MTQ Graham. I travel to the states a lot with my job. I do have mates over there, but don’t like asking financial favours. Also, it was the last day of their sale. The really annoying bit was that they would have sold me it at USRRP, the agreement with foreign importers only stopped them selling me the sale price frame.

As it turns out, I now have a mint second hand frame for an even better price, so SC can go take a hike for my cash!!

Ah, OK, I guess it depends on how well you know someone as to whether you want to involve them in your finances or not.
The “Do you want to buy this on your credit card, so you don’t actually pay for it for at least 30 days, and I will do you a bank transfer so the money goes in your account today ?” approach is always worth a try.

He is some way beyond actually buying stuff now. I think he is well on his way to bringing down the international bicycle market one second hand frame at a time. 😐

When I was in the US a few years back I very nearly bought a Yeti ASR5 full build as it would have worked out a great deal cheaper than over here, even with shipping etc. I would have gotten a member of my family (American) to send it on for me afterwards. The guy in the shop had no problem with this.

Apologies for the dreary anecdote.

I’ve just found my hindsight spectacles with adapt and overcome lenses. Wearing them gave the idea of getting some sort of bankers draft (or merkin equivalent) or even cash to buy the bike you couldn’t buy with a UK card.

Looks like it worked out in the end though. Enjoy the new bike 😀

if they refuse a UK credit card then just pay with cash.

As for 40% mark up…well there is 20% tax and then import duties, shipping costs and then the importer kind of needs to make some profit or are expecting them to work for free and provide free customer service?

When buying from america there are often sales taxes that we don’t realise are there as they are different depending on what state you are in. Americans understand this, we often miss this small point when comparing prices.

But yes, buying direct does save money – the importers cut and tax if you manage to avoid it but that’s tax evasion I guess.

My original point in the OP was really a bit of a PSA to anybody who may go to/know somebody who goes to the USA that bargainous deals can be had on 2nd hand US brand frames.

Obviously, being STW, the thread departed stage left onto a minor topic!!!

Anyway, I’m off to my shed to build my new baby!!

well going back to 2nd hand frames – yes I have been very tempted but the risk of getting shafted is a lot higher as you can’t exactly drive down to have it out with the seller.

But if you are over there and can inspect it yourself or have someone else who an then go for it.

I don’t object to distributors milking a reasonable amount off it, but the frame I bought was more than double the price over here. If the distributor bought it at trade (say 30% off the US RRP) then added all taxes it still wouldn’t be that much by the time it lands in the shops.

Jungle are by far and away the worst for this, although looking at my story about my Evil and the story about the Cove above (and the prices of Rocky Mountains now they’re dealt with by Evans) it seems Silverfish are also bad.

You can pick up secondhand heckler frames in the uk for that price??

I was looking at a mint 2011 frame for not much more than that but it also came with a few bits too?

I wouldnt of had to lug it all the way back from the US either??

To be fair to silverfish, they have reduced the price of turner 5 spots this year. Obviously they are buying them cheaper, but they have passed the saving on. I very much doubt jungle would do the same.

Really?? My 2006/7 old style Heckler sold for £375. You often see 2010/11 good condition Hecklers go for £6-700, certainly not £330.

2013 Santa Cruz Bicycles Blur LT Carbon With FOX CTD Kashima $2899

$2899 – 30% = $2029.3 / 1.45 XE = £1399

£1399 + £50 shipping = £1449 + 5 ish % import duty (£75 ish) = £1524 + handling around £20 so £1544.

£1500 ish to get that frame here, add dealer margin of 30% ish minimum (£450 ish) £1950, and the distributor profit and VAT at 20% makes the frames about the right price. I’m not saying that its good value, but not the rip off by the distributor some claim.

2013 Santa Cruz Bicycles Blur LT Carbon With FOX CTD Kashima price $2899

Is that the full retail price ? Surely the distributor would pay US trade (or even less since they’ll be buying loads in comparison to a US shop)

(Ah, I see, that’s what -30% is ?)

But how is it, Si, that you could sell a Chumba HX1 hardtail at £399 when in the US they’re £329? If you can do that then surely Jungle can take in something similar.

2013 Santa Cruz Bicycles Blur LT Carbon With FOX CTD Kashima $2899

$2899 – 30% = $2029.3 / 1.45 XE = £1399

£1399 + £50 shipping = £1449 + 5 ish % import duty (£75 ish) = £1524 + handling around £20 so £1544.

Jungle won’t be buying the frames at US RRP less 30%. Even the US shops will get a better deal. What about the US tax which is also non payable.

There was a lad on here called cooie selling a 2011 lime green one complete with headset etc for £475

Agree, some will be getting better deals on trade prices.

The fact is that the sales of these products are quite low volume, and when you consider advertising, sponsor ships, warranty work etc then it all adds up to expensive product.

Freeborn act as distributor and retailer for ellsworth and banshee and manage to sell them at a comparable to US price. So you do have to ask why SC, yeti and others are marked up so high.

475 is a lot more than 330, and that is a very good price – you don’t see many go that cheap.

The fact is that the sales of these products are quite low volume

Due in no small part to them being very expensive. I nearly bought a Niner or a Ritchie, but walked away due to daft pricing and bought a Singular instead. That’s Niner’s loss really.

Thinking about this some more though it’s not a such a bad thing. Four of the last 5 frames that have passed through my hands (Cotic, Dialled, Singular, Whyte) have been from British firms, tiny on the world stage. I’m glad they exist and the markup on US product coupled with distributor lock-in makes it easier for them.

Don’t know if this would be useful to anyone, but I have used shipito.com to provide a US address, and forward parcels.

For a fee they will also buy items with their credit card, but I just used a UK credit card.

I got a snowboard that cost £250 in the UK for $120. It ended up at about £160 by the time shipping and customs were paid. The biggest bummer was TNT charging a flat £15 fee on top of the vat/import.

The crazy thing is that the board was made in Europe, by a European brand!

The shipping actually cost less through shipito than the online shop (who provided free delivey in the US).

I was in the states, buying a frame in the states, but they wouldn’t sell it as I had a UK credit card.

This was specific to the terms of the “yard sale” promotion which I think was intended to be a bit of a treat direct from Santa Cruz for their US customers. There were some corking deals but they didn’t really want to share them with penny pinching lawbreaking Englishmen – it’s their call. I bet they still sold all the frames and they won’t have lost any sleep.

If you’d have walked up to the factory with dollar bills, and faked an American accent you’d have been hit with the applicable sales tax even if you we’re taking it out of state