Country Pricing

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Canadians are paying far more than Americans for the same products because of a systemic and unjustifiable markup scheme by many manufacturers, a retail expert says.

A Marketplace report on Canada-U.S. price gaps found Canadians paying higher prices — more than double in some cases — for the same retail goods because of an industry phenomenon called "country pricing."

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Full article here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/...y-pricing.html
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As some here may recall, I was recently complaining that the article written by King (Guns) is priced at 99 cents for Americans, but $2.99 for Canadians. I have refused to purchase it because of that unreasonable price difference. I'm not blaming King. I don't know who decided to set these prices but I don't think it's the author. But it is a very good example. There's absolutely no legitimate reason to raise the price of an e-book, and especially to charge 3X as much. Charge US funds if (which isn't always in your own best interest since our dollar is sometimes better) but charge the same amount.

BTW, I decided to buy a Kobo instead of a kindle because Kobo seems to be much more Canadian friendly.

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I'm not blaming King.

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....which should net you some kind of prize!....

It explains why our shopping mall lots are filled with cars with Canadian plates. :smile2: On the other hand, we get the reverse in a lot of cases with prescription drugs that are much more costly here than in Canada.

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Originally Posted by Moderator

It explains why our shopping mall lots are filled with cars with Canadian plates. :smile2: On the other hand, we get the reverse in a lot of cases with prescription drugs that are much more costly here than in Canada.

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My son cross border shops all the time. He picked out all the nursery furniture, stroller, etc., and most were half price in the US. Car seat had to be purchased here because although we think identifical, he had to have the Canadian government approval sticker.

As for prescription drugs....I'd have to check into it, but I think the reason they are cheaper here is because our government subsidizes them....which means we ARE paying the high prices through our exorbitant taxes.

I looked it up and apparently the drug companies are prevented by the Canadian government from charging more in a lot of cases so they're making up for it by charging more in places where they can get away with it where the prices aren't capped.

so overcharging for OTC's I would assume.....not things from other manufacturers.

I was only looking into prescription drugs, not OTCs.

This is an important part of why prescriptions are cheaper in Canada too.

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Canadian pharmaceutical companies have lower liability costs than U.S. drug companies. Canadians are not only less likely than Americans to sue healthcare providers or drug companies but when they do sue, awards and damages are a lot lower than in the U.S. In the U.S., some economists consider the cost of liability insurance for a drug company to be similar to a “tax” on medications.

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On a separate note.....

THANK YOU for getting me googling this information. It answered a different question which I have been searching for a few weeks.

There is a new type of epinephrine autoinjector available and it is not being covered by the provincial drug formulary. And I may have found the answer why. So, now I can stop wasting so much time. <sigh>. Looks like we'll be sticking with the big old epi-pens.

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Originally Posted by Moderator

I was only looking into prescription drugs, not OTCs.

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sorry, I meant a drug manufacturer who is forced to charge a lower (but still profitable) price would raise the price on OTC's to make up the money....not books or baby furniture.

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Originally Posted by AnnaMarie

sorry, I meant a drug manufacturer who is forced to charge a lower (but still profitable) price would raise the price on OTC's to make up the money....not books or baby furniture.

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That makes sense....well, to them anyway. :smile2: