Why IRUNGUNS advertises in USD...

IRUNGUNS said:
As the majority of our business is in the US and www.irunguns.com services both countries it is not an easy request to advertise in Canadian funds.

1. The customer would be pretty upset if he or she purchased off our site from an ad that was 2 months old only to find out that they were charged an additional 4 to 6% because of the exchange rate changing from when the ad was posted to when he or she actually made the purchase.

2. The other problem in that is that we do charge in USD and different credit cards have different exchange rates that they charge the customer. The best option is to get an Amazon Credit Card as they do not pad the exchange rate when the currency is converted.

3. If IRUNGUNS was to advertise in Canadian funds it would never be accurate because of the heavy fluctuations in the currency. The easiest way to find the current exchange is to google "US to Canadian funds" and a currency calculator will pop up.



I hope that helps

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Amazon Canada cancelled the Rewards Visa Card just last month. All existing members are getting their cards replaced by Scotia Momentum Card
 
I was reading a sale post the other day from a vendor and it turned into a #### show. It was pretty appalling to see.
You can see some people have ulterior motives when they post and are just posting to cause ####.
In fact I think it was an IRUNGUNS post.

I was going to post in that thread that we are lucky to have such vendors and one day people are gonna ##### just a little too much and the vendor is gonna disappear and pretty much say too bad. F-You all!

I'm not sure why personal sale threads have so much protection where nobody can comment but Vendors who are here have to deal with so much bull#### from posters.

Anyway keep it up IRUNGUNS I think you do an amazing job.
 
Oh and a very simple way to get a quick CDN version from US.
Highlight the amount with the dollar sign and right click.
Pick "search google for $###X.XX" and the first thing that will popup is the conversion to CDN.
 
MartNutz said:
Isn't Amazon anti-gun ? Using/promoting Amazon credit card wouldn't be against this community principle ?
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Pretty sure amazon is indifferent. in 2016 I spent 600$ USD on firearm accessories from amazon.com, holsters to mag pouches, double belts, shot timers and all cleaning items.
 
bertn said:
Maybe here in Canada but not in the states.
Even the firearms radio network is an amazon affiliate.

ht tp://firearmsradio.tv/amazon/
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They aren't anti here in Canada either. I've bought quite a few odds and ends form them over the years. Most of it from Amazon.ca and not through their vendors.
 
fluidmax said:
Amazon Canada cancelled the Rewards Visa Card just last month. All existing members are getting their cards replaced by Scotia Momentum Card
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This is sad news. Scotia momentum acquired another card company from chase canada and starting June this year, they will charge 2.5% for foreign conversion fees...this will be the same route for Amazon existing card holders...

Now the only way is Rogers Mastercard. Charges 2.5% FCF ...BUT...you get 4% cashback rewards in foreign transactions.
 
That's fine but when you purchase when the dollar is at ### and then IRG takes a week to bill your card and the dollar tanks it's a piss off. I ended up paying $200 more than planned with the dollar exchange difference and the Credit Card mark up. And yes I used a currency converter. I'm happy with my purchase but not happy about the process. When I place my order that's the rate that should be honored. I base my purchases on current value and time them accordingly. If the dollar improved days later than my fault. But when you make a purchase at on a date with the rate you waited for and then the company waits a week to bill and then the rate drops.... that's not a good business practice. IMO
 
IRUNGUNS said:
As the majority of our business is in the US and www.irunguns.com services both countries it is not an easy request to advertise in Canadian funds.

1. The customer would be pretty upset if he or she purchased off our site from an ad that was 2 months old only to find out that they were charged an additional 4 to 6% because of the exchange rate changing from when the ad was posted to when he or she actually made the purchase.

2. The other problem in that is that we do charge in USD and different credit cards have different exchange rates that they charge the customer. The best option is to get an Amazon Credit Card as they do not pad the exchange rate when the currency is converted.

3. If IRUNGUNS was to advertise in Canadian funds it would never be accurate because of the heavy fluctuations in the currency. The easiest way to find the current exchange is to google "US to Canadian funds" and a currency calculator will pop up.



I hope that helps

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I have to admit that your site is not completely Canadian friendly. I have gone on your site a few dozen times and on separate occasions have gone to place orders, 1 MPX and 2 Daniel Defense rifles, and ended up cancelling the transactions as I couldn't be sure what my total costs were going to be on them. I wish you could make it simpler for us as I would love to support you. The exchange rate is really not a big deal to get sorted out, but the various stages of customs and handling charges leaves the end user doing a lot of math to figure out what the landed costs will be.

Thanks Irunguns. Hoping to support you in the future.
 
VinnyQC said:
The USD prices don't bother me much, but since no one else is doing it, I'll play devil's advocate for a second:

1. The customer is already pretty upset when he finds out the price is actually 30-40% higher due to exchange rate. That's a lot more than 4-6% percent price variation. And even if we don't talk about the fact that sometimes (half the time actually) that variation would be in favour of the customer, the point is that prices need to be right on the website, not in ads. Due to inflation, older advertisement almost always advertise prices that are lower than current prices (see the amount of necro-thread popping up with a comment such as "is this still in stock" for crates of ammos at 2010 prices...). I'm fairly certain that your own advertisement that are 2+ years old offer prices that are lower than what you sell for today.

2. That's the whole point. Most people, all over the world, are used to their own currencies, and that's the currency they want to pay with. And when people say "the canadian site should be in CAD", you gotta admit that they have a point. What people are asking is for you to take care of the exchange rate, at least for items on the canadian website. And it does makes sense. Anyone who orders from amazon.com expects to pay in USD, but those ordering from amazon.ca expect to pay in CAD. Since the amount of money you would exchange is probably much higher than any of your individual customers, you would get better exchange rate than any of us, including those with an amazon credit card. In any case, suggesting people get an amazon credit card is helpful, but not that much: some can't at all for many reasons, but for anyone, getting a credit card for a single transaction is a hassle, and it kills any chance of impulse purchase. If you don't want to take a currency risk by setting a price on canadian inventory at the moment the inventory crosses the borders, there are ways to hedge against those risks, and on larger volume, those hedge cost meaningless amount of money and don't need much financial knowledge to set them up.

3. Almost nobody has access to the posted rate, even with an amazon credit card. But in any case, the problem isn't that people can't find out a ballpark rate, it's that they expect a canadian website to show prices in canadian dollars.

And a bonus: Having the canadian site with a .US extension is just plain weird.
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You have valid points. I bought stuffs from IRG but I keep my mind open for better options and refuse to be a fan boy.

Aren't Sears, Best Buy, Starbucks, and many other US based companies are US companies? The last time I checked they all sell their items in CAD. Additionally, aren't most of gun related items sold by Canadian retailers come from US anyway? Is IRG not getting their items from US as well? If the answer is yes to both questions, it means at some point both IRG and other Canadian retailers deal with USD. But only IRG prefer not to convert it into CAD.

IRG prefer to not deal with exhange rate and put it on customers to deal with it. It is a smart move I must say but maybe not on customer best interest.
Also, advertising in USD right now make the price "looks" lower as our CAD is so low. It gives illusions. Just like .99 cents vs .98 cents price tactic.
Based on these 2 reasons I can see that this is a win win situation for IRG.

Also those websites on google such as XE do not give you the real currency exchange that you and me pay. If you don't believe me, try to do this. Try to transfer some USD on your online banking from CAD account, it will give you the cost before you confirm and proceed. Now compare the currency with XE. They are not the same. You will pay much more always!
 
Feel free to correct me if I am wrong but I believe the reason for the USD pricing is because of your business model - i.e. you belong to a firearms network and don't actually inventory all of the 55,000 items advertised on your US website - that would cost ?tens of millions. Customer places the order from Canada you get paid then you order from your supplier and export to Canada. I completely understand not wanting to get involved in the currency arbitrage game nor take on massive inventory which could sink anyone. The way you have it prices remain stable on the US side. However, when you bring goods across the border that are not already pre-sold you could then list your prices in Canada just like every other dealer does. At that point you have a fixed cost and can factor in margin. I don't really care either way. Have bought plenty of guns in USD. Maximum effort with xe.com
 
MartNutz said:
Isn't Amazon anti-gun ? Using/promoting Amazon credit card wouldn't be against this community principle ?
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Name a business/company that is pro-gun. You certainly won't find one that will admit to it. Not outside of the shooting sports, anyways. Too politically incorrect. Most people equate guns with evilness.
 
The folks that whine about currency conversion are not grasping the concept. Irunguns forces Canadian retailers to keep their margins reasonable, they have helped consumers immensely with their competitive pricing and extraordinary promos.
 
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