600 start up hobby/sport if we can..

At the same price i would buy Canadian but if i can pay whats the American players pay for their airsofts; i would buy from an American company.

All things being equal I would buy Canadian. And would continue to do so even with a markup that is equal to or less than 60% over what overseas retailers sell for.

However when I repeatedly find product selling in excess of 100-300% markups and in some extreme cases that I have seen 750% disparity between a Canadian price and a US price for a gun that was brought in via the states. I am truly disheartened. That being said, there are people RIGHT NOW within Canada that are working to provide good quality products for reasonable markups. And I can live with that.

TL:DR Version

In a perfect world our sport would be 100% clear as day legal, and we would pay exactly the same what everyone else pays. Until that day, I will support the retailers here in Canada that offer quality products at fair prices.

I feel like somone is raping us on the mark up here in Canada, If other retailers were to come in with better pricing on the same products then I'm going to save some money and buy from them. That being said I'm sure that if these other countries were to get involved here in Canada our Canadian retailers/ distributors would have to face the market and drop the mark ups by alot! Of course I'd rather buy local and put my money into the hands of other Canadians but I don't want to feel like I coulld have bought 4 of the same thing for what I just paid for one.

You know, outsiders don't need to be involved in order to force Canadians to lower their prices.
If only someone in Canada took a stand and just started charging lower prices on his/her own free-will, and agreeing to reduce their profits by a little, then they'd get more frequent buyers, which they may profit in the long run.

true, but I'd like to know where the retailers come up with the pricing that they set? Most retailers have almost exact same pricing is this the lowest that they can offer and still turn a profit? Retailers lets hear it!

Obviously most folks would buy from the retailer with the lowest prices. If prices are equal then I would buy Canadian. The reason that the retailers don't lower prices is that they don't have to. Supply and demand, currently there is more demand than supply so prices are artificially high.

Unless your honestly expecting them to show up and say.. Oh you got us.. yea we love money. Then your going to be waiting a while.

There is no justifiable reason why there's this high of a markup unless its going towards bribes for Customs officers. (THAT'S A JOKE LADIES AND GENTS*)

And to further elaborate, Personally I have always been a one retailer kinda guy. I shopped with Tru for a long time, because he always delivered and was prompt and had great comms. Also he had fair prices. Now that Im back in the sport Im looking for the "new" retailer whom I will buy my stock from, and there are a few that are looking promising. Don't loose faith.

*Im sure customs officers are all of the highest moral fiber and would never accept a bribe nor tolerate one being offered nor am I implying that doing so is either the method by which retailers import their product nor am I suggesting you attempt bribery to allow you to import.

I think I would buy in Canada, keep the dollar in country. Not that a small purchase like that would really affect anything anyways.

Prices in Canada have never been better and to those who think that their pockets are being raped now well...at least you weren't around a few years ago because the pricing then probably would have killed you.

The half-clear guns everyone gets from CAS are at the same price because CAS artificially inflates the price to begin with. It's not the retailer's fault.

The current wave has wiped out a lot of charisofters investment portfolios but what can you do.