Local Shops VS Online Dealers.....discuss.

[Vitamin_B12]

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many of the key points have already been covered

sometimes the price differences are too large to ignore. i agree that service is worth paying a surcharge for, but that really depends anyway. if you're trying on helmets for the first time, and you have a sales associate helping you, yeah you should probably buy it there. i completely understand the OP's frustration at the customer. yes, while it is the salesperson's job to answer your questions, if you know full well you won't be buying there, i feel it is kinda rude and ill-mannered to ask for detailed help

when i was looking to buy my first helmet, a Suomy Apex solid, the price was ~$450+tax, while on Rider's Discount it was $250 shipped. that's way too much of a price difference, and i didn't bother the sales reps

if it's something like a spare part that you are going to install yourself, and the price difference is minimal, but they have it on hand, you should buy it locally for convenience. hell even if they also have to order it, doesn't hurt to support them

but like someone else already stated, online shops aren't bad with respect to service either. i bought an AGV Grid helmet from Revzilla and was not sure about sizing coming from a different brand, and i got phone call beforehand, and after i received it as well to make sure i was satisfied with it. talked me through everything, all the regular fitment questions, no pressure even suggested other similar helmets if i wasn't satisfied with the internal shape

i know it's not the same as in person live feedback, but it is what it is. i was still very satisfied with the service and saved a couple hundred bucks. cbcanada is right, the shops need to do what it takes to adapt and survive

 

[1304cc]

The initial question is not about buying on iPad. The initial question was about using but not paying for free services offered by local stores.

Im sorry... Let me spell it out.
I will try on products and get info at brick and mortar stores, and then I WILL order it online if I can still get a better deal. Don't feel guilty about it for a second.

 

[viper84737]

Im sorry... Let me spell it out.
I will try on products and get info at brick and mortar stores, and then I WILL order it online if I can still get a better deal. Don't feel guilty about it for a second.

There is something to be said about thinking ahead about consequences, though. Consider it like the Prisoner's Dilemma. It's all Game Theory. Do you greedily act for yourself, chancing that everyone else will do the same, resulting in the biggest punishments if you're wrong? Or do you chance that others will act only semi-selfishly, in that they will regard your fate as part of their decision-making process, thereby minimizing total damage to everyone should you fail?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner's_dilemma

Many people will elect to act selfishly believing that everyone else will also do the same. It's not necessarily unwise, given society today, and the me-centric thinking we're now indoctrinated with. As a result, what are the consequences?

1) There will be fewer small suppliers, and larger suppliers capable of buying in bulk (big box suppliers) will dominate.
2) Money will continue to flow to foreign manufacturers, making economics harder to succeed at or survive at, locally, unless you are a big box supplier, which you are not, probably
3) The Great Convergence will continue, as Occidental economies continue to suffer while Oriental economies continue to flourish at their expense.

But generally, nobody gives a ********* about any of that stuff. Just shut up and gimme my parts, right? Welcome to Consequence Lane

 

[mongol777]

For gear, GPBikes offered the best service to me easily. I will always go back, and pay the 15% premium price to buy goods. I want to support local businesses and I enjoy the relationships I've built with the young guys that work the floor. They freely give advice without any pressure to buy. Even when I've gone back 3-4 times to look at the same helmet. I have purchased stuff online though, where it was a good 30-50% cheaper. But whenever I can, I will go back to GPBikes.

I've tried getting some OEM parts from Snowcity. Terrible experience over the phone, on several occasions, with the lady. She makes it sound like she's doing me a favour when I shop there. Never again.

People can bring back $800 of products from the border (instead of $400) duty free after 48 hours. $200 up from 50$ under 48$. I might try to make a trip to SBTG now What will this mean to local businesses?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2012/03/30/wdr-border-changes-budget.html

I have to chime in for SnowCity. I purchased many OEM and aftermarket parts from them many times and experience was always flawless. However - I am now shopping for gloves and boots and when I went there to take a look choice is very limited and I likely will go online or gpbikes

 

[mikbusa]

I'm sure being the fitting room for US online retailers is a royal pain for a shop, but so is a consumer paying double what our American neighbors pay. I prefer to buy local, walk into a store, find what I want, pay for it, and leave happy. Doesn't always work like that. Pretty unsatisfying for find out the helmet you just bought retails for 300+ dollars less elsewhere. I do appreciate getting some help, but is it worth $1000 and hour? Not really.

 

[Rob MacLennan]

I'm sure being the fitting room for US online retailers is a royal pain for a shop, but so is a consumer paying double what our American neighbors pay. I prefer to buy local, walk into a store, find what I want, pay for it, and leave happy. Doesn't always work like that. Pretty unsatisfying for find out the helmet you just bought retails for 300+ dollars less elsewhere. I do appreciate getting some help, but is it worth $1000 and hour? Not really.

I have to wonder how many people who say that the Americans pay half what we do, have ever shopped in an American motorcycle dealership?

 

[Don.]

had to chime in on this one. I support a local shop, knowing full well I can get the goods cheaper elsewhere. I NEED them to be there when my engine blows up (like last year).
There's lots of scenarios where an online shop can't help you, and you need that bricks and mortar shop.

Having said that, there is a limit. The difference can't be enormous. I think most places are willing to negotiate.

Great thread topic!!

 

[mikem]

I buy a lot of stuff from my local shop, so much so that they called me shortly after Christmas because they were ordering a lot of their inventory for the upcoming season and wanted to know what I needed. That being said I still end up purchasing most big ticket items out of the states. As an example we picked up a new head assembly for our YZ2250F last week, it was hundreds less than my guy here could buy one for.

 

[DOHC1]

I needed a helmet and thought I'd support a local shop.. Ordered in the winter bike show.. promised by the manager there that it would be here by feb 1st, or "before the riding season for sure". I paid $167. The dates have been pushed from Feb 1, to feb 15, to march 20, to april 1, and this morning they told me april 11th. Lol never placing a "special order" again.. I could have had the same helmet delivered to my door for $150 had I chose to go online. Next time the store is my fitting room, and the internet is my retailer.

 

[dr_sarcasm]

I'm one of those guys who has a very good relationship with a bike shop in the GTA - the prices on parts and merchandise I get aren't the same as for those folks who happen to walk in. Most times they're beating web prices by a few bucks and some times they're price matching; on rare occasions, there are some parts they suggest I buy via the web as their costs to bring the parts/items in wouldn't be all that cost effective.

I want them to make a few bucks off of me in order to insure they stay in business, so I give 'em every possible chance to come through (yup, there are times I will pay a premium because of all the breaks they've given me over the years).

But as others have noted: when the cost savings number in the hundreds of dollars...loyalty be damned.

 

[JFD]

I'm in agreement with ronnie. You're using the store's resources to do your 'homework' and intending on buying somewhere else.

anyone can have an online store. any online store can answer general questions. But lets say you buy that helmet online and it has a poor fit. you now have to ship it back and pay restocking and shipping again. Stuff like this.

I'm amazed how everyone thinks businesses need to bend over backwards to make 50 cents.

If you're comfy buying online, go for it, as I do quite often. But when i need information about a product and am too lazy to do the research myself, then i'll look to a shop and use my relationship with them to get it done.

 

[matthew]

I see a recurring theme with a couple of posts; going into a store, developing a relationship with the store and its employees and eventually getting a discount that isn't offered to "walk ins". I think thats disgusting. I wont drop money into a store just to get good customer service, it should be there if im buying a key chain or an entire bike.

I much prefer to shop online. All I need to do is add items to my cart, check out, and its at my door. No need to get gouged at the beginning only to get the super secret price somewhere down the road.

edit:

I have to add that if a shop wants my loyalty, they need to win me over, not the other way around.

 

[daught]

Went to GP and Royal to look at some gloves. The size stock is pathetic. I find it inexcusable that they don't have every model size available on the shelf at the beginning of the season. Same crap last year when I was looking for a jacket. I can just order a few sizes from US to a holding warehouse in Niagara and return what I don't like hassle free. It really shouldn't be a LOT cheaper for the consumer to import their stuff from a US retailer.

+1 big bull on the shop loyalty discount

 

[viper84737]

Remember, it's tough for stores to carry an inventory now. Tough to justify the outlay in expenditures, hence online catalogs being the best bet.

 

[Bigevildoer]

Sure, I'll buy some stuff online - tires first and foremost, as I have friends who can deliver or I can get them from...

Some other stuff, I'll order online - levers, foot pegs etc...

Gear, I'll buy locally. There's a local shop who bends over backwards in their service department and overall service (put a pinhead sized scratch on my rims on a tire change a couple years ago - took the time to show me, admitted fault, and touched it up). They'll readily offer me a discount on stuff they have in stock, as I'm a regular.

They're my dealer of choice. Next bike I buy will more than likely be from them.... (fact that they're the premier Ducati dealership in my region doesn't hurt either.. hehehe)

 

[EC2010]

This happened almost a year since our loonie was at par with the US dollar.

There's a particular model that was brand new and had to be ordered in.
Arai X-Twelve helmet price quotes:
GP $927
Royal $1095
Studio Cycle $1250
Theses were prices before tax

SportBikeTrackGear.com - listed $801. called in and they gave me additional 10%. I ended up spending the 10% savings on a dark smoke shield. US$40 for shipping. $945 duty included shipped right to my door. Ordered Monday, arrived Thursday afternoon.

End result: I got the helmet I wanted plus visor shipped to my door with duty in, still cheaper than any local retailer. You can't argue with price when it's over $100 in savings.

I also agree with a post earlier stating that local business do not stock their sizes properly. Not everyone wears size Large when it comes to jackets and gloves.

You can also buy from Canada's Motorcycle if you feel patriotic. It is a Canadian company who ships out of Quebec. Get your stuff in 3 days tops if in stock.

Went to GP and Royal to look at some gloves. The size stock is pathetic. I find it inexcusable that they don't have every model size available on the shelf at the beginning of the season. Same crap last year when I was looking for a jacket. I can just order a few sizes from US to a holding warehouse in Niagara and return what I don't like hassle free. It really shouldn't be a LOT cheaper for the consumer to import their stuff from a US retailer.

 

[daught]

Remember, it's tough for stores to carry an inventory now. Tough to justify the outlay in expenditures, hence online catalogs being the best bet.

So then what exactly am I paying 20%-40% more for? What really ****** me off was when I wanted to try a Joe Rocket Alter Ego in medium tall last year. GP and Royal told me they didn't stock the tall at all. If I wanted to order one I would have had to pay for it upfront. The order was non refundable if the jacket didn't fit me properly. I see better return policies on eBay...

 

[Rob MacLennan]

I see a recurring theme with a couple of posts; going into a store, developing a relationship with the store and its employees and eventually getting a discount that isn't offered to "walk ins". I think thats disgusting. I wont drop money into a store just to get good customer service, it should be there if im buying a key chain or an entire bike.

I much prefer to shop online. All I need to do is add items to my cart, check out, and its at my door. No need to get gouged at the beginning only to get the super secret price somewhere down the road.

edit:

I have to add that if a shop wants my loyalty, they need to win me over, not the other way around.

You're equating service with price, when they are not even close to being the same thing.

 

[jolomatic]

The way I see it, is that there is an unspoken agreement when you start trying stuff on in a store, and that is that you are going to give them the opportunity to sell you something. It is the shop's job to offer you something that is of value to you for a price that is reasonable, and if they fail to do so, you are well within your right to not make a purchase. On the other hand, if you know going in that you will not buy anything regardless of what happens in the store, and proceed to try on a bunch of stuff, ask a bunch of questions, and generally waste their time and money, then what your are doing is pretty close to stealing.

My daughter recently lost the charger for her nintendo DS. She's very thrifty with her hard-earned allowance money, and so asked me to help her find the cheapest way to replace it. We searched online, and found it for $2 from Hong Kong, we discussed how it would take a month or more to arrive. We found some in the $4-5 range from the US, and discussed the possible duties and delivery times. We found some that shipped from Ontario, for about $6-7. Then we went to the local video game store, and they had one for $13. She said 'no, that's too much', and as we were going to walk out, the guy 'remembered' they had a used one for "oh..... $8". So she bought it for $8, because she could walk out with it in hand and start playing her game that night. I think she made a good decision - yes it was 400% of what she could have got it for, but only 60% of what she would have paid if she just went retail with no research and no questions asked.

 

[daught]

The way I see it, is that there is an unspoken agreement when you start trying stuff on in a store, and that is that you are going to give them the opportunity to sell you something. It is the shop's job to offer you something that is of value to you for a price that is reasonable, and if they fail to do so, you are well within your right to not make a purchase. On the other hand, if you know going in that you will not buy anything regardless of what happens in the store, and proceed to try on a bunch of stuff, ask a bunch of questions, and generally waste their time and money, then what your are doing is pretty close to stealing.

My daughter recently lost the charger for her nintendo DS. She's very thrifty with her hard-earned allowance money, and so asked me to help her find the cheapest way to replace it. We searched online, and found it for $2 from Hong Kong, we discussed how it would take a month or more to arrive. We found some in the $4-5 range from the US, and discussed the possible duties and delivery times. We found some that shipped from Ontario, for about $6-7. Then we went to the local video game store, and they had one for $13. She said 'no, that's too much', and as we were going to walk out, the guy 'remembered' they had a used one for "oh..... $8". So she bought it for $8, because she could walk out with it in hand and start playing her game that night. I think she made a good decision - yes it was 400% of what she could have got it for, but only 60% of what she would have paid if she just went retail with no research and no questions asked.

Would it have been a good decision if the item was $100 online and $400 in store?

It's only in motorcycling that we are getting gouged so bad. I buy a lot of mountaineering equipment locally and I never feel downright shafted. For example most ski shops have prices that are similar to the US. Why is it that motorcycle retailers have it so bad?

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