Originally Posted by
CliffordK
I've wondered about that. Some online vendors sell tubes at about $1 to $3 each depending on the tube.
Yet, some local bike shops sell them for $8 each.
So, say $0.80 to $8.00 is 10x, or a 1000% markup... not bad
I don't like to inflate my tube immediately after patching if not going into a tire. But, I sometimes skip that step of checking my work, which could potentially lead to dire consequences.
You missed the part about it being while I was in retail, which ended in 1973. Tubes have gone up considerably since then, with prices tracking with the price of oil. So, $0.50 wholesale tubes went away with 27-9/10ths gasoline.
However, I agree that $8.00 is pretty steep. Here in the NYC area, $5.00 is more typical, with a few shops offering them at $5.00ea, or 3 for $10.00 hoping to retain some of the business that otherwise would go to the net.