Heres a random one: Thinking of getting a new YT online but hate not buying at the LBS as they’ve always been v good to me. Would there be any benefit to the LBS buying the bike, passing it through their books or anything like that?! Maybe could throw them £50 for putting it together as the last option!

It wouldn’t work for them probably, also ask them how much to assemble it if you want to but not sure how it will come best check

So the lbs would make nothing on The sale (assuming they’d be building it for you anyway)?

And then be responsible for warranty etc.

Aye, I’m sure they’d jump at the chance…

No

The warranty is provided by the manufacturer. The LBS, as their agent, would be your contact regardless for a warranty claim if you chose to use them. Same if you buy parts from Germany, a local shop can and will process the claim.
Your LBS might be dicks about it, and you would certainly feel bad having not used them, but either way you get what you want. Ask for a price match and if they decline go for it online. Shops are as successful as their attitude as I found recently building a new bike (thread around here somewhere).

you are making the process unnecessarily difficult.

Just buy it online and take to the LBS for servicing if you want to support them.

Why not just buy the bike online, and then go and give your LBS £50 in cash and walk out.

Come to think of it give me the £50 if that makes you feel better.

Surely the whole point of direct sales brands like YT/canyon etc is that you bypass the middlemen like distributors & dealers (LBS).

Either you want the cheap price or you want the support of (and to support) your LBS.

Ah I missed that it was direct sales, ignore my post 🙂

Buy it through YT, ask the LBS to set-up. The LBS will get a labour cost and you’ll get the bike you want.

Bear in mind the mecahnical warranty will still be with YT, but I assume all build-related stuff (you’d need to negotiate what’s done – when I worked in a shop we checked everything over and trued/tensioned wheels) would then be the responsibility of the LBS, which is one of the reasons you’re paying a professional to do the job.

Edit: unless there’s a way the shop can claim VAT back? But then TBH you’d be lumbered with it anyway so there’s no benefit there.

The contract would be between LBS and you as the purchaser, so whilst the additional manufacturer’s warranty would be between the purchaser and YT, the actual legal obligations would be being taken on by the shop if they bought it and sold it on to you.

And possibly the manufacturers warranty wouldn’t be applied to you either, as YT could argue that the purchaser was not you etc etc.

Ref VAT, they’d buy the bike inc VAT from YT, sell it to you inc VAT and pay over net the difference between their input VAT and their output VAT (i.e. tax on the “value added”, hence the name!)

So the only way you can get the LBS to make some money off it is to get them to charge you for an initial build or something similar.

My LBS does this;

slam69.co.uk
26 March · Gloucester ·
You’ll like this.
Slam69 now offer a new service.
If you buy a bike online we can help.
Fed up trying to be in when it arrives?
Don’t fancy putting it together yourself?
We can help. Have your new bike sent to us, we then assemble and ring you when’s it’s ready.
The result is, your bike is built correctly. You don’t have to worry about when it’s going to arrive.
All you need to do is let us know when the bike is coming. Give us your contact details and put our address down for delivery.
The cost for all this… £50 per bike.
Collection from store only.

You'll like this.Slam69 now offer a new service. If you buy a bike online we can help.Fed up trying to be in when it…

Posted by slam69.co.uk on Sunday, March 26, 2017

Not the same really, OP want the lbs to buy the bike, then sell it to him (presumably for the same price) then pay them £50 to build it (maybe)

Not the same really, OP want the lbs to buy the bike, then sell it to him (presumably for the same price) then pay them £50 to build it (maybe)

sorry skim read, OP stop being weird and buy the bike or get a same spec one from a non direct manufacturer for more money through your LBS!

My LBS does this;

slam69.co.uk
26 March · Gloucester ·
You’ll like this.
Slam69 now offer a new service.
If you buy a bike online we can help.
Fed up trying to be in when it arrives?
Don’t fancy putting it together yourself?
We can help. Have your new bike sent to us, we then assemble and ring you when’s it’s ready.
The result is, your bike is built correctly. You don’t have to worry about when it’s going to arrive.
All you need to do is let us know when the bike is coming. Give us your contact details and put our address down for delivery.
The cost for all this… £50 per bike.
Collection from store only.

That’s a good idea, hope it works for them, at least they are trying to adapt unlike some.

I think that’s a great service – I’d pay just to not need to be in for delivery! Hate bike shops doing work on my bikes though, never seems to come back set up properly. One bike couldn’t even get into the smallest sprocket after bike shop set it up!

From buying from Canyon all I had to do was fit the front wheel, seat and seat post, bars. Job done. LBS I use them but online buying is here to stay. They do ok from me. It’s more important that I get the right bike to ride. I don’t owe them a living. I genuinely think competition is good for business and consumer

Slam is my LBS and they are trying to go with the “online” flow. understanding that its likely adapt or die. I think it shows great initiative. I wonder though if long term smaller less diverse shops will die out and the ones who embrace it could become service centres? Perhaps paid by transaction. Just a thought, with out understanding the cost/implications. I wonder also if the PDI cost could be raised to say £100 and the shop would also deal with the usual reverb, Pike, SRAM warranty claims…

Ref VAT, they’d buy the bike inc VAT from YT, sell it to you inc VAT and pay over net the difference between their input VAT and their output VAT (i.e. tax on the “value added”, hence the name!)

Unless they’re on the flat rate scheme. Maybe.