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Originally Posted by ecmoore
People in Canada tend to be surprised at the amount of duty we pay in general, and Americans are doubly so. I mean, we live in a country where gas is about $5.50 US/Gal, and milk in my area is about $5/gal. It's a real shock for my husband, that's for sure. (Granted, it's bizarre - it's cheaper for us in Toronto to eat strawberries imported from Mexico than it is for people in Texas.)
Add to the fact that when we purchase in Canada, the duties are hidden to a certain degree - wrapped up in the sticker price, because we have so little manufacturing and so much has historically been imported. And finally, we've traditionally had a very high exchange rate in the US, and Canadians are used to paying a LOT of money for certain products. (Some non-quilting examples: Shoes at payless, the exact same shoes, are usually 20-30% higher priced between Canada and the US. Books are starting to even up in price, but many are still 20% higher at least. A bernina foot I need is $60 in Canada, and $25 in the US.) This also serves to keep the prices artificially high, even though the dollar has been floating within 5% of par for the last five years, and has been over par for most of the last 6 months. Do you think that having duty built into the prices of goods in Canada has helped to protect the businesses that are manufacturing goods in Canada? We often have debates here in the US over whether tariffs should be higher than what they are. |
Originally Posted by Favorite Fabrics
Originally Posted by ecmoore
People in Canada tend to be surprised at the amount of duty we pay in general, and Americans are doubly so. I mean, we live in a country where gas is about $5.50 US/Gal, and milk in my area is about $5/gal. It's a real shock for my husband, that's for sure. (Granted, it's bizarre - it's cheaper for us in Toronto to eat strawberries imported from Mexico than it is for people in Texas.)
Add to the fact that when we purchase in Canada, the duties are hidden to a certain degree - wrapped up in the sticker price, because we have so little manufacturing and so much has historically been imported. And finally, we've traditionally had a very high exchange rate in the US, and Canadians are used to paying a LOT of money for certain products. (Some non-quilting examples: Shoes at payless, the exact same shoes, are usually 20-30% higher priced between Canada and the US. Books are starting to even up in price, but many are still 20% higher at least. A bernina foot I need is $60 in Canada, and $25 in the US.) This also serves to keep the prices artificially high, even though the dollar has been floating within 5% of par for the last five years, and has been over par for most of the last 6 months. Do you think that having duty built into the prices of goods in Canada has helped to protect the businesses that are manufacturing goods in Canada? We often have debates here in the US over whether tariffs should be higher than what they are. Yes, this thread has me proposing a cross-border/internet purchase for myself, though as said before, it is not my practice. My decision to do so in this case is because I cannot get the item in any other way. |
As QuiltE has written, we do feel the effects, which is hard. My perspective is a little unique - my mom's american, my dad was born in Canada but raised in the US then moved back to Canada. I'm "Straddling the border" at the moment, so to speak, preparing to move to Texas - my husband could find a job there, and I haven't had any luck here in any way such that I could support him entirely through the immigration process. When things were a bit better financially for me, I spent a lot supporting Canadian industry as much as I could, but right now things are extra tight (Moving that far is EXPENSIVE) and I've got to save where I can while keeping some sense of normalcy.
I suppose what really fries me is that we're importing the same products. Moda fabric is ALL being imported from Korea, and yet we're paying a full 50-70% more. And it isn't as though there's a textile industry to really protect, anymore. And the LQSs in Ontario aren't any happier than we are about it- I'd rather support the fantastic ladies at my local ones, and do as much as I can, but I don't see what's being "protected" by us paying such ridiculous fees. |
Originally Posted by ecmoore
I suppose what really fries me is that we're importing the same products. Moda fabric is ALL being imported from Korea, and yet we're paying a full 50-70% more. And it isn't as though there's a textile industry to really protect, anymore. And the LQSs in Ontario aren't any happier than we are about it- I'd rather support the fantastic ladies at my local ones, and do as much as I can, but I don't see what's being "protected" by us paying such ridiculous fees.
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There's someone I've seen on this board who's quite knowledgeable about Griege and the production thereof - I think a huge amount of the basic industry lost north and south of the border has to do with environmental protections that exist in North America and most first world countries, but which don't in huge swaths of the world.
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