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Saturday, January 28, 2012

I-CANOE has the cheapest prices in the World???

Ok, so that sounds like an incredible and possibly far fetched headline.  But read on to find out if it is true…

When comparing prices, the are a lot of variables to be taken into consideration: shipping, duties, taxes, handling fees, etc…

For this experiment, we are going to compare NET prices (e.g. the selling price excluding tax/VAT) and in Euro.  All pricing in I-CANOE includes duty which varies between 3 – 16% AND VAT at 23% whereas on other websites, in the USA for example, the selling prices exclude any taxes which are added on to the final order at checkout depending on which State you reside in – no taxes are added for export.  What’s VAT?  VAT stands for Value Added Tax.  It sounds like something good that you get included free with your purchase but in reality its a sneaky little tax that is included in everything you buy within the EU.  The seller collects this tax on behalf of the government and then returns the tax to the government at regular intervals throughout the year.

For comparing different currencies, we will be using the following exchange rates (correct Jan 2012):

$1.30 US Dollar = 1 Euro

£0.80 UK Pounds = 1 Euro

We will ignore all shipping costs, duties, etc… to make things a little easier.

First up, the Kokatat Gore Tex Meridian Drysuit:

gore_meridian_gme_drysuit33_small

US RRP $999 = 769 Euro

I-CANOE Price 1000 Euro, less web discount (10%) = 900 Euro, less VAT = 732 Euro!!

If you were to order this suit from the US, apart from delivery costs, you would also be liable for duty (approx 10%) and VAT (23%) so the suit could easily end up costing 1040 Euro (assuming shipping is free).

 

Secondly, let’s look at a Werner Powerhouse, Straight Glass:

Werner Powerhouse

US RRP $250 = 192 Euro

UK RRP £199 = 202 Euro (excluding UK VAT at 20%)

I-CANOE Price 250 Euro, less web discount (10%) = 225 Euro, less VAT = 183 Euro!!

If you were to order this paddle from the US, apart from delivery costs, you would also be liable for duty (approx 6%) and VAT (23%) so the paddle could easily end up costing 250 Euro (assuming shipping is free).

 

Lastly, let’s try a Whitewater Kayak, the NEW 2012 Jackson Fun Runner:

fun-runner-top

US RRP $1149 = 884 Euro

UK RRP £899 = 936 Euro (excluding UK VAT at 20%)

I-CANOE Price 1100 Euro, less web discount (10%) = 990 Euro, less VAT = 805 Euro!!

If you were to order this kayak from the US, the shipping costs would be HORRENDOUS, and we wouldn’t advise it.

 

So there you have it.  It’s not exactly scientific and of course different shops will have special offers and yes you might even get away without paying all those nasty taxes and duties but we have illustrated how I-CANOE offers you some of the best prices in the World… along with the best aftersales backup and support in the Universe!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Design My Van Competition

photo 1photo 2photo 3

So over the Christmas Holidays, we had to say good-bye to the trusty I-CANOE Transit Van.

After 8 loyal years of service, it was time to put the old girl into retirement.

photo 2photo 1photo 3photo 4

So last week we took delivery of a new(er) Mercedes Sprinter.  It’s longer, faster and hopefully as reliable as the old van but it’s looking a little plain at the moment.

That’s why we are looking for YOU to help design our new van.

So get your thinking caps on, get the creative juices flowing and come up with a cracking design to be in with a chance to win a 200 euro voucher to spend on any Go Pro or Fuji Camera (subject to availability)!

There are no specific design criteria: it may be a mix of text and images.  The most important thing is that it a memorable design that inspires anyone who sees it to start or continue paddling!

Deadline is 31st January 2012 so get cracking now.  Send your designs, in jpeg format to the normal email address (shop@i-canoe.com) or post up on our facebook page.

Judges decision is final.  Any designs featuring photographic imagery should own the rights to those images.  By entering this competition you agree to give all copyright to I-CANOE to re-use the design as we choose.

sprinter graphic

VAT increase is Frozen at I-CANOE

vat freeze

All prices at I-CANOE have been frozen since the recent VAT increase at the start of 2012.

We will endeavour not to increase prices due to the VAT rise for as long as possible (unfortunately we cannot guarantee against increases from suppliers, shipping and/or exchange rate costs).

In fact… some of our prices have, unbelievably, even decreased!!!

Check out these lower prices from…

Werner:

http://www.i-canoe.com/Paddles/Werner+Freestyle+Paddles.htm

Astral:

http://www.i-canoe.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=astral&x=0&y=0

Jackson:

http://www.i-canoe.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=jackson+kayak&x=0&y=0

I-CANOE is committed to offering you the best value in 2012 as well as the best after-sales service.

Here’s looking forward to a great paddling year in 2012!

Your I-CANOE Sales Team

I-CANOE – 100% Paddler Owned & Operated