What should Paradigm's Cost? (1 Viewer)

[Arron H]

Hi, I'm new to this forurm and new to shopping for Paradigm products and so, I'm hoping to gain some clarification on pricing for Paradigm speakers. We only have one store in town that carries them. Here is the quote for a system that I'm interested in:

Fronts: Mini Monitors-Black $349 per pr

Surrounds: Mini Monitors-Black $349 per pr

Sub: PS1000 $519 or PS2200 $799

Center: CC370 $329

Total: $1546 w ps1000 or $1826 w ps2200

Are these prices reasonable, about average, overpriced? Thanks for your input.

 

[Mark Austin]

Paradigm lost my interest mainly because of their tweeter(inculding the Reference series), then because they charge American's more for their product than they do Canadians. Overpriced is putting it kindly.

 

[EricHaas]

Those are standard MSRP prices. You CAN do better than that if you shop around. You can find sales at B&M outlets, buy used over Ebay or Audiogon, or take a day-trip north of the border. Otherwise, those are the prices. I have to disagree with the above poster though. Many people, including myself, feel that Paradigm speakers are an extreme bargain even at the full MSRP prices charged outside of Canada. But give them a listen and judge for yourself.

 

[Arron H]

I am considering a trip North to Vancouver (I think about 7-8 hours from Portland). Are prices considerably lower? Are there any taxes to worry about?

 

[Cam S]

my god those are overpriced, I can get those prices from my dealer too, but in canadian funds!!

 

[PatrickM]

Arron,
Prices in Canada are considerably cheaper. Their are two taxes in B.C. One is the PST and the other is GST. Both are 7%. You can file for your 7% GST back from the government but you can't get the 7% PST back I believe. You might want to tell them that you are from Oregon though to see if that helps because you don't have a state sales tax. You might be able to ask for an exemption on the PST (Provincial Sales Tax).
I know when I was in Washington state they allowed a friend from Alberta (no provincial sales tax either) to get an exemption from the Washington State Tax.
A local dealer is Audio Video Unlimited www.avu.ca.
Patrick

 

[Arron H]

Patrick,

Will Audio Video Unlimited discount? Most of the stores here will take off 10-20%. One of my favorite stores here lists everything at MSRP but encourages you to "ask for our price". Typically their starting "price" is around 20% below MSRP depending on the product line. Unfortunately, they do not carry Paradigm. Do you have any recommendations for a store like that in BC carrying Paradigm?

 

[EricHaas]

You should pay about the same in Canadian $$ north of the border that you pay in US $$ in Oregon, from what I've heard. So given the exchange rate, a $1500 USD purchase = about $1000 USD in Canada, + the taxes discussed above of course.

 

[PatrickM]

Arron, they will depending on what your buying. If you buying an entire system of speakers they most definitely will bargain. Make sure you get a minimum of 15% off and the difference in the dollar will make it even sweeter.

Patrick

 

[Arron H]

Thanks a lot for everybody's input. I have been wanting to make a trip to BC for awhile and this look's like a preety enticing reason (along with the beautiful scenery). I guess my only real concern would be some kind of a malfunction with the speaker and in turn, working with a dealer located somewhat far from home. I haven't heard any complaints about the quality or reliability of Paradigm products and so, it sounds like it's worth the trip.

 

[henning hoffmann]

The Canadian prices aren't the same as American ones, unless you compare Cdn after haggling to USD before haggling. For example, the Studio/100 is $2250US, $2400Cdn. The Studio/40 is $900US, $1100Cdn. The Studio/ADP is $900US, $1050Cdn.

Mark, if you dislike Paradigm because they charge differently in Canada vs USA, then you should also dislike most magazine sellers, book sellers, DVD sellers, and several other electronics manufacturers (like Sony). All things being equal, that sounds unfair. But things aren't equal. On average, Canadians have much less spending power than Americans do (unfortunately). Companies often change their prices to reflect this. One of my favourite brands, Harman/Kardon, does not. They actually go in the opposite direction, charging Canadians MORE than Americans for the same product (once you do the $$$ conversion).

Arron, if I remember correctly (do a search on this, it was discussed many times before), here in Ontario you can get back one of the taxes (PST or GST, I forget which) at the border, and the other back in the mail, if you apply for it.

Henning

 

[Arron H]

Henning,

So it sounds like a realistic goal would be to get the CDN after haggling price to equal the USD MSRP price. For example, if I wanted to buy Studio/100s that list for $2250 US, I should try to get them for $2250 Cdn after haggling. Does this sound about right?

 

[DavidY]

I have read that some Canadian HTF members have been able to get the Studio/100 V.2 for as low as CDN$1600/pair. IMO, anything close to CDN$1800/pair on the Studio/100 V.2 is a pretty good deal.

Dave

 

[Cam S]

If you guys are willing to take a trip to B.C check out Andre's Audiotronic's. They are located in Penticton, Vernon, and the main one is in Kelowna. They carry the full line of Paradigm, as well as Klipsch. Awsome prices too. I bought all my Klipsch Reference speakers from them for next to nothing.

 

[Mike H]

Cam,

I wish I had known that yesterday. I was in Kelowna from Friday afternoon to Monday. :| Oh well. I wasn't ready to purchase speakers, but I'm probably going to make a trip to Vancouver ,BC later this year(April maybe). I plan on upgrading then. If any Vancouverites would like to help when I'm in town, I'm sure I could spring for a decent lunch or dinner.

I noticed that prices for a lot of stuff was alot cheaper then I could purchase here. I purchased a Minidisc player, which when I added in shipping from any internet retailer would be equal to what I paid up there. Alas, I got to playing around with it and found that Minidisc just isn't for me.

I enjoyed the city and surroundings very much. I plan on going back again someday. Big White and the wineries are very nice.

Mike

 

[henning hoffmann]

Arron,

I don't know what that works out to, but if you can get 25% - 30% off the Canadian list price, you should consider yourself a VERY happy man. Sometimes you hear stories about these kind of discounts, but personally, I think it's rare. I think it's more realistic to shoot for at least 20% off.

henning