U.S. Prices and Discounts
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Norma Schwirtz
Posted on: May 4, 1998

I would like to order but have a question. I noticed the difference in your site this year with the automatic currency conversion. Wonderful idea.

Is there another discount for ordering 72 plants and above besides the 25% off for American dollars. This would make a difference in the quantities I would order.

For instance if I order three Orange Spice thyme at US$4.50 a plant it is US$13.50. Is there another 40% discount on top of this so it would be US$7 dollars something, or do you just do the 25%. Please give me an example.

The "25% off" applies to the Canadian dollar prices when you are paying in U.S. dollars. This is mostly applicable when U.S. residents are ordering from our printed catalogue which is priced in Canadian dollars. Because the Canadian dollar is worth less than the U.S. dollar, to get the equivalent U.S. dollar prices you must deduct the 25%.

If you are viewing our catalogue online and you have chosen the U.S. dollar pricing option, all of the prices displayed will be converted automatically already. So, do not deduct another 25% from those already converted prices.

The invoice you receive will still show everything in Canadian dollars. But you will pay in U.S. dollars. If you are paying by credit card, we will charge your credit card in Canadian dollars and the card company will convert those Canadian dollars automatically so that you will see the approximate equivalent in U.S. dollars on your card statement.

Retail example
6 plants going to Albany, New York:

3 Orange Spice thyme (Canadian $18.00) US$13.50
1 Lemon verbena (Canadian $4.00) US$3.00
1 Greek oregano (Canadian $3.00) US$2.25
1 Bay laurel (Canadian $7.00) US$5.25

Plant total (Canadian $32.00) US$24.00

Handling (Canadian $4.00) US$3.00
Shipping (Canadian $4.00) US$3.00

Total (Canadian $40.00) US$30.00

The handling charge applies because the Canadian dollar total for the plants before handling and shipping is less than $40. (Alternatively, the U.S. dollar total before handling and shipping is less than $30.)

You can see that the "25% off" shows up in the difference between the Canadian and the U.S. amounts. The U.S. dollar prices are 25% less than the Canadian dollars.

On the printed catalogue order form, you normally fill in the Canadian dollar prices and then you deduct the 25% at the end.

Now, if you are ordering 72 or more plants, and at least 3 of each variety, then you qualify for the wholesale discount. In that case, you can deduct an additional 40%. Shipping on wholesale orders is charged at cost, not at the flat rate fees that normally apply to retail plant orders.

Wholesale example
72 plants going to Albany, New York:

24 Orange Spice thyme (Canadian $144.00) US$108.00
24 Lemon verbena (Canadian $96.00) US$72.00
12 Greek oregano (Canadian $36.00) US$26.50
12 Bay laurel (Canadian $84.00) US$63.00

Plant subtotal (Canadian $360.00) US$269.50
Less 40% discount (Canadian -144.00) US -107.00

Discounted subtotal (Canadian $216.00) US$161.70

Handling (not applicable on wholesale orders)
Shipping - at cost (Canadian $32.00) US$24.00

Total (Canadian $248.00) US$185.70

If you are paying by credit card, we will bill in Canadian dollars ($382.00) but that will be converted automatically by the card company to something close to US$ 185.70, and it is this final U.S. dollar amount that will show up on your credit card statement. It won’t be exactly US$ 185.70 because the card company will use the market exchange rate which fluctuates daily.

The currency conversion can sometimes be a little confusing, but in the end our U.S. customers enjoy exceptional prices that compare very favourably with prices of herbs from most other herb companies.

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