[DiverDude]

I think the underlying reason that reefers are so hell-bent on pricing is that this is a HOBBY.

Hobbies consume disposable income and draw the ire (and wrath) of significant others. The less we spend on this sort of 'non-necessary' thing, the less guilty (on some subconscious level) we feel about it.

I've owned a hobby-related (non-reef) business in the past and I saw exactly the same thing.

Of course there's more to the story. The US is a HUGE market (more than 10x ours) and the pricing the vendors receive in Canada is NOT the same the US vendors get. I bought a Honda generator for $900 out of the US and they could still afford to ship it (within the US) for free. The same generator here in Calgary was over $1300. The Calgary vendor is not pocketing an extra $400 over the US vendor; he's paying more for the goods. How much more ? Is it $400 more ? I don't know.

So...add all this up and it's pretty easy to see the allure of shopping state-side. People need to be aware of the costs of getting product up here -which can be significant- and inform themselves on warranty issues.

Caveat Emptor !