We here in Ontario pay some of the highest prices for our games.. so as an alternative, it's best to buy our games south of the border (especially with the dollar at par!)
If you're driving, that usually limits your purchase area to around the border towns that connect with Canada. Unfortunately those US sellers are catching on, so the prices in those areas seem to be going up. One way around this though is to buy a pin from the southern states (ie. California, Florida, etc) and have them ship the game to a border town for you! It's really much easier than you think.
Try using a site like www.kinek.com to get yourself started. If the seller in the US isn't willing to ship, find out if they're willing to let the game go if you arrange all the shipping yourself. Then you can use a website like www.uship.com and have someone pick up and transport the game for you! It's a brilliant website that works a lot like Ebay (only in reverse). You enter in a description of what it is you need moved, what kind of service you're looking for (I recommend a "blanket service" for pins), enter the "auction time" and you're all set! The bids on shipping your game just roll in.. there's no obligation to accept any bids, and you can eventually choose the one you like. Then all you have to do is pay the shipper (and a small fee to Uship) and your game is on it's way to a border town near you.
I did this with my Strange Science game.. had it coming in from Utah. Between the cost of the Kinek and Uship services, it cost me about $350 to get my game. Now keep in mind, I got lucky at the border and didn't have to pay taxes.. but your mileage may vary. There are cheaper ways of doing this of course, but as with anything in life.. the easier it is, the more expensive it is. That said, I was incredibly pleased with the whole thing and it has broadened my search spectrum for sure.
Happy hunting!
- B
©2012, PinballRevolution.com
If you're driving, that usually limits your purchase area to around the border towns that connect with Canada. Unfortunately those US sellers are catching on, so the prices in those areas seem to be going up. One way around this though is to buy a pin from the southern states (ie. California, Florida, etc) and have them ship the game to a border town for you! It's really much easier than you think.
Try using a site like www.kinek.com to get yourself started. If the seller in the US isn't willing to ship, find out if they're willing to let the game go if you arrange all the shipping yourself. Then you can use a website like www.uship.com and have someone pick up and transport the game for you! It's a brilliant website that works a lot like Ebay (only in reverse). You enter in a description of what it is you need moved, what kind of service you're looking for (I recommend a "blanket service" for pins), enter the "auction time" and you're all set! The bids on shipping your game just roll in.. there's no obligation to accept any bids, and you can eventually choose the one you like. Then all you have to do is pay the shipper (and a small fee to Uship) and your game is on it's way to a border town near you.
I did this with my Strange Science game.. had it coming in from Utah. Between the cost of the Kinek and Uship services, it cost me about $350 to get my game. Now keep in mind, I got lucky at the border and didn't have to pay taxes.. but your mileage may vary. There are cheaper ways of doing this of course, but as with anything in life.. the easier it is, the more expensive it is.
That said, I was incredibly pleased with the whole thing and it has broadened my search spectrum for sure. Happy hunting!
- B
©2012, PinballRevolution.com
