• 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
  • kiwijohn
    Full Member

    LBS gives 15% off if you’ve bought a bike there. He’s a good mate so I’m happy to pay what he asks.

    andrewh
    Free Member

    “It’s really nice, I’d love to buy it but it’s right at the top of my budget and I’ve got to get a new helmet out of that too, the misses would kill me! If you could do it for £xxxx I’ll take it?”

    jfletch
    Free Member

    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.

    Dealing in % is risky and can lead to dodgy assumptions. What is actually happening is if you ask for 10% off a 1K bike you are asking the the seller if he is happy making £200 not £300. Whether he is happy to do that will depend on many things.

    -If he says no will you still buy at full price
    -If he sells to you for £200 will that prevent him selling to someone else for £300 as the stock is gone
    – Will he set a precedent and will have to sell all bikes at 20% not 30% margin.

    If the answer to all 3 is no then there is no reason at all for the seller not to agree to the deal

    So view it like you are asking the seller if he wants to make £200 or nothing today and you may feel better at asking for a discount.

    partyboy1101
    Free Member

    Last bike I bought (Diamondback Mojito) was ticketed at £369 and I paid £245….my advice, buy something that the shop is keen to shift!!

    MostlyBalanced
    Free Member

    uplink – 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?

    If when you arrived at work every morning your boss took you aside and asked you “what’s the lowest you’ll work for today” how enthusiastic would you be in your job and how much respect would you have for him?

    Profit margins are set to allow retailers to make an honest living not to rip people off or get rich quick. Specialist retail such as cycles, cars or any area where there may be ongoing maintenance or upgrades is all about developing a relationship with the customer.

    If you took the time to stop and fix a mechanical for a fellow rider and he left without bothering to thank you would you stop for him a second time?

    andrewh – Member
    “It’s really nice, I’d love to buy it but it’s right at the top of my budget and I’ve got to get a new helmet out of that too, the misses would kill me! If you could do it for £xxxx I’ll take it?”

    That’s the kind of attitude that would probably sway me.

    uplink
    Free Member

    If when you arrived at work every morning your boss took you aside and asked you “what’s the lowest you’ll work for today” how enthusiastic would you be in your job and how much respect would you have for him?

    I don’t do much sales because I don’t like it but when I am roped in to help, the client often starts by saying they won’t pay what I’m asking – I don’t take it personally, it’s business

    At it’s very basic level they’re trying to get it as cheap as they can & we’re trying to sell it for as much as we can

    anjs
    Free Member

    my LBS don’t actually want cash as the bank charges them to count and process it.

    andrewh
    Free Member

    andrewh – Member
    “It’s really nice, I’d love to buy it but it’s right at the top of my budget and I’ve got to get a new helmet out of that too, the misses would kill me! If you could do it for £xxxx I’ll take it?”

    That’s the kind of attitude that would probably sway me.

    It works too.
    Bought a car last year, advertised at £2995.
    Paid £2850, got new rear tyres, a service, 12month tax and warrenty upped from 3 to 12 months. Smile nicely and sometimes haggle for stuff rather than a discount.

    Royston
    Free Member

    I bought a new bike last week (Franchise Shop). I asked about a discount although I’d already decided I was prepared to pay their asking price (I’m aware of quite small margins made on stuff in bike shops and often wonder how they can make any money at all after paying staff etc) I’m not wealthy but I have a good job and earn pretty reasonable money when compared with national averages (New Zealand). I know the shop and they’ve looked after my other bikes as I’m not really mechanically minded (inspite of the books & attempts at DIY). I didn’t really need another saddle or the pedals so whilst they didn’t discount they took money off for those and they put on my choice of tyres, not the ones it came with which saved me money too. I was quite happy with that.

    Olly
    Free Member

    apparently im quite good at haggling, but i wont do it really.

    Is the bike a fair price?

    If no just say (in more words) “i dont think thats a fair price for that item, i would suggest a fair price is £XX.XX. Diuscuss.”

    If yes, pay the man.

    I dont get why everyone feels the need to maximise on what they “get”

    its like overtaking 1 single car in a line of 40 cars stuck behind a tractor.

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