I'm sure there are a lot of other folks in similar situations but here in Ontario, Canada all things liquor/wine related are regulated by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Before I started my meading making adventures I was content to drink whatever was available on their store shelves but now I'm interested in expanding my pallette a little and taste some commercial meads. So in the interest of trying to find some meads to taste I head to the Commercial Mead Reviews thread here on GM and come across several threads on Rabbit's Foot.
Done. I'm in.
Head over to the ol' lcbo.ca website and punch in "Rabbit's Foot".....nothing. OK maybe too specific....lets try "Rabbit".....well a couple hits for some pinot noire. Too bad.
Oh, a page dedicated to making private orders. Cool, this could work out after all. *Clickety click*
Okay, it says give them the info and they'll get a quote for you....keep reading down the page.....Q&A's.....
"What is the cost and mark-up for Privately Ordered products?"
Typically the final cost per bottle of the product will be approximately three to four times higher than the retail price in the country of origin after application of exchange rates, LCBO mark up, freight, taxes and duty.
Ouch....RFM sells their Sweet Mead for $16/bottle so a case would be around $200 give or take.....so I'm looking at $600 - 800 after mark up? Crazy!
Oh wait, scrolls down page,
"Laboratory Testing"
LCBO tests all products imported and sold. These tests ensure that the products meet federal standards and are free from contaminants. There is a fee per product to conduct this test. For spirits based products the lab fee is $150.00 CDN plus applicable taxes per product. For wine and beer based products the lab fee is $175.00 CDN plus applicable taxes per product
WTF!?!?! Ok they don't want anyone going blind....I get it.....but seriously? $175?
So I guess I'm going to have to make the run to Michigan or NY State and pay duty instead.....it HAS to be cheaper than that.
Yes this was a totally useless post...but I was amazed at the cost.
Done. I'm in.
Head over to the ol' lcbo.ca website and punch in "Rabbit's Foot".....nothing. OK maybe too specific....lets try "Rabbit".....well a couple hits for some pinot noire. Too bad.
Oh, a page dedicated to making private orders. Cool, this could work out after all. *Clickety click*
Okay, it says give them the info and they'll get a quote for you....keep reading down the page.....Q&A's.....
"What is the cost and mark-up for Privately Ordered products?"
Typically the final cost per bottle of the product will be approximately three to four times higher than the retail price in the country of origin after application of exchange rates, LCBO mark up, freight, taxes and duty.
Ouch....RFM sells their Sweet Mead for $16/bottle so a case would be around $200 give or take.....so I'm looking at $600 - 800 after mark up? Crazy!
Oh wait, scrolls down page,
"Laboratory Testing"
LCBO tests all products imported and sold. These tests ensure that the products meet federal standards and are free from contaminants. There is a fee per product to conduct this test. For spirits based products the lab fee is $150.00 CDN plus applicable taxes per product. For wine and beer based products the lab fee is $175.00 CDN plus applicable taxes per product
WTF!?!?! Ok they don't want anyone going blind....I get it.....but seriously? $175?
So I guess I'm going to have to make the run to Michigan or NY State and pay duty instead.....it HAS to be cheaper than that.
Yes this was a totally useless post...but I was amazed at the cost.