Topic: Canadian Dollar

[Grey Ninja]

Last night I was completely SHOCKED at the price of the Canadian dollar.  According to the powers that be, the Canadian Dollar is now worth over $0.75 USD.  That's completely amazing.  That means that it only takes 4 dollars Canadian to make 3 dollars American.  At this rate, buying stuff from the US is actually going to be a BARGAIN.

I can buy games, hardware, and doodads from the US cheaper than I can get them from Canada right now... this is truly a great time for Canadians.

[KnowsNothing]

i wish i could tell you i felt the same way.  But here in the Federated States of Micronesia of Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands we use the American dollar.  

[Matrix]

Didn't it drop again, after the mad cow incident in Alberta?  

Quote
this is truly a great time for Canadians

Only if you're going on vacation. A lot of jobs rely on foreign investment. The higher the dollar, the less investment we get, and the less jobs we have.  

[Grey Ninja]

Hehe... every time I hear about Mad Cows... I giggle...

Anyways, I live near the US border in Alberta, so theoretically, I can go into the US and buy stuff, but I don't have a car.  This just means I can buy cheap stuff online from the US right now.  It's good for the consumer, to hell with the investments.  

[Artimus]

I think it's great, makes buying stuff from eBay worth while!

[Praxius]

Let me get this straight..... you are saying that this is a good time for Canadians? Our Currancy is worth less than the US Dollar, so technically, if you went down to the States t buy something, you will be paying more. If it's worth around 75 cents US, then when you head down to the US to buy something that is $1 US, if you were to give them Canadian money, you would have to pay them $1.25 to compisate the differance, because the Canadian Dollar is only 75 Cents. If it was a bargan for anybody, it's for the US to come here and buy, which a lot do, because their money is worth more up here.

So in other words, if someone from the US came up to Canada and bought something that was $1 Canadian, they'd just have to pay 75 Cents. Last year, you might have noticed a lot of US Torrists in Canada, during the Summer time and such, because our dollar was only worth 63 Cents at that time. (Obviously almost half the value) Our money is rising though...... but it's sure as hell still not a bargan for us to go to the US to buy something.

Also, if you went on Ebay, and bought something from someone in the US for $100, you would not only have to pay $125 in exchange, but then you also have to pay for shipping fees and al the other crap you have to deal with, with getting over the border, and my dad does that a lot, cuz he's a big War Collector and such, so I hear about it all the time.

If you wanted a bargan, where the Canadian Dollar is worth something, go to Asia. I know that in Europe, the Pound is worth almost twice our money. Where 1000 pounds is almost $2000 (I don't know the details of Pounds to Dollars, so correct me if I am wrong.)

[oohhboy]

It is a bargain compared to local Canadian pirces. here in NZ, a new game goes for 130 NZD (75USD@0.58). In the US it goes for only 50USD at most, therefore it is a bargain compared to local prices. What you gave Praxius was an example to a different market. War related items are in general unquie, therefore you can find the item localy to compare to the price across the boarder or the world. So changes to the exchange rate either makes your item more expensive compared to yesterday or cheaper.

[Artimus]

Quote
Originally posted by: Praxius
Let me get this straight..... you are saying that this is a good time for Canadians? Our Currancy is worth less than the US Dollar, so technically, if you went down to the States t buy something, you will be paying more. If it's worth around 75 cents US, then when you head down to the US to buy something that is $1 US, if you were to give them Canadian money, you would have to pay them $1.25 to compisate the differance, because the Canadian Dollar is only 75 Cents. If it was a bargan for anybody, it's for the US to come here and buy, which a lot do, because their money is worth more up here.

So in other words, if someone from the US came up to Canada and bought something that was $1 Canadian, they'd just have to pay 75 Cents. Last year, you might have noticed a lot of US Torrists in Canada, during the Summer time and such, because our dollar was only worth 63 Cents at that time. (Obviously almost half the value) Our money is rising though...... but it's sure as hell still not a bargan for us to go to the US to buy something.

Also, if you went on Ebay, and bought something from someone in the US for $100, you would not only have to pay $125 in exchange, but then you also have to pay for shipping fees and al the other crap you have to deal with, with getting over the border, and my dad does that a lot, cuz he's a big War Collector and such, so I hear about it all the time.

If you wanted a bargan, where the Canadian Dollar is worth something, go to Asia. I know that in Europe, the Pound is worth almost twice our money. Where 1000 pounds is almost $2000 (I don't know the details of Pounds to Dollars, so correct me if I am wrong.)

When I can get a $79.99CDN item for for $50US, that's a deal. Before, that $50 would be $70CDN, and by time you shipped that would be a ripoff. Now, it's about $65CDN, which makes it cheaper. It's a deal. Don't tell me about my own eBay pirchases...

[Praxius]

Hmmm, I see.... However, some of you were saying how you would head down to the States to buy these things because you will be saving money, but how much would you really be saving, once you put into calculation, the Gas/Transportation to get there, etc?

[Matrix]

The only thing a high Canadian dollar means, is that now is a good time to have your trip to Disney land. It helps Canadian tourists who want to take trips.  

[Artimus]

The US is our only neighbor, and frankly, going there should be cheaper. I wouldn't mind seeing them have to pay 75 cents for 1 dollar canadian though!

[manunited4eva22]

Of course you wouldn't minding the world economy dying, your canadian

[oohhboy]

Sure you pay for gas, but you pay for gas when you go shopping anywhere. You just make sure when you do go cross the boarder you buy multiple things and treat i like a mini road trip/vacation or something.

I don't see it as the world economy dying, more like leveling the playing field abit.

[Naruto]

It's cheaper now to buy things in the US.   Look at most games for instance.  After conversion it might be the same if you to buy a game in Canada
BEFORE tax.  But ah after tax it's very different.  In BC we pay 14.5% tax, compared to Washington, which is like 8%(not too sure on exact
percentage but should be right).  Save like 6.5 % tax, not inconsiderable amount.  Plus gas in washington is cheaper too, fill up on the way back

And just like oohhboy said make it a mini road trip.  Not like we go across border to buy one item only.  It's good to go to US and look around once
in a while.

[Mojo]

Average game in US: $49.99 USD ($62.49 CDN) + SHIPPING
Average game in CA: $69.99 CDN + TAX

If you ask me, it's still cheaper to buy in Canada if you look at the shipping rates.

[Grey Ninja]

Or if you consider the fact that Skies of Arcadia still isn't available anywhere around here, and I can get it with shipping for about the price that I would pay buying it over the counter, it starts to look like a really freaking good deal.

Or when you consider that the average used game online runs for about $15, and the local pawn shops sell them for about $40, it REALLY starts to look good if you need to fill out your collection of older games.

[Praxius]

Well, okydoky.... but I sure won't be making any trips down to the US to buy stuff....mainly because I am in Halifax, and I'd have to either drive 2 hours to a ferry, go accross the bay, into Maine and then buy my item(s) and then make the same trip back, or I take a plane, which either way, is not very cost effective for me.

Oh well.

[shadow]

Doesn't most of europe use the Euro now?

[KnowsNothing]

yes. alot do use the euro.  canada, sadly, does not.