Topic: $600 clutch kit

[Snowman]

  When you're willing to actually discuss things instead of running around crying "buy from Canadian sources only or the sky is falling" then we can talk economics.

BTW, welcome back Rob. 

Thanks 

[The Mighty Duck]

When you two get real jobs then we can talk economics.

Wow, compelling argument!  It's posts that like that make me wonder why you even post to begin with - if you can't actually back up your claims with those pesky facts, examples, and proofs, then it's just as well not posted to begin with.

But hey, who needs proof when you can just insult anyone that disagrees with you? 

[Snowman]

When you two get real jobs then we can talk economics.

Wow, compelling argument!  It's posts that like that make me wonder why you even post to begin with - if you can't actually back up your claims with those pesky facts, examples, and proofs, then it's just as well not posted to begin with.

But hey, who needs proof when you can just insult anyone that disagrees with you? 

I perform economic evaluations for a living….you?

[xviper]

Honda Canada parts have always been screwing us over big time and now that the US and Canuck buck are almost the same, the price difference is even more foul.  This price diff isn't limited to Honda, either.
Wing, remember when the stock oil filter for our S's cost around $40.00 Cdn?  Then, once people started to complain and started to buy them in the US for $7.00, overnight, Honda Canada lowered the price to just over $10.00.  World economy didn't change overnight and the cost to make that filter didn't change.  So what happened?  Since then, I've noticed a few items over the counter at Honda have come down in price but on the most part, we are still getting reamed and no KY is ever used.  When buying parts, I always compare prices and buy where it's cheapest (after including shipping, brokerage, duty, etc.).  If Canadian businesses aren't loyal to me, why should I be loyal to them?  You live close enough the Hardtopguy, that you should always check with him before handing over your money to your local dealer.
BTW, is this clutch for the S?  If you are going with the blower, you should consider the ACT HD PP.  You won't regret it even if you stay NA.
I was one of the first to install the new oiljet banjo bolts.  Again, Honda Canada was going to bend me over the counter when buying and the part was so obscure at that time, I couldn't even get a hook up in the US.  I ended up getting it from another S owner in the States who got them from a relative in Europe.  Still ended up paying much less.

Oh, and don't get me started on "Canadian Pricing" now seen at Canadian car dealers.  That's a whole other topic.

[The Mighty Duck]

I perform economic evaluations for a living….you?

My family's worked in retail for more than twenty years.  I never said the costs of doing business aren't higher, but they are not 50% higher, never mind 200%.  I seem to recall reading somewhere that, for example, US distributors tack 10% onto the price of books for the costs of doing business in Canada.  10% is a far cry from the 42% price difference inside the front cover of one of those books...

Ask any retailer, and they'll tell you the difficulty in passing on the savings created by the strong Canadian dollar are because of suppliers in the US who have no changed their prices.  And why should they?  The retailers are the ones that look like the bad guys, when really it's the distributor who's taking all that extra profit.  Nobody boycotts the distributor, or threatens to buy from the guy down the street...  and if you buy online from the States, it's probably coming from the same distributor anyway.

[carlos_da_fig]

I had a hell of a time finding a decently priced clutch kit for my Suzuki Esteem a while ago.  Found this place called "Just Brake" in Toronto - they are a Exedy distributor and are dirt cheap compared to CT or NAPA.
I think the trick is to find the primary distributor for the product.

[xviper]

The retailers are the ones that look like the bad guys, when really it's the distributor who's taking all that extra profit.  Nobody boycotts the distributor, or threatens to buy from the guy down the street...  and if you buy online from the States, it's probably coming from the same distributor anyway.

You are right!  My apologies to you if my post made it sound like I blame the retailer.  In my example, it's Honda Canada I blame, not the dealer parts dept.  Certainly, the retailer has a tough time, but from a consumers point of view, it's fool hardy to pay double or quadruple what I can pay from elsewhere.  Like already stated, if the price is within a reasonable amount of what it would be after all the shipping, duty, etc has been added in, I buy local.

Let me recount a little story ............................. Lately, I was in the market for tires.  I talked to a shop in Calgary about cost of some snow tires.  When he told me, I just about popped my eyes out of my sockets.  TireRack sold the same tire for way less and after the shipping, duty, brokerage, I still saved a couple hundred.  The guy at the shop admitted to me that they have been known to buy from TireRack themselves just to be a little more competitive.  He didn't blame me one bit for going with TireRack.

Interesting comment about the "primary" distributor.  I have since found a shop that deals directly with that "primary" and they can come very close to what TireRack can sell them to me for.  The primary distributor seems to have some control over local pricing.