+The Wet Coast Explorers Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 I was just about to do a little Xmas shopping and pick up some GC accessories and started shopping around. The prices seem quite a bit higher from our Canadian distributors so I thought, in this case, I would order directly from GC.com, but it appears that this isn't possible for us canucks! Some of the things I'm looking at include: Geocaching Reflective Sandwich Bill Cap gpscentral: CAD$26.95 groudspeak: US$15.99 (~CAD$21.00) Tech + Nature T-Shirt - Navy* 2XL gpscentral: CAD$26.95 groudspeak: US$14.99 (~CAD$19.50) *The new Cardinal and Olive colours don't appear to be available in Canada. Prices are close at gpscity.ca too. When all was said and done, my order at GC.com came to CAD$95 and at gpscentral.ca came to CAD$130, not including shipping/handling/duty where applicable. I've dealt with gpscentral.ca several times in the past and have always found them extremely helpful. It just seems, in this case, that the Canadian markup is excessive, and I - like many of my fellow geocachers I'm sure - have limited financial resources, especially at this time of the year. Enough of my whining. (1) Does anyone know of a way to order directly from Groundspeak and have items shipped to Canada? (2) Does anyone know why the Canadian distributors have marked up the accessories so much? If this has been discussed here before, please Markwell me! Link to comment
+cyber-hunter Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 I think that once you pay for the shipping and brokerage fees you will find the prices the same. Link to comment
+Gorak Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 What Cyber-Hunter said. By the time you pay the GST on the inbound goods and either the border-brokerage fee to the courier or the $5 GST collection fee to Canada Post, it's pretty much a wash. Link to comment
+Olar Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 (1) Does anyone know of a way to order directly from Groundspeak and have items shipped to Canada? (2) Does anyone know why the Canadian distributors have marked up the accessories so much? 1/ If memory serves correctly, Groundspeak would not ship out of Country even before GpsCentral took on the Canadian distributorship. 2/ What exchange rate did you use in your calculations? GpsCentral inventory may have been purchased when the Cdn.$$ was much weaker. When all is said and done I think prices are quite reasonable. I doubt if Groundspeak extend much of a reseller's discount (if any) so the obviously modest profit margin is certainly acceptable. Cheers, Olar Link to comment
+thibaug Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 I'm not sure what they are doing with their prices now, but they used to just break even by the time they add the fees to get the gear across the border... GC did ship to Canada at one time but since GPSCentral bought in bulk, they got a deal on the prices and so it was cheaper to buy from them... I suspect the high Can $ has something to do with the price discrepansy... HTH, G Link to comment
+The Daniel Boone Gang Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 I recently placed an order with GPScity for a few items - fewer than planned - same reasons - overpriced. Hats and cloths were the problem. I bought a couple other items and when checking out I made a comment that I wanted to buy more, but the Canadian prices seemed way out of line. I later got an email from them saying that their Geocaching accessories weren't a money maker for them - more of a customer service investment. They went on to say that the items I mentioned were overpriced as they bought them when the Canadian dollar was low, and weren't prepared to lose money by dropping the price. While I can certainly understand their possition, I wonder about the costs associated with dead inventory - nobody is going to buy them at those prices ($27 for a ball cap??). Anyhow, I would love to find a Canadian alternative as well. One thing that we recently discovered was making up our own T-shirts via inject printer & iron ons (Blue Quasar gave us the idea). Link to comment
+Halden Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 I have noticed that GPScentral's prices on some items have dropped, but still remain high. Still cheaper than paying US dollars, shipping and duty. The pain of buying imorted goods. Look at Beer and CDs you always pay more for imports. Link to comment
+Gorak Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 Have you considered having your own geocaching caps made up? You might be surprised how cheap it is even in very low volumes. I just had a small number of golf shirts and fleece vests made up with a custom logo. The individual prices for the items was about what you would pay in a retail store even with the custom embroidery. However, you will need to pay a CDN$25 to 50 fee for converting your artwork which could easily be defrayed if you got together with a few other geocachers and had about a dozen of more items made. Personally, I would much rather pay for a shirt or hat with a uniquely Canadian geocaching logo than the standard GC logo. I can pass along the contact info of the vendor I used if you are ever interested. He is also a geocacher. Link to comment
+Dagg Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 (edited) Hey Gorak Pass that info on to me please use my work email if you still have it Edited November 26, 2003 by Dagg Link to comment
+The Wet Coast Explorers Posted November 27, 2003 Author Share Posted November 27, 2003 I can pass along the contact info of the vendor I used if you are ever interested. He is also a geocacher. Thanks Gorak. Please pass me the contact. Link to comment
+The Daniel Boone Gang Posted November 27, 2003 Share Posted November 27, 2003 Please post the address / contact information. You're friend can maybe make a buck, and some cachers can get some cache attire at a reasonable cost. Thanks! Link to comment
+Capitalpete Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Hmmm,,, Just want to point out here, that perhaps making your own shirts and stuff with the geocache logo would be a copyright infringement. After all it is a distinctive logo, and probably belongs to someone.........maybe someone who pays for these message boards? The prices that you are talking about perhaps seem a little high for Canadian prices, but really as someone pointed out, by the time you pay brokerage, exchange, customs and a penny or two for handling, it is not unreasonable at all. You have to remember that although there seems to be a lot of us geocachers out there, the market for this stuff is really really small compared to any other merchandise. Therefore we are going to pay a little more for it than say, for a "Tommy go figure" baseball cap or other common item. I do know Jo and Ian at GPS Central, and they are pretty fair folks. The prices that they seem to arrive at are driven by the need to run a "business" and be reasonable to the majority of people. They also have really great customer service and stand behind their products. But this being said, they are in Calgary Alberta, and so is the ONLY other Canadian retailer of this product. I do not want to drive 650 miles to go buy geocache gear. This being said, I have contacted Groundspeak, and am currently waiting for a reply as to being a Canadian dealer of their products. We have a 45000 Sq ft general store in Victoria, and we intend to sell Geocache items right next to our Garmin products, as a walk in business for people in our area. Therefore there is no shipping and handling involved, other than from the USA to our store. Like others we view this more of a customer service rather than a money making deal and intend to offer the items as close to the usa listed price as possible. The difference is that you could walk into our store and purchase the item right off the shelf. And then you could purchase one of the new 60CS Garmin units that we will have in stock very soon. Geocache gear would be a "extra" for all the geocachers that live in the Victoria area and shop in our store. For others, maybe it would be a good reason to visit us. And, just as important, our staff would not have to go far to get geocache gear to go out and hide their caches. Sure hope someone at Groundspeak reads this and replys to our email, Christmas is coming and we could use the gear in time to wrap it up! Sincerely Capitalpete Link to comment
+RobertM Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 I believe one is allowed to use the logo on things you create if you make less of a certain amount and it is not for commercial use. There's a section on the website that defines exactly how the logo may and may not be used. I haven't read the full page, but this may help you: Logo Usage Link to comment
+GroundClutter Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Yea!! GC gear right here in Victoria? Am I to assume that the store is a "capital" store? With perhaps a location also in Sidney? Oooh I do hope you get permission. I'll be stocking up! I already love that store. If there was GC gear in there as well, I might just have to get a bigger car to bring it all home in. Good luck capitalpete! I'll have my fingers crossed for you. Link to comment
+Capitalpete Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Yea!! GC gear right here in Victoria? Am I to assume that the store is a "capital" store? With perhaps a location also in Sidney? Oooh I do hope you get permission. I'll be stocking up! I already love that store. If there was GC gear in there as well, I might just have to get a bigger car to bring it all home in. Good luck capitalpete! I'll have my fingers crossed for you. Dear Groundclutter, Yes, you would be correct. Thank you so very much for the kind words about our little store (well stores really as Sidney is it's own little store and soon to have it's very own Garmin GPS department, and hopefully another department for GEOCACHE GEAR!). I am waiting to get a reply from Groundspeak as to my request, there is still no word on if we will be able to buy the gear from them. Am I to assume that if my price would be the same as the online price that you would support local business and purchase "official GEOCACHE GEAR" from our little store here in CANADA? We are the largest General Store on the West Coast, and having been here since 1934, We would love to be the official supplier of GEOCACHE GEAR here on the West Coast. Our staff love to Geocache, and we really want to get in the game here, literally. If this is so, please, please, please, email to Groundspeak asking them to hurry up and email us so we can get the GEOCACHE GEAR in our store in time for Christmas. We can use your support to get this in place soon, so we can all access GEOCACHE gear at a reasonable price. Thank you! Capitalpete Link to comment
+Halden Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Hey Pete if you have any business contacts in Ontario let them know they should stock their stores as well. Specifically if you know any store owners in Ottawa. Link to comment
+mrcpu Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 I would totally love it if someone in Toronto stocked GC gear! There are a number of camping places downtown and several outside of the downtown core but still within reasonable driving distance. JEREMY!!!!! Link to comment
+Halden Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 I could drive to Toronto for GC gear. Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 I was just about to do a little Xmas shopping and pick up some GC accessories and started shopping around. The prices seem quite a bit higher from our Canadian distributors so I thought, in this case, I would order directly from GC.com, but it appears that this isn't possible for us canucks! Some of the things I'm looking at include: Geocaching Reflective Sandwich Bill Cap gpscentral: CAD$26.95 groudspeak: US$15.99 (~CAD$21.00) Tech + Nature T-Shirt - Navy* 2XL gpscentral: CAD$26.95 groudspeak: US$14.99 (~CAD$19.50) *The new Cardinal and Olive colours don't appear to be available in Canada. I was just checking the GPSCentral webstore and noticed that they've dropped their prices on geocaching gear and also now stock the cardinal and olive tech T-Shirts. Link to comment
+Capitalpete Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Here it is now December 8th, and still no reply from Groundspeak. Will keep you updated, but it seems very unlikely I will have any gear in time for Christmas. And just for fun, my shipment from Garmin is being held up by UPS, who will not cross union picket lines to get on BC Ferries and bring my Legend and GPSV units which I desperately need for Christmas orders. Gee, I love this time of year when people go on strike. But I suppose it does work for getting attention drawn to their concerns, I hope it gets settled soon. On the plus side, got to play with the Rino units now that I stock them. They sure are a lot of fun for the money. I think I will invest in a few units to keep track of the kids, I sure do like that feature. Best of the season to all geocachers! Link to comment
+The Daniel Boone Gang Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 I gave up looking for Geocaching T-Shirts, etc. and made some of my own. Anyone with a computer, graphics software, and colour printer can do it. For $20 you can buy iron-on paper at Staples, Radio Shack, etc. According to the manufacturers of the paper, the iron-ons are supposed to be quite durable. I paid $7 for white cotton T-shirts at Walmart, and say $2 for each Iron-on sheet (use every inch of that sucker), and half a day making up logos, etc. on the computer and after an evening of ironing, we had 6 custom geocaching T-shirts - they came out great. The one limitation in this approach is the colour of your T-shirt - it needs to be either white or a very light colour - you can't get the green, black, etc. But for about $10 a shirt, I can live with it. Link to comment
Bryan Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 (edited) Groundspeak is pleased to announce the addition of a new Canadian Geocaching merchandise distributor in Victoria BC: Capital Iron Store phone 250-385-9703 Main Store address 1900 Store St. Store location N48 25.835 W 123 22.048 (In business since 1934) www.capitaliron.net They should have geocaching accessories in stock sometime next week! Please feel free to pay them a visit if you are looking for geocaching gear in Victoria. Happy Geocaching! Rothstafari Groundspeak Inc. www.geocaching.com Edited December 12, 2003 by Rothstafari Link to comment
+Halden Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Congrats Pete! (I hope this is your store ) Now we need an East Coast vendor. Anyone?? Bueller? Link to comment
+Solar Max Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 They should have geocaching accessories in stock sometime next week! Please feel free to pay them a visit if you are looking for geocaching gear in Victoria. Happy Geocaching! And yet another reason to play at Capital Iron! Very cool! Finally an Island outlet for Groundspeak. It's about time, and better late then never. Link to comment
KimAndMollie Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 On the plus side, got to play with the Rino units now that I stock them. They sure are a lot of fun for the money. I think I will invest in a few units to keep track of the kids, I sure do like that feature. Best of the season to all geocachers! Yay!!!!! A store here!!!! Toys! Toys! Toys! And stuff! I like stuff (listening, Santa?) Thank you Groundspeak! Thank you Capitalpete! Hear that noise? It's the sound of all the Victoria cachers stampeding to your store. Cool! As an aside, have fun with the Rinos, especially the 120. I just got one, and am enjoying all the things it can do. Link to comment
+GroundClutter Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 (edited) Right on!! Thank you thank you thank you!! Ooh, I see a shopping trip coming up. I sense the makings of a neat little caching event. We'll all be at the store as soon as the items come in. Captialpete, will the gear be at the Sidney store too? Edited December 12, 2003 by GroundClutter Link to comment
+Capitalpete Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Greetings all fellow Island Geocachers! After a very good conversation with Bryan, we have agreed that Geocache Gear can and will be available at Capital Iron, both downtown and in Sidney! I will post a note here on the board when we have the items in stock, it should be sometime next week as Groundspeak is not very far away at all. I would like to thank Bryan at Groundspeak for his special effort to help me get the stock in before Christmas, and I would like to say a special thank you to all that have posted after Bryan's message. Both Bryan and I believe that this relationship between our businesses will not only benefit Groundspeak and Capital Iron, but also all our local cachers who will no longer have to order online and wait for their gear. The prices will be in line with the online store, and you will have the benefit of not only supporting Groundspeak and Geocaching, but also supporting local business. We have been in business in Victoria since 1934. That is 70 years of local family ownership and employment for our area, and we are still growing. Thank you for continuing to support us, and we look forward to helping to outfit you with official Geocacher gear and Garmin GPS units and accessories. Merry Christmas Geocachers! Sincerely, Capitalpete Marine Sales Capital Iron Victoria & Sidney BC Capital Iron Homepage Link to comment
+Capitalpete Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Well, The deed is done, the cache gear should be here next week! Look forward to seeing you down here, and finding some new caches with geocache gear in them! Link to comment
+Dagg Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Did you get any of the new black caps in? Link to comment
+MrPeabody Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Marine Sales Capital Iron Victoria & Sidney BC Capital Iron Homepage Uh, where on your website do I got to see/order Geocaching stuff? Link to comment
Goldguru Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 55% discount when you user your user name on purchase??? LOL.... Link to comment
+Capitalpete Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 (edited) Uh, where on your website do I got to see/order Geocaching stuff? Dear Mr Peabody, I have to tell you that we are an "old fashioned store", meaning that you actually have to walk into one of our stores (either here in downtown Victoria, or in Sidney) to view and purchase Geocache gear. Did you get any of the new black caps in? No, they were on backorder, sorry. Due to the next comment, I have edited this post....sure hate to think that we do Geocaching "just for free advertising"............................ Can the moderator please close this discussion thread so that no one can accuse us of using this forum for promotion. Thanks. Edited December 13, 2003 by Capitalpete Link to comment
gm100guy Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 I think this thread is getting to commercial and this store in getting free advertising here. Link to comment
+Cache-tech Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Thread closed on the request of the business involved. Link to comment
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