This isn’t so much about buying at my LBS vs. the internet, the question I have is HOW are the eBay stores able to sell at the prices they do? I’ve routinely come across BNIB items in eBay stores that have Buy it Now prices less than my LBS can get them from the manufacturer or distributor (depending on the part.) I wouldn’t think that the eBay stores are high enough volume to warrant a different pricing structure. Are these gray market items, or worse, knock-offs? I’ve been pricing SRAM Red drivetrain pieces lately, and the variance in prices is astounding.
I got 105 shifters off of ebay and if they were knockoffs they were excellent ones =)
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Check the prices at Probikekit.com. They are usually way below anything you can buy on ebay.
Ditto on the PBK.
Be specific.
A lot of times you are buying '08 components that have been liquidated. Other times you are buying take-offs too.
I really don’t see many bike components being forged because they are complex enough parts that it would cost a knock-off artist too much to copy.
i am a shop owner and can’t compete with ebay, i was told that a lot of those product come from other country ie: south america where the cost is lower.
example you can get a Garmin product for less that i can get it thru mydistributor
em
This isn’t so much about buying at my LBS vs. the internet, the question I have is HOW are the eBay stores able to sell at the prices they do? I’ve routinely come across BNIB items in eBay stores that have Buy it Now prices less than my LBS can get them from the manufacturer or distributor (depending on the part.) I wouldn’t think that the eBay stores are high enough volume to warrant a different pricing structure. Are these gray market items, or worse, knock-offs? I’ve been pricing SRAM Red drivetrain pieces lately, and the variance in prices is astounding.
this is what i’ve heard about pbk in particular, and may apply to other bike or bike parts retailers as well. it may or may not be accurate.
pbk has their own line of bikes, and actually sponsors a team to ride them as well. through this they’ve managed to convince shimano and campagnolo to give them parts at oem pricing. this is why the prices pbk sells items at is lower than what wholesalers will often get.
they get this on a limited number of other items as well, e.g. stems, handlebars, pedals and tires.
you’ll notice that for some items - sram, a lot of triathlon stuff, and some bike shoes - their prices are much more comparable to retail prices.
perhaps some of these retailers are doing similar things - especially the asian bike manufacturers selling generic carbon frames at cut rate prices with no decals and such.
one other thing to consider - and pbk certainly takes part in this as well - is that manufacturers may end up pushing 2008 overstock through to retailers at or even possibly below cost just to get rid of it. is the sram red stuff you’re looking at from 2008 or 2009 (although, i’m not aware of any differences between the two, so i don’t know why they wouldn’t just keep 2008 red on hand and change the packaging to say 2009)?
one last consideration is that, even though it’s only february, manufacturers may have started producing their grouppos back in june/july when the economic situation didn’t look as bad as it does now. perhaps manufacturers are obscenely overstocked with 2009 stuff, and they are already resorting to discounting in order to get it out the door rather than having it all hanging around in september/october/november.
I was thinking along the same lines. It’s the same with camera equipment. You can often get items from the gray market much cheaper than items meant for US consumption.
I was thinking along the same lines. It’s the same with camera equipment. You can often get items from the gray market much cheaper than items meant for US consumption.
Additionally, if you are not a storefront location, you can get rent much much cheaper for warehouse space than you can retail space. I don’t have to have people there specifically to watch the inventory and make sure it doesn’t walk out, etc. etc.
It all adds up.
John