Does anybody (canadian) have experience ordering a Pioneer elite (example), off ebay?

I've been doing some amp research lately and I've narrowed it down to the SC-61 model. Can be purchased on ebay for 750usd or locally for 1300. I understand I won't get the factory warranty unless purchased by an authorized reseller, but for almost half the price without factoring in import fees and duties etc, is it worth it?

I've ordered car parts from the US and been hit pretty hard with fees before, but never electronics.

Nevermind, as it turns out. Future shop is selling a model #1227k which is 100% identical as the elite sc61, without the "bling" Elite stamp. I bought that one.

As an aside I will say that a lot of times buying south of the border can be advantageous. I have bought from emotive with good results. The downside is any warranty issue's /shipping. Duty can kill you, and the exchange rate, since paypal and visa are anything but fair in that regard. Something as heavy as a receiver can be risky if you have any warranty issues. I like to buy local when I can and keep the jobs here,plus if I have any problems I get taken care of right away.

Btw glad to see you found a favorable solution, and instant gratification which is always great.

Richard

In my experience in buying Jeep parts from the US, the heavier the object, the more likely you will be slapped with duty. Tiny or lightweight things seemed to make it through without notice. Heavier objects never made it through unscathed. Where it was built vs. what the free trade agreement says seemed totally irrelevant.

i bought a phono preamp out of the eastern US , they dinged me almost 100 dollars for duty. By the time I paid the shipping and duty plus shipping it back for warranty it definetly was not worth the trouble. Also sending stuff back into the states is difficult unless you use Canada post so they handle the details.Car parts are easier as long as they are for a car 25 yrs old or older they are duty free.

Returned the 1227 and bought the sc61, I'm a sucker i know lol.

I bought my two Pionneer Elite from a US shop (avindemand.com).. Paid 450$ for a VSX-33 (brand new). Got free shipping within the USA. I provided the address for Freeport Forwarding and went at the US border to pickup my receiver. So overall 10$ for gaz, 60$ in canadian taxes and 450$ for the receiver.

Yeah, Ive heard of people doing this. CBI in Niagara Falls would be the closest to me. My Subaru isn't the most fuel efficient car so a 11 hour round trip would cost me almost 150 in fuel, or more

I have imported a number of items from the US, however, sometimes it can be advantageous while other times not. The issue comes as to where the product is manufactured(now almost always in the Far East)in which they automatically nail you for duty and it always depends on who is the carrier. UPS are the biggest scam artists of all the couriers because they charge inflated brokerage and other fees even when the product is made in the US where duties are supposed to be waved. This cancels out any advantage. They even charged me fees on a replacement warranty item! The thing I have noticed recently is the rising Canadian dollar has closed the gap in pricing on many items, it is just a matter of doing your homework.

Of course, there is always the warranty issues and if you notice through the resellers in the US, Onkyo in particular, won't allow any of them to sell outside of the US at all!

I essentially order from the US now only if it is an item I can't buy in Canada and it is usually from a specialty on-line company.

I've bought many items from the US in the past 5 years or so - vintage radios, SACDs, vintage clocks - mostly from ebay. Customs most often will not charge duty fees or sales taxes unless it is an expensive item & it is worth their while to extract those fees.

For me, if the vendor will not ship via US Postal Service, I will not complete the deal. They are the only shipper who does not charge those 'fraudulent' brokerage fees; however, USPS rates are about triple to Canada vs what would be the shipping internal to a US customer, but still a better deal than the UPS & Fedexes of the world. These couriers inside of Canada are great though as the international border doesn't come into play.

BTW, beware of 'Free Shipping' from a US vendor - 99.9% chance that it will be to internal US customers only...

TAM