16 votes

Where can I buy affordable, high quality Micro SD Cards within Canada?

I'm curious if you guys have a good retailer for SD Cards. Costco used to sell them, but they don't seem to anymore. I'd like to use them for portable data storage.

12 comments

  1. [5]
    whbboyd
    Link
    I've just ordered them direct from Sandisk. Their own retail shop seems unlikely to ship me counterfeits (and AFAICT has not so far), and SD cards are cheap enough that I definitely don't think...

    I've just ordered them direct from Sandisk. Their own retail shop seems unlikely to ship me counterfeits (and AFAICT has not so far), and SD cards are cheap enough that I definitely don't think it's worth cheaping out.

    13 votes
    1. [3]
      puhtahtoe
      Link Parent
      This looks like it's true for SanDisk but it isn't always. I've ordered directly from some companies on their website in my efforts to avoid Amazon only to find out that their website is basically...

      This looks like it's true for SanDisk but it isn't always. I've ordered directly from some companies on their website in my efforts to avoid Amazon only to find out that their website is basically just a front for having Amazon fulfill their orders.

      In those cases when you're trying to avoid getting fake product you're probably better off going to a physical store if possible.

      8 votes
      1. [2]
        Pistos
        Link Parent
        So... one company gives another company your PII (name, delivery address)? Hopefully that's within the ToS at least?

        a front for having Amazon fulfill their orders

        So... one company gives another company your PII (name, delivery address)? Hopefully that's within the ToS at least?

        1 vote
        1. j3n
          Link Parent
          I mean, practically by definition, yes? If they're not giving it to Amazon, they're giving it to FedEx/UPS/etc.

          I mean, practically by definition, yes? If they're not giving it to Amazon, they're giving it to FedEx/UPS/etc.

          5 votes
    2. TaylorSwiftsPickles
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I will ancedotally note that, as someone who has used several hundreds of legitimate SD cards and flash drives for various reasons over the last few years, I've noticed a very noticeable downgrade...

      I will ancedotally note that, as someone who has abused several hundreds of legitimate SD cards and flash drives for various reasons over the last few years, I've noticed a very noticeable downgrade in the quality of their flash memories over the years. They can take some use and abuse and they do usually last long enough to be useful but still tended to crap out on me eventually. Kingston, even worse - I havn't had even a single flash memory of theirs not break itself after a few weeks. So far my best experience with SD cards was with samsung which I currently probably own like 20+ of, and not even my most abused SD cards ended up crapping out on me yet.

      Of course, I understand that a couple hundred flash memories total might not be a big enough sample size across all these brands, so I'd take all this with a grain of salt.

      Now, what would someone need hundreds of SD cards and flash drives for is a whole different conversation...

      2 votes
  2. [3]
    kingofsnake
    Link
    Memory express has a great online store that I'd recommend for all things computers. That said, I'd also reluctantly recommend Amazon.

    Memory express has a great online store that I'd recommend for all things computers. That said, I'd also reluctantly recommend Amazon.

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      BlindCarpenter
      Link Parent
      Just ordered from Memory Express, thanks for the suggestion!

      Just ordered from Memory Express, thanks for the suggestion!

      2 votes
      1. kingofsnake
        Link Parent
        You bet - they're a Calgary company that exploded across the country over the last few years. Their prices are great, service is excellent and the bundle deals are always worth taking advantage of!

        You bet - they're a Calgary company that exploded across the country over the last few years. Their prices are great, service is excellent and the bundle deals are always worth taking advantage of!

        3 votes
  3. cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link
    I've personally always bought them at Best Buy. I'm sure you could probably find them cheaper on Amazon and the like... But cheaper is not always better, especially when it comes to SD Cards,...

    I've personally always bought them at Best Buy. I'm sure you could probably find them cheaper on Amazon and the like... But cheaper is not always better, especially when it comes to SD Cards, since a lot of them sold on online marketplaces, and at less reputable retailers, are counterfeits/scams that misreport their capacities. And the scam ones are extra annoying too, since they are often modified to misreport their capacities to devices, and once their actual capacity gets filled with data they will start overriding or corrupting other data. Best Buy's return policies are also what keep me going back to them, since even non-counterfeit cards can occasionally be DOA or have other issues.

    5 votes
  4. tomf
    Link
    canada computers is decent and has a lot of locations. i wouldn’t bother getting anything shipped if you don’t live near one, though.

    canada computers is decent and has a lot of locations. i wouldn’t bother getting anything shipped if you don’t live near one, though.

    2 votes
  5. KakariBlue
    Link
    You might also try a local camera shop, they often carry decent brands (I like Delkin's warranty) and shouldn't have any counterfeit issues.

    You might also try a local camera shop, they often carry decent brands (I like Delkin's warranty) and shouldn't have any counterfeit issues.

    2 votes
  6. knocklessmonster
    Link
    Honestly, I've never had problems with Amazon, but I'm also in the US. Don't go for too-good-to-be-true and spend $10 on a 2TB microSD. I've never had problems for the last decade+ I've bought...

    Honestly, I've never had problems with Amazon, but I'm also in the US. Don't go for too-good-to-be-true and spend $10 on a 2TB microSD. I've never had problems for the last decade+ I've bought Sandisk-branded cards there. I'm reasonably certain I got the real deal because some devices I have have some crazy real-time read/write requirements and they worked like they should.

    I just checked Amazon.ca and you can't get them quite as cheap, unfortunately, but still prices I'd consider.

    2 votes