Ordering from Canada

Marmot

Marmot

Member
Hi! BTW this is my first post ever on a forum so I'm a little nervous, I don't want to do anything wrong since I'm french Canadian and my English isn't quite perfect. :oops:

Anyway, I was thinking about getting myself an Axe-Fx Standard, and I wanted to know if there are any Canadian here who could tell me what to expect about the whole process. Now I've already ordered some less expensive items from the USA, but somehow I never really had to pay for any custom fees or import taxes.

So basically I wanted to know how much you (Canadian) guys had to pay overall, and how exactly does the exchange rate thing works.

Thanks! :D
 
Salut Marmot!!! Un copain de Val-des-Monts ici.

Back to English, because other Canadians may be intersted (or may also contribute)

I bought my Ultra back when Fractal only shipped via UPS (booo!) which charges outrageous brokerage fees. However, the brokerage fees are only a portion of it.

You may want to look at this thread from the old forum : http://www.setbb.com/axefx/viewtopic.ph ... orum=axefx

But in short, I had to pay taxes ($279.25) on top of the exchange rate. For a Standard, you can use http://www.xe.com/ucc/ to figure out your price in Cannuck dollars, then the normal tax rate. If you use UPS, expect to be robbed. If US Postal Service + Canada Post, expect $5 brokerage (but it will take a few days longer).

Having said all that, the Axe-FX is well worth it. More than worth it.

Tiguédou! (*)
Daniel

(* note: tiguédou is Quebecois for arivederci)
 
Bonjour, Marmot.

I got mine last Novemnber, when Fractal started shipping USPS. There was minimal brokerage, but you're still going to have to foot the taxes. I think I ended up paying around $230 or so, depending on what the exchange was at the time. I can't remember how long it took...a week maybe?

Mark
 
Merci beacoup! :)

So basically, it's gonna cost about 1860$ CAD. Plus the taxes, making it approx. 2180. Of course there's the shipping, which I forgot to verify.
But are you saying that the only brokerage fee I'm gonna pay for is 5$? I really thought that as soon as you ordered something that had to cross the border, there was a chance that you had to pay a certain percentage of the price of the item.

I could be wrong... in fact I hope I am.^^

ALSO I couldn't find any Canadian stores that sold decent power amps online... maybe you or someone else could help me with that, it would be much appreciated. :)
 
Bienvenue à bord Marmot !

Shipping is paid by Fractal Audio, you will only have to pay for normal QST/GST (TPS/TVQ) plus minimal brokerage fees if you choose to get your AxeFx delivered by USPS.
That's what i did last february, delivery was quick too.

à plus,

Claude
 
You will not be paying "a certain percentage of the item" (that's duty, not brokerage, and there's no duty on USA made equipment - however, you do have to pay brokerage fees, and it's not much, maybe just $5 or a bit more).

As for amplifiers, you may want to read all the discussions about FRFR speakers. I initially bought a nice custom-made 2x12 cab and a rack mount power amp... only to discover later that the FRFR solution was MUCH more appropriate for me. Your mileage may vary, and you may not go that way... but read first, decide after, it will save you some headaches and money.
 
Thanks for the advice on FRFR, but I think I'll stick with my 4x12... for some reason, I would find it very hard to part with it. ^^ I'll see if I'm satisfied with a power amp and my cab... then I might consider FRFR when I move to Drummondville, cause Gaspé being pretty remote, it's kinda hard to buy/sell stuff! :lol:
 
salut vous autres,

i will also be ordering soon from Québec city...

damn taxes... 280$

I'm happy to know that fractal takes shipping fees! (did i read that correctly?)

I will also go the poweamp + 4x12 way...

now that I know i'll order one with my taxe refund, i'm drooling day long on this board until I get mine...

if someone in Quebec has one, please let me know if it would be possible for me to see it...

thanx!

Nico
 
I use the following site whenever I'm thinking of buying something from the US.

http://www.thefinalcost.com

It lets you set the $US price, the shipping charge, whether the item is US made and which delivery service is sending it. It gives a very reasonable estimate of what the total cost will be.
 
Sorry guys,

I was wrong about shipping fees :roll: i just did some verification and i've paid about $90us for shipping ...
 
grafloy said:
I use the following site whenever I'm thinking of buying something from the US.

http://www.thefinalcost.com

It lets you set the $US price, the shipping charge, whether the item is US made and which delivery service is sending it. It gives a very reasonable estimate of what the total cost will be.
Click to expand...

This site tells me that my previous calculations were correct! It's a pretty useful tool tho, thanks for sharing.

So finally shipping is 90$US... it's not that bad actually, all and all it should fit in by budget.

And Nico, you're saying that you live in Québec city, perhaps you know if Musique Richard Gendreau has a some good affordable power amps a la Carvin DCM1000 in stock...?
 
Marmot said:
...
And Nico, you're saying that you live in Québec city, perhaps you know if Musique Richard Gendreau has a some good affordable power amps a la Carvin DCM1000 in stock...?
Click to expand...
Unless my memory is faulty, Carvin have a really cool pricing and free shipping option for Canadian customers. Better check their direct sales options before you start down that path.
 
i called musique richard...

most guys at this place no nothing...

they dont' sell carvin, (the guy din't know what that was...) they only have mesa boogie and their price are stupid high... like 1500 for a 20/20

i think ur better ordering online...

i asked if they had any nice poweramp for some flat response and the guy had no idea what that was...lol

he kept saying he has some nice mesa...

(btw i like mesa... this is no bash to mesa, i own a 2:90 and love it... this IS a bash to stupid salesmen... i can't understand a compagnie hireing a dude with no knowledge of music and only sales... anyway... sorry... my g.f. must be in her period...lol...)

Nico
 
Hey thanks a lot Nico, I wasn't expecting you to call there for me :D

I guess I'll order straight from their site, apparently they pay all import fees and taxes: "CANADA ORDERS: Carvin pays all import fees & taxes! You just pay shipping."

Turns out to be a good deal if you ask me, so my case is pretty much settled. Thank you very much guys!
 
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