Originally Posted by
Hypno Toad
I am very loyal to my LBS and have had mixed results from special orders. Most of the time, with common components (like tires), they can order through QPB and have the parts for me in a day or two. However, this spring I wanted some custom brake/shifters. QBP didn't carry this brand, the LBS tried to get set up as a distributor. It was a big time-drain for the LBS so I ended up ordering directly on-line.
So if the LBS can easily order the part, and it has a reasonable margin, I'd say it helps. It there's no margin or it's challenging to acquire, you're not doing them any favors.
Originally Posted by
jefnvk
I've long wondered this myself, there is one by me that always offers to order me parts if they don't stock it. It never seemed to me that it would be quite that profitable, especially because most of what I am looking for isn't high value to begin with, but they always offer so I figure it must be in some way.
In any case, if I have to wait a few days for it to come in and drive back to pick it up, the convenience of buying locally goes completely away. I've got no problem paying a couple dollars more to walk in, touch it, and have it now, but if I am ordering from a catalog picture and waiting days anyhow, I just prefer doing it myself and have it sitting at my door.
Originally Posted by
ltxi
Anything my LBS normally stocks, including minor variants they can just add to their next distributor order, I buy from them. Other not that expensive bits no real profit, more trouble to them than worth I buy on-line. Tires and tubes are two of those things.
That's me too. I like the guys at my local bike stores, I just don't buy from them very much. I make a lot of goofy modifications to my bikes. No LBS carries the particular parts that I want and I'm too particular to compromise. Almost every bike shop purchase turns out to be a special order.
I doubt the bike shop makes very much, if any, money off of my purchases. They have to have somebody look up whatever it is that I ordered. Then, when the order comes in, they have to have somebody sort through the order, pick out my special ordered parts and call me to say my parts are in. There's also a degree of idle chit chat time both when I place the order and when I pick it up. That's a lot of employee time involvement on usually a small dollar purchase.
For me ordering on line is always more convenient because I save two trips to the bike store. Shipping costs are generally washed out by not paying sales tax. I get to choose from a much wider range of products and, if I'm willing to pay the added cost, I can have virtually anything delivered to my door tomorrow. That's a business model that's hard to beat.