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Reliable Canadian Online Retailer?

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SamGranson

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Hello
First post. Apologies if this has been posted/answered. I did do a quick search but found nothing.
I continue to be alarmed at price differentials in comparing US sites with Canadian sites - even Amazon.
It's not unusual to see 40-60% markups to get a knife in Canada. Something available in the US for $50 is $80-90 or more. Considerably more than the exchange rate and/or shipping costs.
I'm new at this, and really can't tell which Canadian online storefronts are quality and not gouging to some degree.
Any suggestions for quality Canadian knife stores?
 
SamGranson said:
Hello
First post. Apologies if this has been posted/answered. I did do a quick search but found nothing.
I continue to be alarmed at price differentials in comparing US sites with Canadian sites - even Amazon.
It's not unusual to see 40-60% markups to get a knife in Canada. Something available in the US for $50 is $80-90 or more. Considerably more than the exchange rate and/or shipping costs.
I'm new at this, and really can't tell which Canadian online storefronts are quality and not gouging to some degree.
Any suggestions for quality Canadian knife stores?
Click to expand...
As said Warriors and Wonders in Vancouver. I compare pricing back to back with them vs. US online stuff and they are always within a few $ +/- of big US based spots like Blade HQ. And on clearouts sometimes even better.

The downside is shipping in Canada is expensive but so is shipping to Canada from the US. And now that they've ramped up the tax and duty collection the to your door price is higher. And that they don't get stock of hot new stuff at the same time as the big US places. They're always a few weeks behind the curve.
 
Your two big factors are import restrictions, real and perceived, and the strength of the dollar. The Canadian dollar is more volatile than the average person gives credit for and that means a mark-up on items that have to sit on a shelf for a long time. It might seem like a lot on the day you look, but they had to price it based on the weakest price, as well as import costs.
Depending on where you are, there are some decent brick and mortar stores worth looking into. There are a couple of online sellers, but they struggle with volume. Keep in mind that Amazon itself is almost always selling at near a loss, and its hard to tell when you are getting from them, or if its a third party. The suggestions so far are good, I'd go with them, if you are near a major city, someone might be able to direct you to a more local resource.
 
They are all gouging because of the difficulty in importing folders right now and the weakness of our dollar. Warriors seems to be the worst of the bunch, S&R still prices high. There is also Thunderbird Gear who are relatively new with a still rather focused (but quality) inventory.
As sacrelig' as some here might consider it, try checking out Canadian based facebook EDC groups. That is where I do most of my business and there is just as much as accountability there as any other trading hub.
 
What I don’t get is how places like warriors n wonders keeps getting many many flippers in but individual Canadians are having them taking at the boarder? Is nothing of theirs being seized?

But yes unfortunately being a Canadian knife collector is definitely something that requires paitients!

Make more friends with the awesome people here on BF and hope to score some of that blade goodness.
 
Switchblade_renegade said:
What I don’t get is how places like warriors n wonders keeps getting many many flippers in but individual Canadians are having them taking at the boarder? Is nothing of theirs being seized?

But yes unfortunately being a Canadian knife collector is definitely something that requires paitients!

Make more friends with the awesome people here on BF and hope to score some of that blade goodness.
Click to expand...
W&W has had shipments seized. They and a few other major retailers were impacted in the recent sky is falling situation.

They'll have customs brokers and lawyers to deal with that though. And it's likely that they will also be part of a Sporting Good association that will lobby on their behalf; and big players like Canadian Tire will have the same so they use that bulk as leverage to push back against the CBSA opinion.

Places like W&W will have a dedicated CBSA agent who reviews their shipments. They'll be subject to frequent audits so they're taking the blades off and shipping in pieces or putting them in with a bunch of shirts to sneak in. They'll be overly above board when it comes to imports.
 
IIDiode said:
They are all gouging because of the difficulty in importing folders right now and the weakness of our dollar. Warriors seems to be the worst of the bunch, S&R still prices high. There is also Thunderbird Gear who are relatively new with a still rather focused (but quality) inventory.
As sacrelig' as some here might consider it, try checking out Canadian based facebook EDC groups. That is where I do most of my business and there is just as much as accountability there as any other trading hub.
Click to expand...

What are they gouging on? I buy in the USA and Canada and I usually see W&W within dollars of US prices. When you factor in exchange, and tax, not even counting duty if applied.

And you can walk in and talk to the folks at the counter about a better deal if you're so inclined.

Zero Tolerance ZT460TI Sinkevich Titanium Framelock $325 in stock. US MSRP is $275 so at today's exchange $366 CD.

What I find a downer about W&W is they take longer than the USA stores to get their stock and they don't get as much. Those are both functions of living in Canada.
 
I've dealt with Warriors & Wonders and S&R Knives multiple times and can confidently say both are very reliable. I've found W&W's prices have increased a fair bit since they've resumed stocking a variety of flippers (shortly after their notice of not selling Spyderco knives last year). Understandable though since I'm sure Canadian knife dealers have to manage more expenses now with CBSA becoming more restrictive. It does suck to see higher markup compared to U.S. prices, but I'd rather pay the extra to a Canadian dealer and avoid CBSA crap than save a few dollars and cross my fingers hoping my shipment actually makes it to me.
 
Steve @ thunderbird gear is a good guy to deal with. Lots of CRKs, and other brands that S&R and W&W does not sell.
 
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