Finding sane part prices online in, or to, Canada

[Spyder7]

So after a few days of troubleshooting a recent rattle that developed to the serpentine belt tensioner, further verifying that I have the Otics modular design, and pinpointing it to a small sub-assembly that looks like a shock (part number 16601-22013), I can't find it at anything resembling a sane price.

Autopartsway wants $170 for it, while the entire Otics assembly (including frame and pulley) costs half that, in CDN dollars, from Rock Auto - but they don't seem to list just the sub-assembly. So now I'm kind of stuck as those are the only two parts sites I'm familiar with. So far it looks like I'd be better off ordering the full tensioner assembly from Rock Auto, as even after shipping it'll still be at least $50 less.

Any advice appreciated. As an aside, Toyota used the same tensioner design across several models and model generations, so other Toyota owners (besides re-skinned Vibe and Prizm owners) may be familiar with the part I'm referring to (especially since Toyota put out a TSB on it in 2002 and several updated designs followed).

-Spyder

 

[xxch4osxx]

What is the OEM price for it? Sometimes OEM price will surprise you by being around the same as aftermarket.

 

[Spyder7]

Haven't checked yet; just confirmed its the part I need today, and did the research online to find the part number. Its a stat holiday today in Canada (Thanksgiving) so the dealer is closed until tomorrow.

-Spyder

 

[tinmanSC]

You need this today? So amazon/ebay are out?

 

[Spyder7]

Not today. I won't be ordering it until later this week (the car is drivable with the Tensioner rattle, and its not impacting anything other than being annoying and in the 'fix it sooner than later category.'

Amazon.ca doesn't do auto parts, and Amazon.com doesn't seem to ship the one I need to Canada. I hadn't thought to try ebay.

-Spyder

 

[ncguy]

I buy a lot of parts from www.rockauto.com. They usually beat any of my local stores by a mile even when you factor in shipping. I believe they ship to Canada but don't hold me to it.

 

[sentra]

Ebay is your best bet, spyder. There are lots of auto dealers from the US that sell items there, and you can find great prices compared to their Canadian counterparts.

Also, if you ask, most will fill out the Customs form in such a way that there are no "hassles" when the package shows up at your door.

Just a few days days ago, i ordered FOUR OEM spark plugs for my sentra for about $38 shipped from a dealer in Georgia. Locally, those spark plugs are priced between $25 and $30 plus taxes each.

 

[mechanicx]

Why are parts prices so much higher in Canada? A lot of you guys are a literally a stone's throw away from the US. and I thought Canada had free trade with the US (which would make sense for things you don't produce). Your dollar is about as strong. Who/where is the prices markup coming from?

 

[Spyder7]

That's the big mystery mechanicx. Even when we had dollar parity with you guys, newly printed books were still marked $7.99 US / $14.99 CDN - and a lot of them were published in Canada.

On somethings it makes sense: I don't expect produce, for instance, that's grown in California and trucked to here to go for close to the same price. But in a lot of cases there is no rhyme or reason to the price difference at all.

I believe NAFTA has a duty exemption for parts shipped to Canada for personal use and not resale, so I will be looking into the e-bay route. There are posts on the Corolla boards listing this part as a $40 - $50 item, so $170 is just plain nuts; particularly when this same part is used on many different Toyota models and continuing on up almost to present.

-Spyder

 

[Spyder7]

I just found it on e-bay for $35.65 from Auto Part Pro.

-Spyder

 

[sentra]

Originally Posted By: Spyder7
I just found it on e-bay for $35.65 from Auto Part Pro.

-Spyder


Make sure you have the vendor shipped it via USPS, not UPS, as you will get stuck with around $40 in "brokerage fees."

 

[sentra]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
Why are parts prices so much higher in Canada? A lot of you guys are a literally a stone's throw away from the US. and I thought Canada had free trade with the US (which would make sense for things you don't produce). Your dollar is about as strong. Who/where is the prices markup coming from?


The so-called "free trade" is largely to the benefit of large corporations that move goods across borders. It rarely translates into lower prices for the typical consumer, in my opinion.

I think the markup is coming directly from dealers/auto part retailers. Despite being really close to the US, the Canadian market seems pretty isolated, which explains the high prices. I live about 45 minutes away from the Washington state border, and over the years, the line ups at the border have grown longer and longer.

 

[mechanicx]

I see. I'm no free trade advocate as in reality it usually is a rip off with no savings for the end consumer. Free trade could make sense between Canada and US since they are 2 1st world countries that at least use to have free access and movement of residency and employment and you would only trade what you didn't already produce. I'm just wondering if there are no duties/tariffs being charged then who is tacking on the increase in price. If it is the retailers how are they able to accomplish this price gouging? Seems like some US retailers would offer good pricing in Canada and get all the business and put the rest out of business. I don't really understand it.

 

[yeti]

this topic has nothing to do with free trade.there's not much to understand -- it's common sense. an approx. 10 - 1 population ratio is the biggest reason.the u.s. retailers buy products in huge volumes, relative to canada, and can pass along savings to the consumer, and still make a good buck.there are other factors involved, but for the most part, it's about buying and selling product in huge volumes, as opposed to buying and selling product in small volumes.this subject comes up from time to time -- and i don't understand why it's so difficult to comprehend.

 

[mechanicx]

That doesn't really add up though when a small town in middle America gets the same price as a large one, while a larger city in Canada in near proximity to a large US city apparently pays up to 2x-3x as much. The product is coming from the same warehouses. I don't live in Canada so it's not a big deal to me but just seems curious.

 

[sentra]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
That doesn't really add up though when a small town in middle America gets the same price as a large one, while a larger city in Canada in near proximity to a large US city apparently pays up to 2x-3x as much. The product is coming from the same warehouses. I don't live in Canada so it's not a big deal to me but just seems curious.


You have refuted the buying-in-large-quantities argument of yetti.

 

[sentra]

Originally Posted By: yeti
this topic has nothing to do with free trade.there's not much to understand -- it's common sense. an approx. 10 - 1 population ratio is the biggest reason.the u.s. retailers buy products in huge volumes, relative to canada, and can pass along savings to the consumer, and still make a good buck.there are other factors involved, but for the most part, it's about buying and selling product in huge volumes, as opposed to buying and selling product in small volumes.this subject comes up from time to time -- and i don't understand why it's so difficult to comprehend.


One doesn't need a phd in economics to know that "pass along savings to the consumer" line of reasoning is absolute garbage, but it's widely in circulation, and considered true by the masses. To some, it might make intuitive sense, but it has no basis in reality. Such nonsense has been advanced by politicians and corporations, to pave a path for unpopular policies.

Any entity foolish enough to "pass on" something it can keep for itself as profit won't be in business for long. The "savings," or price decreases, are the result of competition. There is hardly any in the auto parts market in Canada.

 

[sentra]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
I see. I'm no free trade advocate as in reality it usually is a rip off with no savings for the end consumer. Free trade could make sense between Canada and US since they are 2 1st world countries that at least use to have free access and movement of residency and employment and you would only trade what you didn't already produce. I'm just wondering if there are no duties/tariffs being charged then who is tacking on the increase in price. If it is the retailers how are they able to accomplish this price gouging? Seems like some US retailers would offer good pricing in Canada and get all the business and put the rest out of business. I don't really understand it.


There are no duties/tariffs, as far as i know. It's the lack of competition here in BC that leads to high prices. I can only think of one auto parts store chain when i try to list any. No US retailer would bother setting up shop here, because the market share is pretty small compared to the US. Initial set up costs will be too high.

 

[Spyder7]

I think the lack of competition is the explanation. Other than the dealer, there is only 1 parts shop here as well.

When we had dollar parity a friend of mine, after noticing books and movies were still selling for double on Amazon.ca what they were on Amazon.com, decided to eat whatever potential duties and shipping costs arose, and just order from the US site. The order (and every subsequent one as he still does this) was invoiced from Amazon.com, so he got the price quoted on the American site, but shipped from the same Canadian warehouse they use for the Canadian site. No international shipping or duties applied. He has saved a bundle in doing this.

Having discovered with this experience, just how badly the Canadian part stores are ripping us off, I will stick to buying from the US using either e-bay or Rock Auto, and take the other members advice and have it sent USPS.

The only exemption will be with something where a part from salvage will serve just as well. But if it needs to be bought new, I will not buy it locally or from online Canadian retailers. Not after this experience and seeing them advertise a very common, high volume part (that weighs 2 lbs) for $170 when it sells in the US for $36. I could understand a reasonable markup, but 5x as much is insane and I'm not even going to consider them going forward. That's just an outright ripoff.

-Spyder