Purchasing components from online retailer



Rudy

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Sep 23, 2003
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Well, I bought all my components from online retailers like Nashbar, JensonUSA etc.

My Dura Ace STI came from Nashbar, supposedly brand new but was delivered to me packaged in a large padded yellow envelope. I though that was kinda weird since eveything else I ordered from JensonUSA came in a Shimano box.

The parts look new and eveything including the protective tape on the front covering the levers.

Upon installing the left side sti, my LBS mechanic informed me that it was defective (internal parts blown, spring etc.). Well, being a good guy that he is, my mechanic warrantied the part for me through his channel, not Bike Nashbar.

This makes me wonder if Nashbar may have stripped the parts from unsold bikes and resold it to us at new price?

I've heard of rumors about online retailers doing this because they can make more money this way.

Just doesn't give me a warm feeling at all. I haven't spoken to Nashbar about this however. Though it would be pointless since I wouldn't be able to get any info from them anyway.
 
Originally posted by Rudy
Well, I bought all my components from online retailers like Nashbar, JensonUSA etc.

My Dura Ace STI came from Nashbar, supposedly brand new but was delivered to me packaged in a large padded yellow envelope. I though that was kinda weird since eveything else I ordered from JensonUSA came in a Shimano box.

The parts look new and eveything including the protective tape on the front covering the levers.

Upon installing the left side sti, my LBS mechanic informed me that it was defective (internal parts blown, spring etc.). Well, being a good guy that he is, my mechanic warrantied the part for me through his channel, not Bike Nashbar.

This makes me wonder if Nashbar may have stripped the parts from unsold bikes and resold it to us at new price?

I've heard of rumors about online retailers doing this because they can make more money this way.

Just doesn't give me a warm feeling at all. I haven't spoken to Nashbar about this however. Though it would be pointless since I wouldn't be able to get any info from them anyway.
You should have sent it back to Nashbar,telling them if you paid for new you expect new, and in the box. Accept nothing else.Only way to make an impact and have a chance of stopping that c*rap. Never had a problem with Nashbar or Performance that way. But, did get a bunch of take off OEM junk from Jenson. They refunded and told me to keep the junk for my inconvenience. They aslo do a bettter job of labeling stuff as OEM. I also got sold a used Campy RD by supergo,when I paid for new. Stuff sometimes happens,but if they don't hear about it it isn't likely to get fixed.
 
Well, under normal circumstances, I would have shipped the working parts back to Nashbar.
But since this is a XMast bike and it's 2 days away from XMast, I'm kinda stuck with it.

I will however, send them a message of some form.
 
Boy, you should keep that bike shop around by buying parts from him instead of the internet. Your LBS mechanic must be a saint because any other shop in the country would have said tough luck pal you deal with it. Next time maybe ask them what price you could get it from him by showing him the price in Nashbar, this fella sounds like he would have given it to you for the same price and not charged you for the labor to put it on. Support your LBS you are very lucky to have this fellow.
 
*Gasp*
An internet retailer selling OEM or grey market goods? Shocking. Litespeed stopped selling framesets because they found mail order places were stripping their bikes and selling the parts-now if you see a Litespeed frameset you (and they) know something's up. These places pull stunts like this and people wonder why the LBS can't touch their prices.
As to your LBS taking care of the warranty, that's something most any decent shop would have done. It's not a huge inconvenience to them and maybe it'll earn them some business in the future, so it's a smart move in that regard. I've done things like that a couple times and it's worked out well for the shop.
 
Well...my LBS mechanic is getting a bottle of wine from me for Xmast :D :D

He's a good guy nevertheless, and very knowledgeable as well.
 
I'm all for supporting the LBS whenever I can but I just can't justify the extra cost in most cases. I've purchased A LOT of parts from mail order outfits (Performance, Supergo, Pricepoint, Cambria etc.) over the years and I haven't had any problems at all. So your Shimano 105 parts came in a padded envelope? I'm sure they're still brand new and my guess is you saved (at least) $50 or so!

I started purchasing my parts via mial order years ago. I was in the market for a wheelset and I had priced out the wheels that I wanted at a couple of differnet mail order places. I went to my favorite LBS to check their price and much to my surprise, he was $50 less! Then I found out that the price the LBS was quoting me was for ONE (the rear) WHEEL!!! I told the guy the prices that I could get the wheels for via mail order and he gave me the line about supporting your LBS blah, blah, blah... I told him that I could buy the wheels via mail order, donate $100 to his shop and still come out WAY ahead!!! I did buy the wheels via mail order but I never did make that donation.

This is just my two cents on the mail order thing. I still buy small stuff from my shop (tubes, grip tape, lube, etc.). JMHO!
 
Originally posted by meehs
I'm all for supporting the LBS whenever I can but I just can't justify the extra cost in most cases. I've purchased A LOT of parts from mail order outfits (Performance, Supergo, Pricepoint, Cambria etc.) over the years and I haven't had any problems at all. So your Shimano 105 parts came in a padded envelope? I'm sure they're still brand new and my guess is you saved (at least) $50 or so!

I started purchasing my parts via mial order years ago. I was in the market for a wheelset and I had priced out the wheels that I wanted at a couple of differnet mail order places. I went to my favorite LBS to check their price and much to my surprise, he was $50 less! Then I found out that the price the LBS was quoting me was for ONE (the rear) WHEEL!!! I told the guy the prices that I could get the wheels for via mail order and he gave me the line about supporting your LBS blah, blah, blah... I told him that I could buy the wheels via mail order, donate $100 to his shop and still come out WAY ahead!!! I did buy the wheels via mail order but I never did make that donation.

This is just my two cents on the mail order thing. I still buy small stuff from my shop (tubes, grip tape, lube, etc.). JMHO!


This is typical bike shop "cry me a river" schpeel that you get from most local bike shops. And the cry for supporting your local bike shop is the biggest farce in the bike industry. There are dozens that can relate to your story.
 
Originally posted by Rudy
xmast = Christmast

Ummm... Heard of Christmas... Seen it abbreviated to X-mas... But there's no "t" at the end... of either one. ;)
 
I like to buy from the LBS's whenever possible. For rims/wheel rebuilds, tires, repairs, advice, clothing, shoes, etc, I prefer shop locally. I think it's worth keeping them in business. Many times, I find the prices are the same as Performance or Nashbar, or close enough after you add the shipping.

Maybe I'm old school, but I still like to see and touch what I'm buying, talk to the seller, and walk out with the items rather than order and wait for the package to arrive to see what I bought.
 
Originally posted by dhk
Many times, I find the prices are the same as Performance or Nashbar, or close enough after you add the shipping.

You're lieing right? Just an effort to pub the local BS, i mean bike shop, right?
 
What I find on-line that I don't find at local bike shops is the house brand economy line products. I recently wanted a set of panniers ... nothing special ... just to carry some light stuff and I didn't have a lot of money to lay out. The bike shops carried some really nice panniers ... pretty much touring quality. I think they were worth the money, but I could only afford economy this time around. So I found the best deal, Nashbar this time, and they've worked out great for my purposes.

Other items, too, I see great quality goods at the bike shop, but no Target brand, good-enough-for-now items.

For major components, I think I'd go with the bike shop because I would need their mechanical expertise. And I also want them in business for quality tune-ups and up-grades and of course, the eventual new bike that I want to be able to ride before I buy it.
 
Originally posted by BaCardi
You're lieing right? Just an effort to pub the local BS, i mean bike shop, right?

don't publish BS for an LBS, and have no need to lie to promote anything. Thanks for attacking my motives on this Forum without bothering to ask for details.

I've bought Pro Race Tires and 3000s for just a buck or two more than Performance prices. Also, SRAM chains, rims and other little stuff. Suggest you price a few items yourself.
 
Originally posted by dhk
I've bought Pro Race Tires and 3000s for just a buck or two more than Performance prices. Also, SRAM chains, rims and other little stuff. Suggest you price a few items yourself.

I agree with dhk. I try to support local retailers for pretty much same reasons dhk gave in his earlier post, and I can usually get what I want locally at the same price or cheaper than buying online too.

It probably varies somewhat depending on what country you're in, but in Australia I've bought a mag trainer, a set of rollers and two saddles from LBSes noticeably cheaper than any Australian online retailers listed the same products. And buying locally was particularly good for the saddles, because I got to test-ride them for a week (one went back, presumably to the Spanish Inquisitors who designed the darn thing, and the other I kept).

There were US (and other overseas) online retailers that were definitely cheaper on a straight item/currency exchange rate basis, but not once shipping had been factored in.

I have bought bike stuff from overseas online retailers with minimal hassles (one order delayed by about a month due to it being shipped to the billing address rather than the shipping/delivery address; one item with minor damage for which replacement was offered but not taken because I wasn't prepared to wait another few weeks; several other orders completely OK) but it's my second choice (even though the hours are much more convenient!).
 

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