Super Help me Build a Computer 2 Turbo EX: Canada Edition

Lork

It's that time again. I'm looking to build a midrange/budget computer to replace my old one, made with similar intentions in 2003. All important parts not listed will come from my old computer.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4400
GPU: Geforce 8800GTS 320mb - Not exactly this, though. I need a VGA port.
Mobo: I don't know.

Regardless of what I finally decide on, I want to buy it from America, despite the fact that I'm Canadian. Everybody knows about the state of the Canadian dollar right now, except for people who sell electronics in Canada. If I buy any of these parts from a Canadian retailer, I'll have to pay at least 125% of what they're worth.

So, are there any American online retailers that sell that stuff and ship to Canada? When you take shipping costs and duties into account, is this still worth it? These are the things I would like to know.

Somebody will suggest Newegg in 3...2...

taliosfalcon

Its very, VERY likely duty and brokerage fees will push the price of buying from the US significantly past the markup you'll pay for buying from canadian retailers

Kate of Lokys

The trouble is, if you buy from an American retailer, even if they're willing to ship to Canada, you will get raped at the border for customs charges. The government wants their pound of fleshy tax for every dollar you spend, regardless of whether you spend it here or not. And depending on how they ship it, your rectum may be stretched even further by brokerage fees - I bought $60 worth of stationary supplies, paid $15 for shipping, then got a letter in the mail a month later saying that I owed another $30 for customs and brokerage.

Your best bet is to shop around between tigerdirect.ca and ncix.com. You can sometimes get some pretty good deals there, if you look hard enough... I got my Antec Sonata III from NCIX for $130 CDN including shipping when it went on sale a couple of months ago.

Also, unlikely as it may sound, brick and mortar stores can sometimes have good deals too. I picked up a basic little ATI Radeon 1950Pro a couple of weeks ago at Future Shop for under $150. Of course, the regular price was $322, which is outrageous. But if you look around a bit, both online and off, you can find stuff at prices that compare quite favourably with Newegg, without needing to worry about either shipping costs or border fees.

saint2e

NCIX is your friend.

If you're in the southern ontario region, Canada Computers is also your friend.

or you could order the components separately and build it yourself using directcanada.com

Those should help you get started.