Originally Posted by
Atlas Shrugged
What's not so simple is the why? The West is by far the largest consumer of the top-tier Shimano products yet we are the ones constrained by limited supply channels, inflated mark-ups and reduced inventories. I just received a pair of 160mm XTR rotors and 170mm 810 GRX crankset within 2 weeks of order on Ali both of which are unavailable in the local marketplace and for 1/2 the MSRP. Something is seriously wrong here.
Europe has limited supply chains, distributors, reduced inventories, etc. I am not sure why you think the US is alone in that. google 'european supply chain bicycle parts' and you can see recent articles about this citing England, Brussels, Bike Europe, Shimano Europe, etc.
Your comments are at least partially just inaccurate.
Ali sold products are circumventing the brand's official supply chain. That is, in part, why they are cheaper.