Chromeburner is bankrupt | GTAMotorcycle.com

Chromeburner is bankrupt

I suspect they won't be the last online seller to go under. They operate on razor thin margins, so if the volumes drop, there's no room to maneuver. Here's hoping FC-Moto stays healthy...
 
Chromeburner aren't alone. Just read in MCN that a big chain of bike dealerships in the UK recently went into administration:
Completely Motorbikes enters administration

Apparently, a slow summer did them in. Sadly, more to come, I suspect.
 
Renboy said:
Just got off the phone with them. The site has been down for a few days now so I decided to call. They are going through bankruptcy and are unable to process any new sales or returns.

Just a heads up.
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I thought chromeburner was one of the online companies that was selling knock off products. Helmets that looked legit but didn't have the proper ECE markings. For example my AGV helmets have the ece marking on the back of the helmet under the clear coat. I was going to buy a different one a while back and when I looked for the approval marking, there was no marking except on the strap which I was told made it a fake. It was from chromeburner.
 
Did not want to write this, but probably now it's safe.

I was offered a wholesale reseller contract from Chromeburner earlier this summer because our run-rate was quite high over the last 3-4 years. They probably thought I was pooling orders from a group of friends or a forum or something.

Basically if I did €10,000 (was $14,000 CDN back then) worth of business per year, I'd be eligible for a sizeable discount already off the cut-rate price they offered off the website. Anywhere from 10% off larger brands to %50 off smaller brands. There was a spreadsheet they gave me with the discount rates.

The stipulation was that I do not disclose that I was a CB reseller publicly. I think they were looking for ways to sneak into the North American market without stepping on the existing distribution network the manufacturers have with other countries.

I do buy a ton of stuff from CB but I don't think I could do $14K a year on my own, and I didn't want to solicit online either, so I declined. Also, it was $14,000 run-rate including the discount, so some stuff I'd have to sell double. Nope, too much work.

With the CDN dollar tanking, the exchange rate is closer to 1.5 right now, not 1.4 anymore.
 
Fuzzbuster said:
I thought chromeburner was one of the online companies that was selling knock off products. Helmets that looked legit but didn't have the proper ECE markings. For example my AGV helmets have the ece marking on the back of the helmet under the clear coat. I was going to buy a different one a while back and when I looked for the approval marking, there was no marking except on the strap which I was told made it a fake. It was from chromeburner.
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Not true.

Everything I buy is from CB and none of it is fake.
 
Fuzzbuster said:
I thought chromeburner was one of the online companies that was selling knock off products. Helmets that looked legit but didn't have the proper ECE markings. For example my AGV helmets have the ece marking on the back of the helmet under the clear coat. I was going to buy a different one a while back and when I looked for the approval marking, there was no marking except on the strap which I was told made it a fake. It was from chromeburner.
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ECE designations can also be found on the strap:

IMG_0491_Small_.jpg


ECE 22.05 and 22.06 certification helmets - Worldwide shipping, Fortamoto!

Find the best ECE 22.05 and 22.06 certification helmets at Fortamoto.com. ✓Fast Delivery! ✓Worldwide shipping ✓All the big brands ✓Visit our store in Amsterdam!
www.fortamoto.com www.fortamoto.com

An ECE approved helmet can be recognised by the label on the chin strap, which states the letter ‘E’ followed by a number. The number indicated in which country the helmet has been certified. This doesn’t mean that the helmet can only be worn in that country, it is purely to indicate in which location it has been tested.

  • E1 is Germany
  • E2 is France
  • E3 is Italy
  • E4 is The Netherlands
  • E6 is Belgium
  • E11 is Great Britain
Click to expand...
 
Lightcycle said:
ECE designations can also be found on the strap:

IMG_0491_Small_.jpg


ECE 22.05 and 22.06 certification helmets - Worldwide shipping, Fortamoto!

Find the best ECE 22.05 and 22.06 certification helmets at Fortamoto.com. ✓Fast Delivery! ✓Worldwide shipping ✓All the big brands ✓Visit our store in Amsterdam!
www.fortamoto.com www.fortamoto.com
Click to expand...
Yep, mine have it on the chin strap and a decal on the rear of the helmet that is under the clear coat. All of my AGV helmets have this which is why I am suspicious of ones that only have it stitched to the chin strap. Just my 2 cents, don't care what others think, everyone is welcome to wear and pay what they want for gear.
 
Fuzzbuster said:
Yep, mine have it on the chin strap and a decal on the rear of the helmet that is under the clear coat. All of my AGV helmets have this which is why I am suspicious of ones that only have it stitched to the chin strap. Just my 2 cents, don't care what others think, everyone is welcome to wear and pay what they want for gear.
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I think it's still true, everything sold in North America must have the DOT sticker on the back. That is why some manufacturers have disclaimers on their websites about buying offshore.
 
Got some great deals from Chromeburner on some high-ticket items (Alpinestars jacket and pants and a pair of Sidi race boots. Too bad about the business going under. I had zero problems in dealing with them. I had my eyes on some
Brembo master cylinders from their site.
 
TK4 said:
I think it's still true, everything sold in North America must have the DOT sticker on the back. That is why some manufacturers have disclaimers on their websites about buying offshore.
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DOT sticker has to be on the back, yes, but SNELL and ECE certification labels can be anywhere else on the helmet - including on the strap.

Here are the legal requirements for BC:

Motorcycle safety - the rider and the gear

Motorcyclists are over-represented in road trauma statistics. In British Columbia motorcycles are estimated to make up about three per cent of insured vehicles, yet motorcycles are involved in approximately ten per cent of road fatalities.
www2.gov.bc.ca

DOT Certification​

The symbol DOT, constitutes the manufacturer's certification that the helmet conforms to the applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards. This symbol needs to appear on the outer surface of the helmet, in a color that contrasts with the background color of the helmet. Letters are at least one centimetre (3/8 inch) high, centred laterally with the horizontal centreline of the symbol located a minimum of 2.9 centimetres (1 1/8 inches) and a maximum of 3.5 centimetres (1 3/8 inches) from the bottom edge of the helmet.

Snell 2005, 2010 and 2015 Certifications​

Each helmet shall include one of the Snell Memorial Foundations serialized certification labels. The Snell certification label can be placed on either the inside or outside of the helmet.

ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) Certification​

An ECE label means the helmet is approved in accordance with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation No. 22.05. The symbol for this approval is a circle surrounding the letter 'E' followed by the identification number of the country that has granted approval.
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If a store is telling you that a helmet is fake because it doesn't have all the certifications on the back of the helmet, then they are feeding you FUD to scare you away from buying a helmet from a store online in Europe.

I have helmets from multiple Euro manufacturers, Schuberth, BMW, Dainese, Nexx... none of them have any labels or stickers on the back of the helmet except for sizing information.
 
Chromeburner is/was a legit store. They weren't in the business of selling knock-offs, fakes, cheaper versions, or whatever. They are based out of the Netherlands and built their business model on selling aggressively priced Euro gear around the world at exponentially larger volumes than any Canadian seller. I've known a bunch of folks who have bought helmets and other gear from them, including myself. I bought a Held two-piece leather combo from them that I dearly love and is among the best quality and best value pieces of gear I've ever bought.

Anyway, not sure how the bankruptcy and/or administration laws in the Netherlands works, but I'm hoping with some restructuring they can come back from the brink. Between them, Sportsbikeshop, Motocard and FC-Moto, I've been kitted out over the last decade in top quality European gear for a heck of a lot less than I'd have had to pay through the busted Canadian distribution model.
 
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