Amazon.com continued its push into Canada this week with the announcement on April 1 that musical instruments and wireless devices are now available for sale in Canada.
Canadian music stores such as Tom Lee Music and Long & McQuade need not fear, however, because from what I can see, the price you would pay for musical instruments through amazon.ca are much higher than what you would pay for those same instruments from a local music store in Canada.
In other words, don’t buy the hype. Just because Canadians can now buy something online through amazon.ca, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s any cheaper.
I play drums, so I’m always looking for good deals on things like hardware and cymbals. In October 2013, Amazon started offering online groceries in Canada. When I read that Amazon has added musical instruments to amazon.ca, I was pretty excited.
Canadians have always had to pay a premium for musical instruments, so I looked forward to being able to buy a new Paiste cymbal or DW hardware at a discount online and having it dropped on my doorstep by a drone.
But when I checked the price on a new 18-inch 2002 Paiste crash cymbal, I couldn’t believe my eyes. That cymbal sells for $490.61 (including $36.62 for shipping).
But over on amazon.com, that same cymbal sells for $271.56, and shipping is free.
"So why not just order it on amazon.com, rather than amazon.ca?" you may ask. I can’t, of course, because I’m Canadian, and in many cases, Canadians are not allowed to order musical instruments from the U.S.
That same cymbal, by the way, is available at Long & McQuade in Vancouver for $280, according to the company’s website.
Paiste is a Swiss company, so I thought there may be duties or tariffs that affect the price, so I checked out an American-made product. A Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb 22-watt amp sells for $1,827.76 on amazon.ca. The exact same amp sells for $1,074.34 on amazon.com.
Perhaps it’s just musical instruments that cost more, I thought. So I went and checked out wireless devices on amazon.ca.
Amazon’s own Kindle Fire HDX 8.9” 16GB was $399 on amazon.ca; $379 on amazon.com. So, factoring in the exchange rate, it’s roughly the same price.
How about the Samsung Galaxy smartphone? A Galaxy S4, GT-I9500 16GB Black smartphone sells for $649 on amazon.ca. The same phone sells for $451 on amazon.com.
Clearly, a lower Canadian dollar does not account for such a huge price differential.
Was Amazon not built on the idea that it is cheaper to buy online? Because if it still costs Canadians more to buy goods online through amazon.ca than it does through a local retailer, what is the point of even offering them here?
The only advantage I can see to buying through amazon.ca is that there may be some instruments that you just can't get at your local music store.
I’m sure there’s a good explanation for why Canadians would have to pay more for the same item than an American customer. I put in a call to Amazon’s media relations office and hope to get some kind of answer soon.
Perhaps there is no good reason at all, beyond the well-known fact that Canadians appear to be quite content to pay more for everything than their American counterparts.
I also put a call into Industry Canada, which plans to introduce laws that would prohibit Canadians being charged more for the same items than companies charge customers in the U.S.
I’m really not sure how the government is going to enforce its so-called “consumers first” agenda, but I hope the first thing it does is address the high cost of musical instruments in Canada, because as any Canadian basement rocker know, music is an expensive hobby.
