Loonie Watch

[Natureboy]

98.5 cents today.

[Island Cove]

i was gonna post that. lol they said on the news tonight that they expect it to surpass the US dollar shortly, they said they expect it up to 103

[Natureboy]

I am already shopping online today. It did clear par for a bit.

[sparky]

wow wow.

sitting par right now

[Din]

WOOOOOOOW.....time to buy some HP beds.!!!!

[Din]

i'm thinking of coming down to Buffalo and picking up a Cadillac Escalade and drive it back....you think it'll be worth it?

The one thing that didn't decrease with the dollar/exchange is a price of a car. They are still at the old exchange rate of like 30-40% difference in price.

Cadillac Escalades start at $55,000 USD in the States....up here in Canada they start at $76,500 CDN. WOOOOOOW what a difference. And the dollar is at par. I can save $20,000 just by crossing the border.!!!!

[Renaissance]

you're going to have to pay 6 and 8% on top of that too......or else it's not getting across......nooooooooooo??????......if not please explain, i'm all ears..... only asking because i've been looking at doing the same thing for a while...... it's a porsche though....would that make any difference??

[Natureboy]

Exactly. No duty either if built in the states. There are tons of people doing it. There are websites devoted to telling you how to buy a car in the US and bring it back to Canada.

What american's need to realize is that for example, 4 years ago I bought a Magic that was $39,900 US and I paid $55,000 CAN, plus GST, PST. Over $60K.

Now granted, the US dollar to the Euro effects things. But If now I could just ship a bed and pay $15-20K less, why not?

Even lamps. It used to cost me like $100 a HP lamp when they were $69 each. Now I am saving HUGE!

This is what is exciting for us.

[Natureboy]

What I wonder is how often does your credit card update what they give you in exchange when you buy lamps or parts out of the states.

I have to make a $5000 private label lotion order right away and want to be sure I am getting par or close from the CC company?

Call them and find out?

[jamaicabreeze]

i'm thinking of coming down to Buffalo and picking up a Cadillac Escalade and drive it back....you think it'll be worth it?

I got a 2005 model for sale,fully loaded with 40,000miles, for $35K but you have to drive down to Arkansas to get it.

[Din]

banks update every 60minutes. Credit Card companies update once a day. So they are working on yesterdays exchange rate.

CC companies also make an extra cent or so profit....

so if you are exchanging at 98.5 cents....CC exchange will be about 97-97.5cents

as per my friend at the bank.

[Din]

Here's something i came across....

...I used to buy Hondas, but no more. I bought a Lexus Rx in the states and saved ~20K. It had 5000 miles, a 2007 model. Many of these vehicles are made in Canada including the RX350, the Acura MDX, while some Mercedes and BMW are made in the USA and exempt from duties.

Before you buy, go to RIV.ca and make sure the car/truck you want is importable (most are, some with changes). Then go to edmunds.com or cars.com or msn.com and price the vehicle you want. I limited my search to 2007 vehicles, but you can even find some2008s on the market now. Honda/Acura will void your warrenty, so be careful with them (you could buy an aftermarket one here to replace it). Make sure you will not have to pay state sales tax. I just bought an in transit tag for $20 that lasted 1 month until I was back in Canada. Notify US customs where you will be bringing the car into Canada at least 3 days in advance so that they can check if the car has a lien or is stolen. Report to the US Customs as you export the car (takes 5 minutes). Report to Canadian side and pay GST and border clearance fee (~200). Pay duties, if applicable. Take car to Canadian Tire for safety, then take safety and GST eceipt to licence bureau to pay PST (if applicable) and get Canadian licence. Sounds hard, but it is not.

Canadians aer also getting ripped on delivery charges of 1300 to 1800. Same fee in states is about 500-700. Why? Even with delivery to Alaska, you only add $60.

Canadians are getting ripped. This is one place you can save yourself thousands on virtually new cars. Only a fool buys Canadian right now.

[solarmeter®]

FINALLY.... you guys can now buy meters online for par.

www.solarmeter.com

Bring it on! $12 UPS standard Ontario & Quebec. Way out NW sometimes air only. No duty but some "broker" will have his way with you for an extra $30 or so. I hate that. Oh - and GST of ~12.

[Din]

i'll give you $50.....by next week, our dollar will be $1.03 and will be OVER the USD.....BIATCH....take the $50 now that you still can YANK!

[Beach Bum]

Why do u call your money Loonie?

[dcjjp1]

It's a well known Canadian bird.

[sparky]

well, that's one reason ..........................................

Only a fool buys Canadian right now.

[Din]

Our dollar coin has a loon on it.....so they call it a loonie.....

and the 2 dollar coin is called a toonie....no there isn't a toon on it.

[Luongo=Cup]

Nature,

If you look at your credit card agreement you will often see that they charge an extra 2.5% to convert your money as well. Just another way for them to make gobs of dough.

[uv2021]

It might seem good for "us" but it is bad for the economy.Lot's of lost jobs,less tourist,less money comming into the country.And this is all just the tip of the iceberg.The US $ is taking a pounding,they did nor cut the prime rate by 50 basis points for fun.It was out of fear of what would happen if they did not.That potentially bought them time while they try to "fix" things.I guess that billion a week in Iraq had to come from somewhere.It's called a deficit.Only you and I would have the plug pulled on us.The US can't just go bankrupt.So this is a very complicated issue.So even though we will see some price drops on equipment,and only for a short term,because the big beds are bought in Euro's wich now cost more US $ to buy wich mean US equipment cost go up wich still means more CDN$ to buy.It's like a baloon ...you squeeze it here it expands there. But I do like the idea of cheaper holidays...while my customers still have a job so they can tan.