Anyone have thoughts on buying from Corbetts Ski + Snowboard online?

[ScotsSkier]

It doesn't always work for you. European made items probably come from the national wholesaler (Head Canada, etc.) but are probably internally priced from the factory in either Euros or USD. There may be a pricing advantage in Canada, and maybe not. Check.

Your credit card issuer may charge a foreign transaction fee (3% is common), or may not, and you're subject to the exchange rate they use that day. These are all thing to check before you buy.

Actually at the moment it does. I bought Look race bindings from them and the price was approx 25% less when converted to US$. And the price in $ CAN was the same numerically as the best pricing available in $ US!. So a significant saving. And if you are not using a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees you need to change your CC!!

 

[ndabunka]

I've ordered a LOT of stuff from Corbetts often due to the monetary exchange differences typically being very beneficial for US residents.

 

[TDCSPRINGS]

I have never been charged any tariffs/customs fees on my various purchases from corbetts/asogear. And not positive on this, but I seem to remember the items being shipped from just over the border within the US, although I suppose tracking may have just picked up at that point.

I order from Corbetts all the time and usually see the tracking originate in Buffalo, NY as well. Great company BTW.

 

[dusty]

Great store. I ordered an enforcer from AsoGear last year that was obviously a pricing mistake at less than 250. I fully expected the order to be cancelled. To my surprise they contacted me directly and explained the issue. They offered about any other ski on their eBay site as a replacement. They didn’t have to do that by because of that I’m more inclined to purchase from them in the future.

 

[JohnnyG]

Actually at the moment it does. I bought Look race bindings from them and the price was approx 25% less when converted to US$. And the price in $ CAN was the same numerically as the best pricing available in $ US!. So a significant saving. And if you are not using a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees you need to change your CC!!

SSShhhh! Don't spoil the beans, I like my pricing the way it is!

 

[Chris Axebiker]

I've heard good things about Corbett's, and I have bought from the ASO store on eBay, and they've been great.

 

[dovski]

I have been buying from Corbetts for years. They have great gear and even better customer service. ASO is there ebay store, but you can buy the same gear much cheaper and tax free if you buy from their website corbetts.com. Free shipping to US, no tax and prices are in CDN $$. I have had two issues with gear I bought from them, one was a boot that was not described properly on their website - they paid return shipping and sent me the correct pair right away. The other they noticed before shipping - scratches on the topsheet of a ski I was buying from them. They contacted me before shipping and offered me a nice discount since it was their last pair in stock.

The really cool thing is that after buying from them online for about 5 years one of their managers who helped me with the boot issue remembers me and always goes the extra mile to help out when ordering from them. Simply put great ski shop with great customer service, great prices and an amazing online presence.

 

[dovski]

It doesn't always work for you. European made items probably come from the national wholesaler (Head Canada, etc.) but are probably internally priced from the factory in either Euros or USD. There may be a pricing advantage in Canada, and maybe not. Check.

Your credit card issuer may charge a foreign transaction fee (3% is common), or may not, and you're subject to the exchange rate they use that day. These are all thing to check before you buy.

So this is not correct. Corbetts has Canadian inventory which has Canadian market pricing. Believe it or not European manufacturers price things differently in Canada than the US. When purchasing from Corbetts now they use Paypal for credit card processing and this gives you the choice of currency for your transaction CDN or US $$. Personally I use my credit card because it gives me a better rate and does not have a foreign transaction fee, but the alternative is to use Paypal which also does not charge a foreign transaction fee but has slightly poorer exchange rates. From my experience even when the CDN $ was at par with the US $ ski gear was cheaper in Canada. With the current exchange rates it is much cheaper. The other thing to account for is the fact that Corbetts buys a lot of excess inventory from manufacturers throughout the year so they also have a large selection of new gear from previous years that is heavily discounted. Last but not least best sale of the year at Corbetts for new current gear is the day after Christmas, boxing day. This is the Canadian equivalent of Black Friday and Corbetts always has special pricing and packages supported by the manufacturers for their Boxing Day/Week sale. I once bought a pair of Soul 7 skis with Look Pivot 16 bindings both current model for $400 CDN during their boxing day sale. Once you factor in exchange rate this setup was under $300 US less than the price of the bindings Again best pricing, tax and currency savings are achieved buying through their website vs. Ebay.

 

[Roundturns]

I was on the ASO Gear website and the things I was looking stated that they could not ship to the US.

 

[dovski]

The website is https://www.corbetts.com/ and they clearly state free shipping to the US on all oreders over $100 CDN You may want to call them to double check but this should not be an issue.

 

[Ogg]

I was on the ASO Gear website and the things I was looking stated that they could not ship to the US.

I have noticed that with a few items but not most of them. I think some items may have restrictions from the manufacturer or distributor.

 

[PinnacleJim]

I bought skis (K2 Mindbender 90s) last spring. Delays due to Covid shutdown, but they did arrive in good shape after they started shipping again. Free shipping, no tax and the favorable exchange rate made for a great deal.

 

[dovski]

I bought skis (K2 Mindbender 90s) last spring. Delays due to Covid shutdown, but they did arrive in good shape after they started shipping again. Free shipping, no tax and the favorable exchange rate made for a great deal.

This past year I bought K2 Mindbender 88 Alliance TI skis and bindings, Head Kore 87 skis and bindings and two pairs of Carbon LEKI Venom poles from Corbetts. Total cost for everything together was $949 US after exchange rate. to put this in perspective, just the Mindbenders and Kore 87 alone each retail for $650 US. Add in Attack 13 and Look NX 10 bindings and there is another $200 and $150 cost. Two pairs of LEKI Venom poles and there is another $500 in retail cost. So total retail value is about $2200 which means and effective discount of about 57% off retail for 2020 gear. Now I did purchase all of this at the onset of Covid to ensure that I could get what I wanted while they still had inventory. Had I waited till the summer I probably could have saved another 10-15% but they may not have had the inventory I was looking for. Either way this feels like great value and all the gear arrived well packed and in great shape.

Simply put buying ski gear for a family of five is a constant challenge and can get very expensive, especially when the kids keep on growing. Rather than buying and reselling used gear, we have bought most of our kids skis from Corbetts and either sold or passed them down at the end of the season. This approach has worked out well as typically we can sell a ski with bindings at a reasonable price that recoups 75-80% of what we originally paid. The net net is that for a very reasonable cost we are able to outfit the family with high end gear and refresh it as the kids grow.

The other place that has been a great help in terms of outfitting the family at a reasonable price is @SkiEssentials. This is another shop with great customer service, good selection of NOS and premium ski gear.

My only guidance is for boots find a local shop with a great boot fitter. Any savings you get from buying a boot online simply do not make up for the value of custom fit boot, a service a shop will give you for free if you buy the boots there. Spend the extra $$ on boots and get a proper fit it makes all the difference

 

[TheArchitect]

Same for me as @PinnacleJim I got a fantastic deal on a pair of 90Ti with bindings and other than the COVID delay it was an easy transaction. I did check it against Ski Essentials in case they had the same price. I've bought a couple pairs of skis from SE and like to give them my business whenever possible.

 

[scott43]

I'll just say, Corbetts generally has a good reputation here in the Greater Toronto Area and work with a lot of teams. There will always be someone grinding an axe, but with the exchange rate etc, you guys should take advantage. I have no affiliation with the store other than some bootwork now and again.

 

[TDCSPRINGS]

Corbetts is without question my favorite ski retailer. Prices are usually the I can find, shipping is free, and if you have a question just call and a real person quickly answers. Corbetts customer service is so good I l still buy from them even if they were competitive but not the absolute cheapest.

 

[northwskier]

Wanted to give an update on my earlier order for skis and bindings. Arrived on time as predicted by Fedex, 9 days from my date of order including US Customs.

Arrived well packed and was a great deal. I will use them again.

 

[TheArchitect]

I just wish they sold Kastle and Stockli. Then again, maybe I don't...

 

[oldschoolskier]

I have noticed that with a few items but not most of them. I think some items may have restrictions from the manufacturer or distributor.

BTW yes this also applies to some products sold in the USA so into Canada. Its usually manufacturers protecting territories for their wholesalers and retailers. Sometimes it product content and variances in resticted content.

Part of my business is importation into Canada. Retail export is the other.

 

[greedy greg]

If viewing the website from the US, are the prices listed on the website in USD? Or Canadian dollars?