I’m looking at buying a new frame, so I thought I’d use one of the benefits of being a Singletrack subscriber and see if I could get it under the ‘10% off parts and accessories’ that a lot of the advertisers at the back of the mag offer.

I had a feeling I might be chancing my arm, but what was there to lose? So, I rang around a few shops to see what they could do. One just refused point blank, another said ‘here’s an e-mail address for the owner, ask him’ and one said ‘well, we can’t give you 10%, but come in and we’ll see if we can do a deal, maybe chuck some free stuff in, etc’.

I didn’t assume I was going to get 10% off, but I did expect them to try and make a bit of an effort for my business – only one of them did that.

Now, maybe I’m being naive, but if you ran a shop and someone phoned up looking to spend a lot of cash on a frame, even with 10% off, would you try and do a deal with them? I know margins on bikes aren’t great, but does giving a discount mean that it’s not worth their while?

It’s a market. Some shops get ****ed off bargain hunters.

Do you ask for a deal in any other shop?

Depends on the demarnd for the frame you are after?

If they know they can get retail for it all day long, why discount?

Unless they see you as a money pot in the long run 😉

I think people that don’t haggle are naive.

It not a buisy time of year in the trade so would have thaught someone would have done a deal. Alot of the margins ahve been cut due to the tax rise so may be putting them off. 10% is a big amount to swallow. What was you after any way?

if they’re claiming to give a percentage off for singletrack subscribers and you can prove that you are a subscriber then they should honour that claim, i do not think you are being naive.

I thought this thread was going to start with something along the lines of “Came home early to find my wife’s boss testing out the tog rating of our duvet while she took a quick shower, should I be worried?”…..

if they’re claiming to give a percentage off for singletrack subscribers and you can prove that you are a subscriber then they should honour that claim, i do not think you are being naive.

But does a frame count as ‘parts and accessories’?

The frame’s a Blur XC Carbon. I’m going to try a few more shops over the next few days (non-Singletrack member discount shops), see if there’s anything they can offer.

SC Dealers, in my own experience having tried myself, are very rigid and stick to the price list – but you may find yourself being able to haggle and get, say, ten percent in spares and accessories.

Cross post

Are Blur XC Carbon frames in plentiful supply?

I would’nt class a frame as ‘parts and accessories’.
“hi,I’d like you to order me a frame please…and I’d like 10% off for no dicernable reason……oh”
Discount in shops is a way to incentivise repeat custom and reward loyalty…if you dish it out regardless it becomes worthless…unless you offer even more to your clientel…at which point you cease to turn a profit.
This market (stw-ites/likes) represents a small percentage of an average shops turnover,yields the smallest margins and the largest pain in the arse ratio expectations.Better off leaving it to the interweb and concentrate on the ones that pay the bills (hello Mr Highstreet commuter Sir).

Lot of distributors dont like shops discounting current equipment. So you will be more likeley to get some cheep parts to go with it.

This market (stw-ites/likes) represents a small percentage of an average shops turnover,yields the smallest margins and the largest pain in the arse ratio expectations. Better off leaving it to the interweb and concentrate on the ones that pay the bills (hello Mr Highstreet commuter Sir).

If we’re such a pain in the arse, don’t advertise in the back of Singletrack: 10% off for Singletrack subscribers!

I’ve bought a fair few new sc frames. Use your balls, if they say don’t bother. There are countless SC dealers in the UK. If they offer to throw in a free tshirt swear.

I didn’t assume I was going to get 10% off, but I did expect them to try and make a bit of an effort for my business – only one of them did that.

Well, based on your post, two out of three did really. One suggested asking the boss, another suggested come in and chat. So, for a ‘parts & accessories only’ offer which wouldn’t cover frames you’ve had a 66% positive response (and at least the negative response was honest and direct!).

Although I believe it may be illegal, prices for new/current bikes & frames are allegedly often fixed by the importers/distributors so you need to negotiate on adding other kit to get a deal. So I am led to believe… 8)

Well, based on your post, two out of three did really. One suggested asking the boss, another suggested come in and chat. So, for a ‘parts & accessories only’ offer which wouldn’t cover frames you’ve had a 66% positive response (and at least the negative response was honest and direct!).

That’s one way of looking at it, but I don’t necessarily agree. Why should I be the one chasing the boss? Why not take my number, promise to call me back and do the running yourself?

Perhaps I have some misplaced utopian view of the level of service I should be receiving when spending over two grand. Ah well, as hora says, there are plenty of SC dealers…

bomba – Member
Perhaps I have some misplaced utopian view of the level of service I should be receiving when spending over two grand.

But you’re not after “service”, you just expect money off.

If a frame isnt part of a bike i’m buggered if I know what is

But you’re not after “service”, you just expect money off.

I’m spending a fair wodge of cash and I’m looking to get a deal. I don’t expect to be treated like a prince, but I did expect (again, perhaps naively) that shops would be more interested in my business.

Yes, imho, you are.

You know that a frame is not covered by the phrase “parts and accessories” – we all do, if we are honest.

So you are trying your luck, as you knew you were and alluded to in your initial post, and you got fair advice from all; one was upfront with a no, one was willing to do something if you came in and stumoed up money, one asked you to do your own “dirty work” as you wanted something, rather than they did.

Over the phone, unknown from a bar of soap, what more do you really expect? If someone rang you at your work and randomly asked you for a discount on whatever it is you could offer them, would you give it, just because?

It’s not like any of them added 10% to the frame because you asked for discount, is it?

You may get a better response by turning up in the store. Shop xxx can be wary of you getting a 10% off phone deal from them and then using that to haggle at your local dealer. Local dealer then complains about store xxx offering a discount on a low supply, poor margin, high customer support demanding product. Dealer xxx gets a black mark from their distributor from a customer they had no chance of actually selling to. This goes for all retail suppliers of high value goods.

I’ve only ever asked for a discount once – and got an extra 10% off a sale bike, I’d just politely asked (feeling a bit cheeky) if there was any room for negotiation on the price and after a minutes thought he said sure.
In October I bought a new cx frame and when I came to pay I was told that they’d take £100 off the ticket price to my surprise. I never expect discount in bike shops the same as I don’t like my clients asking me what discount I’m going to give them, although approached in the right way I’ll come to an equitable compromise.

Not convinced phoning up would have helped your cause. In the actual shop as a genuine customer then maybe a different response. Are shops gonna bend over backwards for anonymous callers? They must get those calls every day and never see any result.

I get discount in my local shops but they know me by name and because I am always in there spending. Took a while to get it though.

nicolai-uk

have helius cc frames on eBay £1150

emailed them knowing full well that they would pay around £100 in fees if i clicked buy it now, asked them what the lowest they would take via paypal gift, no fees for either party,

answer, no reduction, but we can throw in a free t-shirt 🙄

Is a frame not a “part” of a bike then ? 😉

I never expect discount in bike shops the same as I don’t like my clients asking me what discount I’m going to give them

I get 10% without asking in several different “L”BSs I use (my real local has it set up on the accounts of regulars on the till) have spent well over a grand on stuff with decent margins in each one though. I assumed such a discount was fairly standard for regulars in bike shops – no idea whether such a thing exists for shops selling other stuff given I don’t spend lots of money in those.

emailed them knowing full well that they would pay around £100 in fees if i clicked buy it now, asked them what the lowest they would take via paypal gift, no fees for either party,

For which read “used eBay’s messaging service to request that the seller avoided an eBay company’s charges by mislabelling a payment in contravention of their t&c’s” which as described would have saved £37.

For which read “used eBay’s messaging service to request that the seller avoided an eBay company’s charges by mislabelling a payment in contravention of their t&c’s” which as described would have saved £37.

I’m sure you could have done a deal without eBay being involved in any way, and there’s no way they would ever find out. I’d be only too happy to screw eBay over myself.
Do a seperate deal via phone or email, work out the saving, spit it in half?

And £37? Listing fee + final value fee + Paypal fee? I think not! 🙂

PP – only Paypal was mentioned as the message worded (no suggestion of avoiding eBay fees) and there is no way of contacting an eBay member directly from an eBay message (no email address or phone number given).

There are a lot of timewasters on eBay. As in all things – well written, spellchecked, messages that appear show a level of interest beyond ‘What’s your cheapest price’ get more attention.