• This topic has 49 replies, 34 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by Olly.
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  • Haggling when buying a bike
  • maxray
    Free Member

    So I am balancing on the precipice of shedding 1k on a new bike. What is the form regarding haggling on the price/trying to get some extras thrown in?

    Is this expected or am I thinking it’s still the middle ages and I can barter with my pig and a flaggen of mead?

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    I haggle over everything. Dont see why people wouldnt.

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    The accepted tradition is:

    take a big cake in with you, dress in nothing but a bin bag and lock the door as you enter the shop, throw £800.00 in your own face then go down onto one knee holding out the cake to everyone in the bike shop.

    maxray
    Free Member

    😀 lol

    I’m rubbish at haggling. I can bake a mean apple cake though, must stop off on the way home and get some bin bags.

    TimP
    Free Member

    That is why I only buy second hand…

    DT78
    Free Member

    Never really haggled for a bike but have for lots of other things, but an offer of cash payment should get a few % deduction straight off as they wouldn’t have to pay credit card fees.

    Most websites over free stuff, generally 10% to spend on accessories.

    Oggles
    Free Member

    I got 10% off a £1175 road bike in Evans. I asked him if he’d do it for a grand (because they didn’t have the £999 model I wanted in my size). He reckoned the manager probably would have done it if they hadn’t already met their sales targets for the week.
    It never hurts to ask!

    scotbike
    Free Member

    Never hurts to ask
    ^^

    Haggling is fine – it’s not ‘expected’, but it’s just negotiation – you’re not try to shaft the shop, just trying to get more for yer money, anyone should respect that, however you have to know how far you’re prepared to go, what you’re willing to accept (discount or extra parts) so if you’re made an offer you know if you want to take it or not. It’s unlikely anything you’re offered will be offered twice if you can’t make your mind up on the spot!

    And yep, cash is king – if you pay by card the shop gets charged for processing by the bank. In my experience it can be pretty convincing if you go in with the readies in a nice fat roll to wave in their face 🙂

    Funnily enough when I worked in a bike shop, I was amazed that every fourth person seemed to ask for a discount – all sorts of folk. The bike trade seems to attract the haggler! So, yeah, get stuck in and let us know how you get on.

    tinribz
    Free Member

    10% on accessories sounds high, anyone managed that before? Took all my courage to ask for a free bottle holder with mine, wish I’d held out for a decent bike computer instead.

    bruneep
    Full Member

    I haggle over everything. Dont see why people wouldnt.

    you haggle at the petrol station?

    MoreCashThanDash
    Full Member

    I’ve done it a couple of times – rarely get what I want, usually get something worthwhile. With bikes, most shops will either knock of 10% or offer 10% of the value in accessories.

    I once really wanted to buy a bike from my LBS who were always very helpful with repairs and small bits I’d bought. A mate of mine up north had done a deal with his LBS who could give me 20%. I asked my LBS if they could match it or make it worthwhile for me to do the deal with them, and they admitted they couldn’t knock that much off and I should get the bike from up north. But they knew me well enough by then to know I’d break something fairly quickly and they’d be picking up business that way!

    scotbike
    Free Member

    20% 😯

    mark up in the trade used to average 30-35% – you got a deal there!

    crotchrocket
    Free Member

    I think you’ll find banks charge businesses to take cash too, so it’s not the ‘saving’ over cards many people think it is.
    Esp. if you compare to paying by electron debit card 😉

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Depends how you do it, there’s no harm in asking but if people start taking the piss the usual response is simply to f*** them off.

    We had some bloke in once buying a bike for his kid, it was only about £150 and straight away he said “well obviously you’ll be doing it for £120”, we said no. He started haggling and asking for percentages and it came down to him asking for 2% off! WTF?! That’s the price of a coffee on the high street!
    It was just his manner, had he actually been a bit more polite we’d probably have sorted him out with something. And he still bought the bike anyway…

    Paying cash is no help in asking for money off – someone needs to count it all up and take it down to the bank which will charge for the privilege of banking it so it’s much easier (and cheaper) for the shop if you pay by debit card.

    scotbike
    Free Member

    cr: good point!

    c-l: that reminds me of the just riding along types that would bring in a two year old bike that looked like it’s been ridden off the top of a bus ‘oh yeah, it happened as I was jra’, we told them to eff off as the that’s exactly what would have happened if we’d tried to warranty the machine. I really do think that lbs’s get the poopy end of the stick at times, glad it’s not how I make a living.

    njee20
    Free Member

    I think you’ll find banks charge businesses to take cash too, so it’s not the ‘saving’ over cards many people think it is.

    Spot on! “How much for cash” just makes me think you’re a pikey and I won’t give a discount on principal, I don’t care if you don’t buy the bike! Debit card is the cheapest, as it’s a flat fee, as opposed to percentage for banking cash or on credit cards.

    We’d much rather throw bits in than a straight discount, costs us less, but in some circumstances would do a discount on the bike, personally I never do it ‘just because’, you’ve gotta earn that discount!

    fatmax
    Full Member

    got 15% when i bought a mountain and road bike from MTS in Durham back in 2003 – very happy and they offered that when i would have taken their hand off for 10%!
    Anyone from The Bike Chain in Ed reading…because I’m ready for a new bike…

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    When I worked in retail it was the manner of folk haggling that made me say no.

    njee20
    Free Member

    When I worked in retail it was the manner of folk haggling that made me say no.

    That’s what I mean, totally agree! People seem to think they’re entitled to a discount, and often seem surprised if you refuse it. Nowt more satisfying than calling someones bluff, they either end up paying full price, or coming back to find the bike’s sold, particularly at this time of year when stuff’s discounted anyway!

    Woody
    Free Member

    they either end up paying full price, or coming back to find the bike’s sold,

    ……….or buying elsewhere 🙄

    EDIT: …….or not buying at all v v v

    maxray
    Free Member

    Mmm will have to ask I guess just to see. I have to say I found the staff in both shops a bit apathetic. I thought they might have been more eager of a sale on a Monday morning.

    Have got slight doubt in my mind on the choice of bike now so will keep my readies in my pocket just now.

    KonaTC
    Full Member

    Do some research on what prices you can get the bike elsewhere use it as a bench mark on what to pay – money off bike or accessories, helmet, bike lock etc

    Also suggest that you will be back for servicing etc

    If you don’t ask you won’t get

    duntstick
    Free Member

    I’m a mug….clearly. I tend to just pay people what I think it’s worth. 🙄

    ojom
    Free Member

    Fatmax… come talk to me. In everyday but Monday and Sunday.

    SSB_UK
    Free Member

    My LBS gives you £15 voucher for every £100 you spend, which sounds generous. I think this neatly side-steps the haggling issue, for large purchases at least.

    On the other hand, the shop I’m currently getting a build from is quite candid that they can match prices within reason, but they simply don’t have the same buying power as the large shops. I respect that.

    DT78
    Free Member

    Pray tell, how is the best way to open a dialogue on getting a discount?

    I normally start with, if I pay cash what sort of discount can you do for me?

    Didn’t realise offering cash appeared to be ‘pikey’ I just thought it saved some money for the shop (has worked fine when buying electrical goods and cars in the past…like I said not done with a bike as I get then second hand / C2W)

    chris_mbuk
    Free Member

    when i spent 1700 on a bike from leisure lakes they threw me in some new pedals i couldn’t argue with that one 🙂

    KINGTUT
    Free Member

    I always haggle when I buy car tyres and I always get a discount, on a pair of £200ish tyres I generally get £30 – £50 off.

    Never tried it on bike stuff though, then again I haven’t bought an entire bike from a shop for years.

    uplink
    Free Member

    Pray tell, how is the best way to open a dialogue on getting a discount?

    Something like …………

    “I’ve decided that this is the bike I want & I’m buying one today, what’s the best price you can do it for?”

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    Pray tell, how is the best way to open a dialogue on getting a discount?

    “the lord has sent me to do his work, I choose THIS steed to be my carriage, this will become the vehicle for the ultimate truth, would you knock £150 off the RRP?”

    SSB_UK
    Free Member

    Pray tell, how is the best way to open a dialogue on getting a discount?

    “Do you like biscuits?”

    Tiger6791
    Full Member

    “I’ve decided that this is the bike I want & I’m buying one today, what’s the best price you can do it for?”

    no,no,no,no,no!

    Go back to Yorkshire school.

    You get them to commit first, then you haggle.

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3LL338aGA[/video]

    SSB_UK
    Free Member

    You could always fashion your own discount voucher, complete with clip art. I reckon if you made it out to be 10%, they’d knock it off for the sheer hilarity of it. 😐

    MostlyBalanced
    Free Member

    I hate people who just come in and ask “what’s the lowest price you’ll do it for”. That’s just rude and not trying. They never get the best deals.

    Bear in mind that if the profit margin is 30%, asking for 10% off is asking the retailer to lose 33% of their profit on the deal.

    maxray
    Free Member

    Fatmax… come talk to me. In everyday but Monday and Sunday.

    Umm.. were you talking to me? Fatmax.. wtf! 😀

    SSB_UK
    Free Member

    Look up the page maxray, you’ll see Fatmax 😉

    maxray
    Free Member

    ah 😀

    FuzzyWuzzy
    Full Member

    I hate people who just come in and ask “what’s the lowest price you’ll do it for”. That’s just rude and not trying. They never get the best deals.

    It’s hardly rude, more likely they don’t like haggling so hope you’ll just tell them a slightly lower price and they’ll probably accept that price without wanting to haggle further (unless they have Internet prices to work with)

    uplink
    Free Member

    I hate people who just come in and ask “what’s the lowest price you’ll do it for”. That’s just rude and not trying. They never get the best deals.

    What do you want? – a formal introduction? or a bit of foreplay maybe? 🙄

    Jerome
    Free Member

    Keep it simple.
    What would be your best price today, let them open.
    Any bits you need – shoes etc

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