[Closed] Negotiating buying new bike from LBS

I'd start by asking how much the bike was, followed by "I'll take it", followed by walking out with the bike I wanted and the reassurance that the LBS will still be in business next year.

Maybe I'm naive but I wouldn't 'expect' anything and if the sticker says £1000 I'd be prepared to pay £1000. If they felt like knocking something off or throwing something in I'd be happy though.

What ben cooper days, waiting on mine being built by the chap who came top 20 in the Dudes Enduro. 😆

Try getting some discount/freebies next time you are doing your shopping 😉

I generally just ask my local shop what their best price is then if I'm happy with it I buy. Dont like haggling or pushing them too far as they need to make profit to stay in business. I generally get a pretty good deal as a regular customer.

i know a lad that tries to low ball on everything... the funny part is - he usually ends up missing out on the best deals because he tries to low ball them further - which results in the vendor losing interest.

Maybe I'm naive but I wouldn't 'expect' anything

Yep. Why should you "expect" a discount? Just because it's an expensive purchase?

Out of interest, OP, what's your line of work? Whatever it is, what discount would you offer me just for buying from you?*

*assuming it's something I could buy from you, of course. Argument's a bit rubbish otherwise! Then again, how about a salary "discount"? 😉

The discounts normally come from being a repeat customer. My LBS does a scheme where the more the spend the bigger the discount of upto 15% IIRC

I am looking to buy some food tonight from Lidl. Any negotiating tips when I pop the goods on the belt?

I mean, I would love some free chocolates or something but should I just ask for 10% off.

Also thinking about seeing if the Co-Op want to give me some money off my utility bill this winter and if I play my cards right I might get a few pence off a pint in the pub at the weekend. Heres hoping.

As a freeloader, I am predisposed to asking for free stuff.

When I bought my Giant, I asked my local Giant emporium for 10% off.

They agreed.

I bought the bike.

Everyone's a winner!

Edit: Missed it was Evans. Don't forget, if you have any Tesco clubcard points, you can double them up for Evans vouchers at the mo.

nothing wrong with bartering, but as said already if there are other perks for the purchase then of course take this into account. The bike trade should be treated no differently to any other trade, what makes it special...?

Ask them what do you have to do to get a discount

Since when is Evans a LBS?

I'd be surprised if you couldn't get 10% or equivalent.

Bartering is offering payment in some other currency than money such as goods or services, I think the word you're looking for is negotiating. Pedant button now switched off.

I got 5% off RRP for mine (2015 model in short supply) on the LBS loyalty discount scheme plus 12.5% off all future accessories. I guess it depends a lot on demand for the specific bike v stock levels etc. I can't imagine Evans give their individual sales guys much freedom to decide on discount levels. But they probably have some sort of pricing policy e.g. price matching.

Hang on, this is Evans, don't they price match? If so, find the bike as cheap as you can online and ask them to match it. Easy. If they are already the cheapest online then a polite "is that the best price you can do?" is the approach I'd take I think. If they so no then you have lost nothing.

Evans, don't they price match?

Only certain retailers, and they can always say no.

Instead of asking for money off, which directly impacts their profit margin, you could see if they'll offer some free servicing down the line? It's in their interest as it'll mean you returning to the shop (and probably buying something) and you'll benefit by saving money. It also start a relationship between you and the shop which may* translate to loyalty deals/discount in the future.

*or may not. I'm not psychic...

The bike trade should be treated no differently to any other trade, what makes it special...?

The bike trade is special in so many ways, but I'll turn it around - in what way do you think the bike trade is different to most other businesses which don't offer discounts?

Why should the bike trade discount when, say, Apple doesn't?

I'm not sure if the OP is referring to asking for cash off the RRP or whether the LBS has decided on a price by another means.

If its the RRP, then too right you should ask for a discount. RRPs are just prices the distributor tries to fix to reduce competition between retailers. Why should you pay a price they are trying to fix? RRPs = lazy retailing. And yes, prices should be greater than RRP if the location/service justifies it.

Why should the bike trade discount when, say, Apple doesn't?

You can buy Apple products from many places for different prices.

You can buy Apple products from many places for different prices.

But not in store. You can't walk into an Apple store and negotiate yourself a 10% discount.

Apple do discount. Off the top of my head they offer:
- Student discount
- NHS discount
- Forces discount

But not in store. You can't walk into an Apple store and negotiate yourself a 10% discount.

That is their direct selling model though - my beef is with distributors and manufacturers fixing the price that their retailers can sell or advertise at.

I absolutely hate the phrase "what's your best price?"

It completely bypasses the negotiating and throws an expectation out there that you want the absolute biggest discount you can possibly get and you feel entitled to it.

There's much more polite ways to ask without getting the sellers back up before you've started.

My default reply to "what's your best price?" is now "best for you or best for me?"

A subtle reminder that the seller of the goods is also entitled to make some money and throws the ball back in the court of the buyer to make a sensible offer.

Apple do discount. Off the top of my head they offer:
- Student discount
- NHS discount
- Forces discount

Civil Service Discount too 🙂

Amedias-there is a very easy answer to your witty retort though isn't there? When they ask you that question you should be happy as its a sign they are interested in buying and it gives you a chance to negotiate a deal

It's always said with a grin and light-heartedly, and in my experience I've found it normally puts the buyer on track and actually more willing to negotiate, it really is a subtle thing but it reminds you that both of you want to get something out of this.

Like I said, there's plenty of more polite ways to enter into a negotiation, and ultimately you tend to get more out of it if both parties are happy about the deal.

When they ask you that question you should be happy as its a sign they are interested in buying and it gives you a chance to negotiate a deal

The fact I've replied in an an open ended manner engages and invites further discussion and in my experience works more often than not, but then most of the time I'm selling things it's a bit more of an informal environment and of course you ahve to adapt depending on the person buying.

My point is that I've often found people who open with "what's your best price?" aren't actually interested in [i]negotiating[/i], they just want you to drop the price immediately to the lowest you could possibly let it go for. That's not negotiating.

@amadeus - just reply with whatever discount you are happy with, including none. If they try and negotiate you just say you asked for my best price and I gave it to you.

You can buy Apple products from many places for different prices.

£1000 eh? So this will be a C2W voucher then? they'll not be discounting to get your voucher, if not and your looking to buy the 2015 CAAD8 105 out of your own pocket then that's really the market the bike is pitched at, they'll know they can shift it for a grand at some point over the next few months, having it in the shop for a few more weeks won't worry them, TBH they probably don't need your trade...

A quick googling shows the 2015 model CAAD8 105 seems to be priced pretty consistently at £999 where ever you look, however you might find the 2014 model £100-150 cheaper because it's "Old"...

If you're trying to wangle a discount on the 2015 model expect to be politely refused, if it's the 2014 you might have a chance if you go armed with a few competitors prices from the web...

My default reply to "what's your best price?" is now "best for you or best for me?"

I wouldn't tend to ask that question myself. I would normally ask for a discount based on level of spend i.e. none for a small spend and a reasonable chunk off a large multi-item spend. But I wouldn't tend to ask for a specific discount either - something more along the lines of "if I buy this bike plus all this other gear, what price could you do the lot for?"

But if you answered me with your line above, you would most definitely lose the sale. Better to just state your best price, even if your best price includes no discount at all - which could easily be the case if the price is already competitive and demand is high enough that you can afford to wait for a sale. As a customer I would respect that position as long as it wasn't a lie (most buyers will have a good idea what they can buy the same item from elsewhere).

@geoff, not from Apple stores though and that's the point.

It's not MY point. It may be valid if the OP was buying a Pinnacle or Hoy bike from Evans though.

My local shops are pretty clear about discount. Nothing on end of line already reduced items, 10% on full price bikes if paying cash/card or no discount if using interest free as credit costs them 10%.

But if you answered me with your line above, you would most definitely lose the sale

But you jsut said above that

I wouldn't tend to ask that question myself.

So you're not the kind of person I'd be saying that to are you, you've already shown by not wording it that way that you're not going in with an expectaion/demanding approach?

It works for some, not for others, depends on the environment too, for example I don't sell off the peg new goods so hard and fast levels of discount don't really apply, nor does price comparison with online retailer X, Y, or Z

For example, If I replied as Jambalaya suggested then that often kills a sale too, because that isn't a negotiation, that's a demand up front for the lowest price.

Far better to start with something and work to an agreement and compromise rather than both sides just demanding. Discount and negotiation is as much about the people as the product. Approach it right and you could get more off than the rude guy, likewise a buyer may be happier with a smaller discount in the right circumstances, I know I've paid a bit more than I initially wanted to for things before because I liked the seller or the chat we had while negotiating.

It's all about dealing with each situation and person as it come's isn't it, and I'm only talking from my experience in my situation.

My local shops are pretty clear about discount. Nothing on end of line already reduced items, 10% on full price bikes if paying cash/card or no discount if using interest free as credit costs them 10%.

That sounds good to me. I like shops who don't have smoke and mirrors discounting. I'd much rather buy from a shop who clearly stated their discount policy to everyone.

It's all about dealing with each situation and person as it come's isn't it

Yes I guess that's the sign of a really good sales person. Someone who can adjust their approach to suit the situation. It must be hard selling stuff in shops these days with all the internet warriors around. I do genuinely feel sorry for LBS staff. I recently spent a load of cash at my LBS to make them feel a bit better 🙂

That sounds good to me. I like shops who don't have smoke and mirrors discounting. I'd much rather buy from a shop who clearly stated their discount policy to everyone

A clearly stated discount policy is just the same as selling at a lower price though isn't it?

There's no negotiation if you already know what the price is.

I think maybe we're actually talking about two different things, discount is not necessarily the same as negotiating.

I don't get the "protected" nature of LBSs or the industry as a whole - supply is deliberately restricted to limit competition to the detriment of buyers. Pricing is also largely fixed and then there is all the skullduggery over parts/spec - remember the thread about on one specs about a year ago (codeine I think).

I am happy to support LBS* and do in preference to on-line providers but only if there is a reason. But that would not stop me asking for a discount on anything. It's a competitive market, or at least should be.

* Just about to put some business rough tamed earth as they seem very helpful.

I don't get the "protected" nature of LBSs or the industry as a whole - supply is deliberately restricted to limit competition to the detriment of buyers.

Protected would be nice 😉

Supply is restricted because no-one wants to be left with old stock at the end of the year, because cyclists are such fickle people that a year-old bike is worth half what the latest model is.

Supply is restricted because no-one wants to be left with old stock at the end of the year, because cyclists are such fickle people that a year-old bike is worth half what the latest model is.

If the bike/component manufacturers didn't have yearly release cycles, then this would be less of an issue, no?

If the bike/component manufacturers didn't have yearly release cycles, then this would be less of an issue, no?

Absolutely, and even worse they often change model years right in the middle of the peak sales season. There's a vicious cycle* where journalists enthuse over the latest wheel size or whatever, so customers want it, so manufacturers make it, so journalists gush over it until the next revolutionary thing comes along.

I'm very glad the bikes I deal with are built by more sensible companies and bought by more sensible people, so they don't do model years, they just do continuous small improvements. That's how I can afford to have demo bikes, they don't become obsolete every year.

*sorry 😉

Amadeus how is someone asking 'what's the lowest price' not them just beginning the negotiation with you? It's isnt a 'demand' it's a pretty simple question. Your answer of 'best for you or best for me' is not that open a question as it really has only two answers. You could move things along by, for example, recommending them a lower spec (cheaper) product if they want to spend less and then begin 'selling' the product they are actually enquiring about in the first place. This gives you the chance to even push their budget and maybe sell the next model up, based on its benefits, or something.

Evans used to give 10% off for CTC membership so considering they are a big chain (buying in bulk) then there might be some scope for negotiation. I don't think Evans charge an additional admin fee if spending £1000 on B2W (some places do), so again if buying cash there might be some margin there.

Also need to consider different bike models might have different margins - my lbs gives me discounts for cash / debit card, but this year they've had to be careful with at least one manufacturer - the rrp on some bikes has been tweaked to hit certain price / spec points but the trade price hasn't, so there is less margin for the retailler to play with (careless discounting could end up with them selling at cost or even a loss).

Get your employer to start a cycle to work scheme (evans have their own) and buy it on that. save up to 40%, depending on how hard you tried at school. 😉