High $ should mean cheaper guns!!!
 

Has anyone else thought about this? Most of our airsoft supplies come from out of country, mostly from Asia but also some gear from the US. The dollar has now hit 90 cents US, thats a huge difference from a couple years back. With the higher dollar, it should cost a lot less to import goods, such as airsoft. Yet has anyone seen a retailer lower prices to pass on some of these savings to the consumer? I haven't in the 2 years I've been in airsoft. I think we should ask the retailers about this. I feel ripped off when I look at the prices in US/Asia, and it no longer can be blamed on bad exchange rates.

We still have to deal with customs and brokerage fees. It's not just the exchange rate.

By the way, analysts say that if it continues this way, within the year the Canadian dollar might surpass the US dollar. It's a great time to be alive (again).

Feel free to get an importation license if you feel that way. Then you can find out first-hand all the details and extra costs involved.
Or feel free to move to someplace where airsoft is not restricted. It's your right.

I think DoctorDeath meant by was, if exchange rate went down by let's say 10%. Since HK or US store hasn't increased their price by 10% (Or at least I haven't noticed), a retailer's buying price then saved 10%, since customs/taxes are based on value, you also saved the tax amount since the product value now went down 10%. Brokerage stays the same unless they jacked it up by more than 10%.

With that said, overall retailer would pay less for the very same gun. And DoctorDeath is complaining about not passing the savings down to us airsofters.

Not that I agree with DD, since retailers are there to make money, they have every right to maximize their profit. It would be nice to see some savings passed to the consumers, but again, airsoft prices in Canada has been at its lowest for a while.

LOL! I always bust out laughing when I hear that bullshit line about import/brokerage fees being the sole reason why we're paying through the roof for our airsoft stuff. While it does add to the cost of it it does not explain the extra hundreds of dollars being tacked on.

But seeing as only a few key players hold the ability to do the importing we have to bend over and take it with a smile. So with that in mind do you really think they would lower their prices because our loonie is stronger???

It's business, you gotta make money ... Canada is at a disadvantage here of course they will take advantage of it. I'm even sure in pre-orders the person still makes money cause how the heck are you going to pay off that importation license. You can't really complain about prices still up there with a higher Canadian Dollar. Why don't you bug Steven Harper to allow Airsoft here. Wait, why don't Bush convince him for us?

I bust out laughing when I realize that 6 years ago, many of us were happy paying $700 for a Marui gun because it meant we got to play airsoft. I also bust out laughing when people think they deserve a deal at the expense of the business owner, who they feel doesn't have the right to make a profit on his goods. I want a new Toyota FJ, but if I walk into a dealership and demand that I only pay $23K for one because the dollar is so high and the dealer should take a loss on his profit margin to cut me a deal, I'm gonna get laughed off the showroom floor.

Grey has it right; you have 3 choices. If you don't like the price, don't buy it - no one's holding a gun to your head. You could also get a license and broker and start importing for yourself and your friends. Alternately, you could move to a place where airsoft is cheaper.

Biggest hitter: The so-called "fuel surcharge".

As an idea, to typically import accessories for the radios I sell, I often pay more for the shipping then the accessories themselves, and that DOESN'T include the 15% + fees when it hits customs. $200USD to ship a box from China? Easy, I spend at least that much for every accessory order (single box).

Now that a stab how much it costs when I import radios which have double or triple the volumetric weight.

Long story short:

Importing is a very expensive business if you don't have connections or a very strong cash flow. It isn't necessarily complicated to get in, but it is somewhat difficult to keep all the numbers in check.

Good points, but do not forget most of the retailers if not all, have order and paid for the guns they are stock, before the $ became worth more. So these guns were also paid for at the lower $ price. Takes a while before you see that change. And what if the $ takes a plunge tomorrow, would you be willing to pay them even more for the guns? No probably not, better to just keep things where they are for a while me thinks.

Exactly. Current stock purchased at higher prices will have to be sold first before prices can come down, unless the company is interested in using some of them as a possible loss leader to attract more business. Not likely though.

The nice thing with our dollar approaching parity is we'll be able to more closely tell how much markup our retailers are putting on their products. With each USD now equalling only $1.10 CAD, a $100 GBB ought to cost you $110 CAD FOB wherever the retailer is. Shipping is something of an unknown though so that's one variable you can't accurately account for. I did a bulk order of replica ABS PASGT helmets and each case cost me $250 USD in shipping alone by UPS express.

In any case, I certainly hope that retailers take advantage of our strong dollar and it reflects in their prices accordingly. Those who maintain the status quo may find themselves eventually trailing.

Grim sells the M700 for 310$
Canadian Airsoft sells it for 500$.

Grim sold the ruger thingy for 150$?
007 sells it for 375$

Grim was getting the Star M249 for 730$
Rangers sell it for 895$

NOTICE ANYTHING?

Either Grim is a rich millionaire and can take a hit on each order OR the other retailers are getting ripped off by their brokers, OR they charge more cause they hold a monopoly on the supply and sales of airsoft in canada.

If Grim ever becomes a supplier of TM the other retailers are screwed.

Treadstone71
Ain't gay, but $20 is $20

So $20 will be worth more than $20? :lol:

AEG prices have actually dropped quite a bit - I can remember 2 years ago paying $520 was a good deal on a TM AK47, and now a short survey of the vendors;

AirsoftCanada Armoury: $450.00
007 - $535.00
Spec Arms - $525.00
Rangers - $470.00


So with this example, we can see the retailers who are charging a fair price, and those who are indeed gouging. I'm not saying any particular retailer is maliciously screwing over players - people are still obviously flocking to them all as they are still in business.

It's up to the player to vote with their dollar - so instead of bitching, educate yourself and support retailers who charge a fair price. Same goes for age verification - people will knowingly buy from a retailer that sells to minors, then complain about "all the underage n00bs"

[/rant]

Yeah with the thuoght of that, Treadstone would have to change his $20 is $20 everysingle day to reflect how much $20 dollars was when he first put that into his user info.

hah.
No but whatever.

Anyways, see when the dollar goes up... That means the RETAILER is going to be making more money, which is what they want. If you were in there shoes your not gonna just toss up an opportunity to put some food on your table just so someone can get cheaper stuff. Cmon now.

Stop complaining, you pay what you pay, and you have the peace of mind knowing it WILL get to you, and it's in good working order.

I know this is just discussion but still, your BFL burns a huge damn hole in your pocket. And you gotta pay that off at first.

Just like saying selling asian cars, since the dollar goes up, the MSRP doesnt change, its the same. And plus you'd be an idiot to screw yourself over in making a little more profit, especially if it is your full job that you are doing.

Meh, save the money. Pay the people that deserve it because they go through all the b.s for you. And get your gun and be happy.

Does anyone else want waffles? I could go for some waffles...

Honestly, if I was a Canadian retailer importing my goods into Canada, the last thing I want to do is make book keeping any more complicated than it is by constantly changing prices based on how well the dollar is doing.

If I lower my prices and the dollar goes down, when it goes up, I'm going to have to raise them again, and just as a personal opinion, I wouldn't want my customers seeing it as a reason to go elsewhere "Wtf? Why do his prices keep going up?". Now it would probably be a different story if I lowered my prices for promotional purposes and advertised it as such.

Grim did that order at little or no profit to himself.

Grim has good deals for sure. I ask retailers what the best price they can give me and then buy at the lowest (reputable) dealer. I have a big sense of fairness (I know, dam commie) and while I will pay whatever the market says I want the best deal I can get, kinda like gettin a reach around while gettin screwed.

Grim didn't give me a reach around but he didn't screw me either.

I also notice that many retailers sell different products cheaper. So a 500 buck ak at one place may also sell an M4 say at less than other retailers. Shop around people.

Don't forget - our dollar is worth more compared to the US dollar not because the canadian dollar is strengthening in the international market so much as because the US dollar is weakening. At least that's how I understand it. Therefore the exchange between CDN dollars and japanese yen (or HKD, or whatever) hasn't actually changed.

So it's a great time to buy american products for us canucks, but in terms of buying ftrom the rest of the world things really haven't changed nearly as dramatically as they have compared to USD.

Not that I know, I'm just specualting based on my understanding of why the CDN-US exxchange rate is improving for us.

actually the Canadian dollar IS going up

What a fucking bullshit thread.

It costs the same to make an AEG today IN JAPAN as it did yesterday - any fucking clown who busts out about our 'high' dollar exchange rate (yeah what a novelty eh?) and a direct relation of how much goods would cost to import should be thrown into the ocean.

First do a little trend analysis - our dollar only hit this mark in the past few DAYS. DAYS buddy, not YEARS. DAYS. The world economics don't radically change in DAYS. OH NOES! OMFG! TeH KaNUCK dollahz is teh highz - there goes our shirts...jump out of window!

Secondly - retailers put a huge effort into getting these things into Canada, dealing with customers, and running a BUSINESS. First objective for a business in order to THRIVE and maintain CONTINUITY - make a fucking profit! When did this airsoft community in Canada get so self serving? Pigs and dogs attitudes.

The Airsoft sky doesn't fall often enough to remind us how fortunate we are to manouver this sport in a thin grey line for as long as we have...

K, K! I'm done! No more carrying on with myself!

If you look at it that way we should be seeing price drops on EVERYTHING, so if you want to rag on airsoft retailers for keeping any extra profit, so be it. However, you should be looking at all retailers in genereal.

You haven't seen Ford, Chrysler, or GM products dropping by 10% have you? Or grocers dropping the price on their US produce.

We take "it" with a smile all around, that's the nature of business.



Alright Poncho, put it more directly than I did. Poncho's THE MAN.

Over the last two years the Canadian dollar has gained 17 cents on the US dollar and about 19.5 cents versus the Yen.

The strengthening CAD is making a mess of my US adaptor sales. When I started, I got around 1.32CAD for a USD. Down to 1.1 now. I'm going to have to adjust my online USD prices because my adaptor costs have actually gone up since I launched goofy 4 piece Version 1.

While there has been a gradual trend in the increasing value of the CAD relative to JPY, the fixed costs of importations have not similarly changed. The currency costs of: shipping and brokerage comprise a significant proportion of the landed costs of airsoft and are not subject to currency fluctuations. This dilutes the effect improvements in the exchange rate as does the relatively constant labour input to organize shipments and service orders. Furthermore the varying costs of rent and shipping have gone up due to (uh rent/property tax increases) and rising fuel prices which counter forex improvements.

On the whole, airsoft prices are slowly decreasing, but not at the pure rate of forex rates because of the contributions of constant or even rising costs. There is also a significant lag for retaillers to run out slow moving inventory bought at previous forex rates.

Looking at CAD vs JPY is still an incomplete factor on the effect of forex on Canadian airsoft. More to the point is the commodity price of materials used to make airsoft. Bulk material prices have been on a steady rise since China switched on it's manufacturing engine. I find myself paying more for barstock brass because of increased competition with China to buy barstock (no bs really, my barstock prices are going up). Similarly commodity prices of plastics are going up. While the JPY is losing value relative to CAD, the costs of materials are going up in both currencies so they're really rising to the Japanese manufacturers.

Unless your buying sacks of physical greenbacks with loonies, you won't be seeing the same rate of forex changes between the USD vs. CAD. Physical goods have inputs which contribute to their costs of acquisition in addition to a collective psychological value attributed to the bits of paper with numbers written onto them used to acquire stuff.

High Dollar = More profit. Short Term.

I import shit from Japan. Just cuz the dollar fluctuated in my favor isn't going to motivate me to call all my clients and give them 10%, just so I have to jack it back up next week. Fuck that.

I vote that the people who are unhappy about the prices simply do what I suggested and put their money where their mouth is; import stuff yourself instead of complaining.

End of problem.

Or, buy from the cheapest most reputable airsoft dealer you can find. If free enterprise capitalism works in a well-informed competitive market, f/x and other macroeconomic forces will endeavour to provide consumers with better prices.

Of course, unless there is collusion / price-fixing or a monopoly in the market space.

Anyone see where this is slowly starting to seem like the prices of Gas?... Fluxing? Imagine having to refine the website every 15 minutes to change the price on EVERY item instock on the website?... Be just like those signs gas stations got... -.-

I will say they don't make that much ! I checked the price on upgrade kit from Trumat and my friend's price in Taiwan. Not much difference ! plus he shipped from Canada to Canada.

You can always buy 2nd hand gun ! some are pretty nice. check your local.

I know it sounds quite expensive when u purchase ur AEG. However, with all those sh@ts dealers have to go though. Ain't that bad. The market is not big enough.

( but as a consumer I would like to see lower price ! 8) after all I am a consumer, a cheap one too )

I stand way corrected!

LOL - www.torontoairsoftprices.com

Oh fuck! Look! AK's are at 447.5 at Brimley and Steeles! Leeeeerrrooooyyyy Jeeennkkkinnnnsss!!!

Another thing to take into account is that some retailers get their goods from other canadian retailers then the item needs to be shipped again, or another retailer may be cheaper than a local but you gotta pay shipping which would break the savings/convience.

Short story if you think you can do it better, do it.