Leupold Prices

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I just returned from a trip to the US. Had to make stops at every BP and Cabelas as well as Ganger Mt , etc that we went near.
I couldn'r believe the good deals on optics there, Leupold in paticular. I didn't buy any as I'm aware of the legal issue now involved, however, it got me to thinking as to why things are so much more in Canada. Exchange currently accounts for less than 10%, a little extra transportation, etc...
What else, are the retailers all high? (I doubt this) Monopoly distributor?
 
Well it's not illegal to bring them here...technically you have to have an export permit to bring them out of the US, but I have had 2 scopes mail ordered from there with no problem and brought another over in my vehicle with no issues...the customs folks know it's not a sniper NV scope with body heat sensing abilities so basically say IDGAF about the export license, though I guess they could say something if they choose...though last time I checked it wasn't our country's agents jobs to ensure the US laws were followed.
 
Leupold Scope?????

I thought Leupold was "outsourcing" their products? Just a week ago I bought a Leupold scope 3.5-10X40 30mm tube side adjustable parallax. The price was less than $100US, it comes from China and there are no problems bringing it into Canada!!!! Sooo I checked that label and it says Leupold and then MARK4. I was wanting one of these with the Leupold name, check the oldfriends store.
Bill.
 
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A new leupold for under $100. I assume you are being sarcastic but if not I'd check the label on that scope if I were you.
 
There is no techicality about it. If you take significant firearms parts and controlled accessories out of the US without a Department of State export license (and its reciprocal import certificate), you are violating US law and subject to imprisonment for up to life. - no kidding. Those guys don't screw around, You can lose your vehicle, be barred entry to - or over - the US and spend time in jail. They have no-fly lists and all sorts of freaky stuff to make life miserable, and you never get off that list. I would also add that discussions around doing this are strictly against the rules of this forum... be careful.

It is common practice for the US customs, ATF and other agencies to cruise the parking lots of firearms stores near the borders looking for Canadian plates. I went through just such a pre-border check point while heading back from Bellingham USA (I was not buying anything controlled). It was a sobering experience and i was clean.

the extra costs associated with importing these items and selling them in Canada has to do with the fact that the DofS imposed huge fees for export licenses within the last 18 months. Canadian Importers must pay the fees plus handling charges for the inconvenience that the whole process places on US merchants. The borkerage of these items can be complicated and expensive too.

The US is not 100% to blame here. The Canadian Government issues permits to allow the exporters to apply for export licenses. It is a B.S. document that you apply-for on-line, but it is only valid for 1 year.

The US export permits are good for a maximum of FOUR years, but they will never grant a license for longer thant the expiry date on the Canadian document, so the Canadian government has driven my costs for the paperwork up by 400% ($6400US for permits every 4 years instead of $1600).

So... yes it sucks that we are forced to pay more for firearms and accessories here than in the US, but it is only going to get worse. Anything chambered in 5.56 or 7.62 NATO is now a prohibited export. There is much speculation about bullets being next.

Trust me, I an NOT defending this issue, just trying to explain it a bit better.
 
quoteBingo. I asked Canadian customs and they don’t care. Don’t get caught by the yanks though. They will String you up by the Ba!!s. Jail time, vehicle impounded and lots of other goodies too boot.
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Well it's not illegal to bring them here...technically you have to have an export permit to bring them out of the US, but I have had 2 scopes mail ordered from there with no problem and brought another over in my vehicle with no issues...the customs folks know it's not a sniper NV scope with body heat sensing abilities so basically say IDGAF about the export license, though I guess they could say something if they choose...though last time I checked it wasn't our country's agents jobs to ensure the US laws were followed.
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With posts like this, I wonder how long before this thread vanishes.
 
I can't fathom how its fair here to charge double the price they charge in the states. A $2400 Mark IV can be bought for half that on ebay in the US.
 
cdnredneck_t3 said:
What is wrong with my post? I never said to do it. I just said what will happen if you get caught. My last trip I brought a Swarovski LRF back. Nothing controlled about that.
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Read the rules and guidelines:

The following topics will not be tolerated. Violation will result in immediate and permanent suspension. Some quasi legal/ grey/downright illegal examples that are specifically not tolerated are:

* Shipping and driving items to Canada from the US that require US export permit
 
b72471 said:
I thought Leupold was "outsourcing" their products? Just a week ago I bought a Leupold scope 3.5-10X40 30mm tube side adjustable parallax. The price was less than $100US, it comes from China and there are no problems bringing it into Canada!!!! Sooo I checked that label and it says Leupold and then MARK4. I was wanting one of these with the Leupold name, check the oldfriends store.
Bill.
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LMAO.

That is what's commonly known as a counterfeit Chinese knockoff... and it's probably worth every cent of the $100 you paid for it.
 
Obtunded said:
Read the rules and guidelines:

The following topics will not be tolerated. Violation will result in immediate and permanent suspension. Some quasi legal/ grey/downright illegal examples that are specifically not tolerated are:

* Shipping and driving items to Canada from the US that require US export permit
Click to expand...

Well seeing as I have seen plenty of posts talking about exactly this, as well part of the post is saying I bought it mail order and they shipped it (making them the exporter, not me), I'm not sure what the problem is. No one was encouraged to do it, no one was told it was a good idea, all that was done was discussion of my experiences...last time I checked that's pretty much what a board like this is all about...discussion of ideas and experiences. The fact of the matter is simple, and what this post was started on...retailers in Canada are RIPPING OFF consumers here on everything possible, including optics, reloading supplies, vehicles, RVs when you can get the exact same thing in the US for often half the price. Some people may not want to hear that, and may not like the idea that better deals are available out there, but the fact of the matter is it's a reality.
 
MuleyMadness said:
Well seeing as I have seen plenty of posts talking about exactly this, as well part of the post is saying I bought it mail order and they shipped it (making them the exporter, not me), I'm not sure what the problem is. No one was encouraged to do it, no one was told it was a good idea, all that was done was discussion of my experiences...last time I checked that's pretty much what a board like this is all about...discussion of ideas and experiences. The fact of the matter is simple, and what this post was started on...retailers in Canada are RIPPING OFF consumers here on everything possible, including optics, reloading supplies, vehicles, RVs when you can get the exact same thing in the US for often half the price. Some people may not want to hear that, and may not like the idea that better deals are available out there, but the fact of the matter is it's a reality.
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MM places that sell a lot of optics like Wholesale sports use a 25% margin on optics. I'm pretty sure most of us are aware of the pricing in the USA. FS
 
OK, we all know that bringing scopes from the US without the proper commerce department papers is illegal; we also know that many have done exactly that from 'ebay'. However, that's not the point, point is, why are scopes so much higher here? My suspicion is we have a monopoly distributor.
 
The topic of Canadain vs US prices comes upfairly often on this board and you can accept the explanations or not. To be fair, comparing Canadian retail store prices vs EBay in the USA is not a reasonable comparison as EBay does not reflect true retail US shelf prices that you can walk into a store, handle the product, get advise and direction from the employees and make your purchase. EBay sellers do not have the same requirements and expenses as brick and mortar stores. If you want the pricing to be the only factor in making a purchase then EBay may be your best bet. You might be surprised to hear that US retailers get dumped on because they don't match the price of EBay sellers either. Getting back to Leupold in Canada...inspite of the price criticisms mentioned here, Leupold is our largest selling optics line so it appears that lots of customers feel they are getting good value for the money in Canada (along with the best warranty in the business). Phil.
 
Thanks Phil, however, that still doesn't explain the very significant price difference between Leupold products in the US in 'real stores' and those in Canada. I'm not even saying something 'fishy' is going on; just curious as to why?
 
444shooter said:
Too many fingers in the pie. Each one adding their markup.
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No, it's that there's only official importer, who sells to everyone up here. They go past controlling the wholesale price and try to also control the retail price. If a dealer cuts his profits to move product, other dealers go crying to numero uno and try to get his dealership pulled. Some of them post here.
 
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