Leupold prices

[Can-down]

What we need in North America is some kind of Free Trade Agreement.....

Best price for Leupold is the E.E.

 

[bobc]

Thats strange seems like Good Canadians are greedier Than Evil Americans? At least Canadian importers, distributers that is. God Bless

 

[jjackman]

A free market economy, isn't it great!

While I would agree for big ticket items, I'm not going to spend hundreds more, but I'll continue to support the local guy for a small price difference until his inventory is replaced with new lower cost items. There are too few vendors in Canada already and that isn't helping our pricing.

 

[redleg]

On a lot of these items, the price difference is greater than 20%. Would you not be better off not buying from the Canadian distributor, instead buy it and import it from a US retailer and sell it for the same price?

Sounds great. Except, as pointed out above, some manufacturers control exports. Also, if I buy it for less from a US retailer, I will pay the same as you from the same retailer. Then after my shipping costs and markup you will still say it is cheaper to buy directly from the US. Plus there is the question of warranty support. Will the product still be covered by the manufacturer if his rep is out of the loop?

I appreciate that everyone wants to buy things for the lowest possible price. Unfortunately in the current global market that means you will always be able to find something cheaper somewhere else. Retailers (especially small ones)cannot match or beat every price on every item all the time.

Consumers are free to make their own decisions with their money. And in the end you will have to live with those decisions. Maybe the cost is no local store. Maybe it is less service, and maybe it is no warranty. Maybe you just save some bucks. However, I have yet to see many gun store owners driving luxury cars and living the high life, so maybe the comments about retailer greed are misplaced?

 

[open-sights]

Yikes, some good info and some BS throughout this thread.
In the case of Leupold product in Canada, It is brought into Canada by an agency that has the rights to the product line, then distributed to 1 of 2 places, a distributor that re-sells to smaller accounts or distributed direct to the retail outlet. The agency has made changes to pricing a few times this year already to try to keep up with the rising buck, but because there is product on shelves at retail level that was purchased at a higher price, the agency has to protect them as much as possible so they remain competetive. The lag time between changes made at the Agencies level and retail could be substantial as well. Best advice is to shop around and put away the tinfoil, there is no price gauging in the highly competetive market of optics, if Leupy didn't keep up, Bushnell would gain or someone else.

 

[jjackman]

Consumers are free to make their own decisions with their money. And in the end you will have to live with those decisions. Maybe the cost is no local store. Maybe it is less service, and maybe it is no warranty. Maybe you just save some bucks. However, I have yet to see many gun store owners driving luxury cars and living the high life, so maybe the comments about retailer greed are misplaced?

I agree completely. I certainly don't want local retailers to disappear. It's bad enough that I can't help driving to Calgary all the time to drool over gear in your place. Even my wife knows the way to TSE now.

I think the message most people hope Canadian retailers understand is that we are aware of the inflated prices we pay. Sure there are costs to ship, import, distribute ect. but Cabella's doesn't need a 40% premium so why should I pay it to someone else.

While I tend to believe the importer or distributors is in control of the price, not the local retailer, it is the retailer who must effectively communicate this awareness to the distributor.