After playing with the idea of buying a coffee roaster (see A case for home roasting?), I'm about to pull the trigger.

As I live in Montréal, I've tried to find Canadian resellers for a Hottop.

The list seems to be very short: GreenBeanery or É Café Canada. I also added in SweetMaria's and HomeRoasters.com, for a price comparison:

The last row is the price difference compared to the cheapest option.

GreenBeanery does not seems to be in the game at all in this case. They might have already raised their prices for the Hottop (Hottop raising prices in June)...

É Café Canada seems interesting, as they are located in Montréal. I've never dealt with them so I looked at their website and tried to get a feel of who they are. Their website states that they have been in the business for 35 years, formerly registered as Les Cafés Astoria (according to what I've found on CG). Their website appears under around 12 domain names, one for each aspect of their business. Their physical address matches to a Toyota dealer (Montréal Nord Toyota). The default currency on their website is USD (?) and the cost is higher if I proceed in CAD ($65 higher), which is the reverse of what one would expect (CAD$1 = USD$1.04 currently). And last, but not least, I can't find a trace of them on Industry Canada Corporations Register, nor at Office de la protection du consommateur. I have sent them an email few days ago to inquire on buying a Hottop but have not heard from them, yet.

Does anyone have a buying experience with them? As it is, I'm not enticed at all to buy from them... even with a $125 price difference.

Else, my alternative is to buy from the US, where the price is the same everywhere ($720). With duties (if the CBSA charges them; they are not always consistent from my past experience), taxes and higher shipping charges (using only UPS, as Canada Post may go on strike at any time), the price raises by $125.

I would have preferred buying in Canada, to avoid issues with the warranty. I've asked SweetMaria's on this particular matter (would they / Hottop USA honor the warranty across the border?); Maria should get back to me after asking the question to Hottop USA.

Any comments / experience / advice? Any canadian vendor I missed?

Thanks.

I've contacted GreenBeanery and they do price match other Canadian vendors. They do it by issuing a credit for the corresponding amount (instead of reducing the sales price) but I'm fine with this as I might buy other items/greens from them.

The price hence comes down to CAN$765 and I will only pay the GST (5%) instead of the both the federal and provincial taxes if I bought from E Café Canada. The latter would have been $10 cheaper after shipping and taxes but I will buy with confidence from a vendor I already know well.

FYI there's currently an ad on kijiji Montreal at 725$ including taxes.

PBR

Don't know if you pulled the trigger yet but here she goes.

Done business with them for a while now when I first bought my Hottop. Subsequently bought my green beans, grinder and espresso machine from them. Eddy is very knowledgeable about his coffee, equipment and roasting. They are in the back of a Toyota dealer (owner is also part owner of the dealership, long story), they do internet sales and commercial servicing. Do not hesitate to pick it up is you so wish as they are opened to the public. Do remember it's an internet sales store so no fancy display. Green beans are way cheaper at Ecafé than Green Beanery if I recall, I think it's easier to call them if you need to inquire.