cdn1canhunt
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- southwestern ontario
Shooters choice Waterloo today 1lb IMR -4350 $51.00 ....1lbs varget $58.00 , with tax came to $125 and change sob that's a bit pricey isn't it?
Holy crap s'up with the price for powder???
- Thread starter cdn1canhunt
- Start date
The prices vary a lot by store and by region. No doubt prices have risen but the decline in the Canadian dollar will have driven much of that. I can still find reasonably priced powder at Higginsons, Hummason, Lawry's, etc. (4350 at $34/lb, CFE 223 at $31/lb, Varget at $39/lb). Buying in bulk helps.
- Location
- Brant County, Ontario
I have yet to buy any powder over 50/lbs. Shooter's Choice is a bit on the expensive side.
Of course the exchange rate right now is not very good and there are some costs involved in bringing powder in from the U.S. but a quick scan of some American component supplier sites shows most powders running in the $17-23 per pound range and that's retail pricing. Add 35% for exchange and you get $23-31 per pound so I'm not sure how some Canadian dealers arrive at $50-60 per pound unless they're really jacking up the profit margins. Of course I doubt that's the case. 
That's what you get for buying it at Shooters Choice. One walk around their store makes me want to leave empty handed.
Of course the exchange rate right now is not very good and there are some costs involved in bringing powder in from the U.S. but a quick scan of some American component supplier sites shows most powders running in the $17-23 per pound range and that's retail pricing. Add 35% for exchange and you get $23-31 per pound so I'm not sure how some Canadian dealers arrive at $50-60 per pound unless they're really jacking up the profit margins. Of course I doubt that's the case.
Not defending the powder vendors, but the $17-23 a pound in the US really has nothing to do with the Canadian price.
If Joe's Powder Shop wants to buy powder from the US "wholesale", then there is the cost of export permits for "explosives", then the cost of transporting "explosives" to the border (most often a bonded warehouse with the added handling fees), then the import permits from NRCAN (and the cost of) then the DG transport fees to get the powder from bond to the shelf where you buy it.
Joe Yank in the US doesn't have to pay the costs of that export/transport/bond/import/transport that you do in Canada and that doubles the cost of that 23USD bottle of powder...
But the worst part is, if it's IMR powder, it was probably produced in Canada in the first place...
ackertjosh
Regular
- Location
- Bruce County Ontario
Shooters Choice is a bit on the Expensive side.. I live literly around the corner from them and still dont get much from them in the name of reloading supplies.. When i lived in Brantford I used to go to Hummasons in Ancaster(Who supplies places like Shooters and other LGS) and was saving on average $10-15 per pound depending on the breed of course.. Last time i was in shooters(2 months ago) i asked the price of RL17.. 62 per pound... told them they can keep it and walked away.
As im looking at the Hummasons Price list right now. any of the Hodgdon Powders are from 35-39 per pound(250-280 for 8 lbs), Winchester powders are 29-35/pound(230-250 /8lbs)IMR powders are close if not the same as the Hodgdon Powders, and Alliant is 31-38/lbs(175-210 per 5-8 pounds) depending on the one you want..
Im thinking on my next day off im going to get a list for some buddies of mine and go get a truck load.... ohh and there Target shot and Clar targets are very cheep to http://www.hummason.com/2016 Price List.pdf
Hope this helps..
Josh
As im looking at the Hummasons Price list right now. any of the Hodgdon Powders are from 35-39 per pound(250-280 for 8 lbs), Winchester powders are 29-35/pound(230-250 /8lbs)IMR powders are close if not the same as the Hodgdon Powders, and Alliant is 31-38/lbs(175-210 per 5-8 pounds) depending on the one you want..
Im thinking on my next day off im going to get a list for some buddies of mine and go get a truck load.... ohh and there Target shot and Clar targets are very cheep to http://www.hummason.com/2016 Price List.pdf
Hope this helps..
Josh
^^^ and the tax rates are different.
I used to do customs paperwork for a logistics company. We transported "stuff" mainly between the Montreal to Detroit (and return) corridor.
We pick up a box of "100" widgets in Montreal or Oshawa with a value of $1000. Now to get it to Detroit might cost you 100 bucks for the transport (plus HST), 35 bucks for the brokers clearance (if you have a commercial account) - so the customer in Detroit pays the $1000 (widgets) + $113 (Transport including HST) + $39.55 (brokerage plus HST) - they don't pay HST on the widgets themselves because they are being exported but they do pay Michigan sales tax on the import (5%) - broker collects or guarantees that the $50 owed to Michigan will be paid.
So the 100 widgets cost the importer $1152.55 (Canadian) plus $50 (US) to get them to their shop (or about 950'ish USD at the current exchange) - so his "cost" is $9.50 US per widget - tack on their mark-up (call it 20% for the sake of a number) and those widgets sell for $11.40 US.
Now reverse the process (of course the US vendor took the 100 bulk widgets and packaged them into 10 packs for resale) - except now we are "buying back" those widgets - Detroit ships 100 widgets @ $1140 (US - because now that's the "price"), The shipping costs you $100 (US) plus 5% Michigan tax - $105. Customs is $35 (US) plus 5% or $36.75 US - Canada Customs want's 13% of the $1140 (US) converted to Canadian ($1468.89) - so that's $190.96 (Canadian).
So now they are back in Canada and the shop selling them paid (in canuck bucks) $1489 (widgets), $190.96 (tax on the widgets), $180.39 (shipping and customs) or $1860.35 - so $18.60 per - marked up 20% - they go on the shelf for $22.32 each
And that's why it looks like double the price (no accounting for exchange).
And that's just a "widget" that didn't need special permits in either direction...
I used to do customs paperwork for a logistics company. We transported "stuff" mainly between the Montreal to Detroit (and return) corridor.
We pick up a box of "100" widgets in Montreal or Oshawa with a value of $1000. Now to get it to Detroit might cost you 100 bucks for the transport (plus HST), 35 bucks for the brokers clearance (if you have a commercial account) - so the customer in Detroit pays the $1000 (widgets) + $113 (Transport including HST) + $39.55 (brokerage plus HST) - they don't pay HST on the widgets themselves because they are being exported but they do pay Michigan sales tax on the import (5%) - broker collects or guarantees that the $50 owed to Michigan will be paid.
So the 100 widgets cost the importer $1152.55 (Canadian) plus $50 (US) to get them to their shop (or about 950'ish USD at the current exchange) - so his "cost" is $9.50 US per widget - tack on their mark-up (call it 20% for the sake of a number) and those widgets sell for $11.40 US.
Now reverse the process (of course the US vendor took the 100 bulk widgets and packaged them into 10 packs for resale) - except now we are "buying back" those widgets - Detroit ships 100 widgets @ $1140 (US - because now that's the "price"), The shipping costs you $100 (US) plus 5% Michigan tax - $105. Customs is $35 (US) plus 5% or $36.75 US - Canada Customs want's 13% of the $1140 (US) converted to Canadian ($1468.89) - so that's $190.96 (Canadian).
So now they are back in Canada and the shop selling them paid (in canuck bucks) $1489 (widgets), $190.96 (tax on the widgets), $180.39 (shipping and customs) or $1860.35 - so $18.60 per - marked up 20% - they go on the shelf for $22.32 each
And that's why it looks like double the price (no accounting for exchange).
And that's just a "widget" that didn't need special permits in either direction...
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The Outsider
CGN Regular
I just spent some time in the western US, powder was $28.99 - $29.99 per pound.
just having some fun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Imr 4227 Was---- WAS Made in Canada --But bottled in USA
A month ago I was on a road trip and went in to a GS and saw upon the shelf 2 1lb cans of old IMR 4227 made in Canada and they went home with me $55 a can plus tax
a bit pricy but one rifle I own does sub 1 inch with that power and that powder only --- the new IMR 4227 is just not the same
Until about 3-4 years ago people in our area bought our powder from a local distributor. He dealt with all the permits, fees, etc. and was able to sell powder as cheap as about $12/pound for Alliant Promo. Red Dot & Bullseye ran about $13/pound. Even more expensive rifle powders like Varget & Benchmark were only about $22/pound. The only thing that has changed since then is the exchange rate so add 35% and 10% for inflation & you're still only at $18/33 per pound. $55-60 per pound is gouging, pure and simple.
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I agree with the brass thing 100%. I just bought 100 pieces of 44spl for $47 at WSS. I know how many times it has been fired and I didn't have to pay to ship.
Last fall I picked up ~1000 pieces of
44spl/mag ?F brass for 16c a piece plus some shipping.
