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Export to Canada

by LurMkr, Performer

  • Created: November 27, 2009, 10:32 am
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8 comments

My company is a small, fishing lure manufacturing company.  We've been in business for nearly 40 years, and  have been manufacturing & exporting our custom-made fishing-lure products to customers, for more than three decades.  Canada has always been, for the majority of those thirty years; our single largest Non-US market...BUT all our Canadian sales, have been to:  INDIVIDUAL CANADIAN PURCHASERS ~ NOT ~ TO CANADIAN DISTRIBUTORS OR STORES!

 

I've tried everything I can think of, including enlisting the aide of the Ohio Department Of Development's 'in-country staff', to put my products on store-shelves in Canada.  BUT, I get nowhere. 

'Mom & Pop' stores, medium sized stores, and even the big chain stores; are tied by contract, to one of the three Canadian sporting-goods distributors.  If one of them were to purchase products from any source other than from their distributor, that distributor, could & would, discontinue servicing their business.  All three of these distributors, export Canadian-Made products to the USA.  None of the three Canadian distributors will purchase American-Made fishing-products, unless the company has headquarters or offices in Canada.  One of the distributors told me ~ flat out ~ that he would NEVER offer his stores ANY KIND of American-Made product ~ no matter its quality or reputation! 

I thought NAFTA was supposed to prevent this kind of 'Protectionism'. 

I guess I was mistaken.  Obviously, it must be a One-Way Street ~ we buy, they sell!

 

Can anyone suggest a way I might be able to bypass this long-standing problem?

Tags: Discuss Popular Topics, Other Business Issues
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NicoleD | Former Moderator | 12/3/2009 - 4:54 pm

Hi lurmkr - I did a quick search for you on Export.gov. The Department of Commerce's Market Access and Compliance offers is in charge of monitoring Canadian and Mexican compliance with NAFTA obligations. Their website suggests that if you encounter problems under the NAFTA, to contact the Agreements Compliance office to report a trade barrier.

GoodFTA | Contributor | 12/6/2009 - 7:43 am

Why not, just sell them in canadaian markets, like craigslist, ebay, amazon, it might help you max extra money, you can also mention on your pages that you are looking for a canadian distributer to distro your lures, hooks to businesses in Canada, you might have some wholesalers that bite.
Professional Web Site: http://www.goodfta.com

LurMkr | Performer | 12/7/2009 - 7:50 am

Thank you! Those are POS options I've beenmade aware of before, but just haven't attempted yet. Guess there's no time like the present, to try them on for size! I hadn't thought about adding the 'hook' to the listings, but it makes perfect sense! I appreciate your input!

NicoleD | Former Moderator | 12/7/2009 - 6:15 pm

GoodFTA - thanks for jumping in with that suggestion! LurMkr - best of luck to you, please keep us posted if you decide to test out the 'hook' :)

MarkAse | Contributor | 12/8/2009 - 1:22 pm

Having been exposed to the 3 tier, distributor model in the wine industry it's hard to find a good work around if the distributors are flat out breaking the law, which doesn't surprise me. As nice as it would be to simply use other sources, you really do need those larger stores in order to be competitive on price. Best of luck, I hope someone from the gov sees this and can take some type of action.
Professional Web Site: http://www.uncorkedventures.com/WineClubs

LurMkr | Performer | 12/8/2009 - 5:12 pm

Thank you for your input, MarkAse! This predicament has bugged me for years! I couldn't find any way around it, and I sure don't have the power or authority to plow through it! The 'Big-Three' Canadian Sporting-Goods Distributors, have a 'total control'over everything intheir line of business. THEY seem to have the power todecide what, or which laws, theywill follow. Until yesterday, I saw absolutely no way around their stranglehold on the Anerican fishing-tackle industry, in Canada. Yesterday, a long-time customer; who just happens to be a Canadian Fishing-Guide &leader of hislocal Guide's-Association; handed me my answer, on a silver platter! For more than 20-yrs, my largest, & most loyal Canadian customer-base, has always been the Fishing-Guides &the Fishing-Lodges they work at & for. Those people are not under contract with the distributors. IF whatthis old friendsays is anywhere near being accurate; I do believe that my Canadian customer-base is about to grow in leaps & bounds! Without the chain stores or distributors. My Canadian Professional Customers (new & old), areshortly going to become my legal,'nationwide-distributors'.

robertmay | Window Shopper | 8/22/2010 - 10:54 pm

You need to seek out a distributor network. I would even look for a network or distributorship that is already in place rather than building one from scratch. Feel free to look me up on my lethbridge real estate blog and I would love to chat with you about the idea of expanding northward. ---This post was edited to remove a commercial link. Read our discussion policies for more Community best practices.

LurMkr | Performer | 8/23/2010 - 8:09 am

Mr. May; I'd love to get some fresh insight on how to betterintroduce my productsinto your country. My latest attempts have resulted in additional referral-sales (to be sure), but not in the retailer or distributor sales, I'd really been hoping to acquire. It seems like every time I turn around, I find another new'road-block' thrown in my path. Dennis (LurMkr@aol.com)