T5 for Canadians

[lemmings]

Is listed at www.softmagic.ca for $484. No PST outside of Quebec. Apparently ETA to the company is Oct 19. We'll see when I actually get.

http://www.softmagic.ca/product.asp?pf_id=1035NA&dept_id=93-001

[The Palmster]

Hey Lemmings....Thanks for the link! Was wondering where I could get the T5 for a better price. The posted price at PalmOne ($599.99) is ridiculous considering the present exchange rate...$484.00 is sweet. :D

[seascape]

I had pre-ordered from palmOne Canada's online store, because I kept watching SoftMagic and did not see it posted there and naively thought the price differential would not be THAT great. palmOne's website says this: "Customer Requested Cancellations: We regret that once an order has been submitted, it is not possible to cancel it.". So I phoned palmOne's customer service. They cancelled the order promptly, without any debate. It had not been billed yet because the device is not yet shipping, so maybe that's why it was so easy to cancel. I went over to SoftMagic and placed an order.

I notice that there are two important differences between the specs at the palmOne Canada store and SoftMagic:

1. SM does not list a cradle in the package contents (nor do they offer one yet on their website) -- presumably the pOC spec was in error, because the American pO store did not offer a bundled cradle;
2. SM says "Universal Connector: No", whereas the pOC store said "Yes", obviously in error.

[The Palmster]

Did the PalmOne store try to justify the price differential to you? Something's not right!

[lemmings]

Because the price of a $399USD item is $599CAD. Always has been, always will. :rolleyes:

The T3 was still $599 until recently.

[jstimson]

I've never really understood how various companies pick their Canadian prices. It's as if there is a random number generator involved. But given that the currency can fluctuate so much I think many companies are hedging their bets on the worst case scenario.

Take the T5. It's not a terrible example of gouging but it could be a bit cheaper. At $400 US this works out to $503 CDN. Allow for some extra stuff that must be done like adding French instructions (who says bilingualism doesn't cost?) and having to distribute to a smaller population over a wider area. Palm Canada would be better of charging $550.

Not too long ago the Cdn $ was much worse. The current T5 price of $600 CDN would not be too far off the rate.

But can you really see a company constantly adjusting thier prices to exchange rates? It would be a marketing nightmare.

Hmmm. What is my point? :confused: I guess my point is that I am dissapointed to see that Cdn prices tend towards thinking that the exchange rate will get worse but am not surprised to see this action.

[The Palmster]

I can understand fluctuations in exchange rates causing havoc...BUT...if a large on-line retailer (like softmagic) is selling the SAME product for $115.00 LESS than PalmOne Canada then something's gotta give! We are not talking a couple of bucks here. This represents almost a 20% price discount! I think I might go to the local Future Shop or Staples store and demand that they match the price!

[hussain]

That's a huge price difference, either they're making a small profit or palm1 is making a huge profit

[seascape]

Did the PalmOne store try to justify the price differential to you? Something's not right!I didn't ask. He said, "Just a minute", then came back on line and said, "Done!". I was happy with that.