Is it recommended to bargain with LBS?
 

I was going to head over to buy a new mountain bike this week and was wondering if you are supposed to negotiate the tag price with the owner. The trek 4500 is listed on store for 559.99 , I was wondering if they expect you the ask for a lower price. I don't want to sound cheap like I am begging in vain, if you know what I mean. I was going to tell him that I will take it for $520 with no tax and also get a few accessories, does that seem reasonable?

Thanks.

Anyone got any popcorn? This could be interesting.

anyone?

Are you buying from a store or from an individual?

From a store, you'd normally expect to pay what they ask. No reason you can't make 'em an offer, though. I expect that would work better with a small store than a large store, as the large store sales people probably don't have the authority to cut deals even if they wanted to. It might help if you could show the same bike was selling elsewhere locally for the same price.

From an individual, it seems tacky to me to arrange to go see it, and then offer a lower price even if it's exactly as described. If you want it cheaper, make that offer before meeting them- they may be holding off 8 other buyers willing to pay the full price.

Have you ever paid sticker price for a Car or Motorcycle? Sometimes if you are trying to buy a very popular car you might have to pay MSRP but why not try to get a better deal? You could maybe ask to have a helmet or pump or some other piece of gear tossed in and then you might buy the bike. But if you are going to try and deal make sure you have other options. If you have one or two extra shops to deal with you have a better chance in dealing on the bike you want. However if the bike is already on sale it can be harder. Just think of a bike as a vehicle and see what you can do. If all else fails you can always go back and get the bike at the price offered. But just don’t try to deal if you aren’t ready to walk out and say you will check around first. You simply can’t look too hungry.

Yeah, i pretty much have no other option. That is what I was afraid of--looking too hungry. I have never bought a car so I don;t know how it goes. I think the best thing woud be to ask him to throw fenders and a lock in for, that way it doesn't look like I am trying to squeeze a deal.

This isn't a car or motorcycle. Customers usually have the preception that LBS's make the most on new bike sales. The reverse is true. All you can do is ask if the price is negotiable on the bike. Don't be a ****** hardass about it. If you don't like the price, go buy it from somewhere else - seriously.

This is also completely lowballing the LBS, labour and parts on a fender or a lock will seriously undercut the margin on a new bike. Unless the LBS is really ripping people on the price of a new bike, which I doubt, this is a completely unreasonable request. Which i'm sure they will tell you when you bring it up.

Thanks for saying that. Some people think LBS's are like car dealerships. If you're buying a high end bike, check prices on the web and some of the places like CC, Excel, etc and you'll see the prices are relatively fixed.

I would tell you, "No. No you won't." Discounting a $560 bike is insane.

Keep in mind that in about a month, most vendors will be offering their 2009 models at roughly a 15-20% increase in price. To repurchase that same $550 bike, it will cost them more, and most vendors are not willing to bargain on the great prices they have now.

Buy now before prices go up.

All I am saying is there is no harm in trying to make a deal on a bike. If every dealer sold the bikes for the same price like a washing machine or a toaster then there might be no wiggle room. My LBS just had a summer sale. They sold the same bikes as they had in July but discounted. So what harm would there have been in asking for that price July 31st?

When I buy musical instruments I check all of the online sites and other music stores and find the best price. I then go to the Guitar Center that I have been a customer of for a few years and ask to talk to the department manager. I show him the advertisement and see if he can make the same deal. If he gets close enough to save me the effort and gas I buy the instrument from him. In the last five years there have been very few times I have gone to another store.

here in DC, most shops give discounts (5% on bikes/10% on accesories) if you belong to the local bike group (WABA in DC) and this is off any sale price as well....they even gave it on a custom build....some even have 30 day price guarantee as well. I've also gotten bottle cage as a "throw in" at the sale...when I asked what comes with it....that was $7.99 item. Generally, though prices in this area are pretty consistent with the lbs's....usually msrp

Hmm, The bike store I go to, isn't the cheapest, I have seen his prices be slightly higher than the competition sometimes, but They are nice guys, extremely knowledgeable and you get 10% discount on all accessories from the store if you have purchased a bike from them.

If you treat them well, they treat you well. It's a working relationship in a way. The store I go to isn't a chain, it's all local. So I want to support local businesses. The better they do, the better my town does, this is why I try and not shop at chain stores.

If you haggle on the price of the bike, it may hurt a further relationship when you need a part, accessory or repair. If I need something, they get it to me quick and they work on my bike quick. I've gotten numorous free repairs I should have probably paid for. So I don't mind paying a smidge more for the bike.

I'm not against talking to them for a bit of a deal, but asking for 40 bucks off, no tax, AND "a few accessories" is pretty much insane. I would laugh you out of my store if I was an owner, sorry.

There is not a huge markup on bicycles. Shops make more profit on accessories and labor. That's where the "deals" can be made. Free year of adjustments could be huge. Discount on helmet, clothes, racks might be OK, but there just isn't that much room for them to move on the bike itself, especially in the price range you're talking. Be nice and get great service from them.

Everything in life is negotiable, Although often times you will not get the price you ask for. There seems to be a lot of "Save the Bike Shop" sentiment in this forum. This is the United States, where you have the option to say whatever you want and spend your money wherever you'd like. If the bike store has an emotional problem and can't handle you asking for a lower price then walk away. It isn't rude. MSRP is nowhere near what they paid for the bike. I have dealt with Bikes, Kayaks, Autos and even toys. The average mark up is 33% on small budget items like 500-1200 bikes. Anyone telling you otherwise is LYING. It's retail, they have margins like everyone else.

It won't hurt to ask. The worst that can happen is they'll say. "No, we don't do that" and you'll buy it for retail anyway. (that's what happened to me anyway.. heh, heh..) Plus, bikes seem to be in high demand right now, so there's really no reason for shops to discount them.

When I got my bike a few weeks ago, they did give me a discount on all the accessories I bought at the same time. Lock, saddlebag, pump, tubes, tube repair kit, lights.. because I grabbed a lot of things at once, the discount added up and worked out pretty good.

That is close to what I was talking about. If you don’t bargain well or are concerned with saving the LBS that is fine. But as far as establishing loyalty goes if the bike shop makes me a deal by tossing in a few free items that I might have bought anyway you can believe I will be back. It can be as simple as tossing in a helmet or water bottle and rack.

I bought my bike at a LBS and I go back to it first when looking for accessories. I even have asked them to order things for me and I am willing to pay a bit more for the service. When I get ready to get another bike I will return to that LBS because they treat me special even if I am not. I will even send my friends there because we have developed a relationship.

If the person is simply too hungry for the bike to wait till the salesman is willing to sweeten the deal then they might as well just bite the bullet and get the bike. But that is just how I see it and that is what I was trying to explain to the OP.

I like the owner of my LBS and want to see him stay in business and even make a decent living. I always pay the marked price and pay with cash so he doesn't have to absorb the credit card fee. Maybe I am just a sucker.

I picked up my 7.3FX for $450 from the LBS. It was $50 off already and when the special order got messed up I asked for an additional $50 off and they gave it to me. In addition, I got 10% off any accessories bought the day of the sale. I also went in about 15 days later and purchased quite a few more things. I asked if the 10% discount would still apply and they gave it to me then as well.

All I did as ask nicely. That was what was cool about it.

And yes, they get my repeat business now.

YMMV

I have no problem negotiating with "chain" stores. Unless it's a big huge store where the employee is generally a kid still in, or just out of high school. It's unfair to pressure them. But if it's a Chain "shop" I have no problem negotiating. They have the authority whether or not they tell you.

But if it's a local shop, particularly a recently opened (recently being in the last 5 to 7 years), I have a little bit of a problem with your statement.

Have you ever owned a business? Niether have I, but I do know a lot of small business owners, they owe a lot of money to a lot of people. Right now, a friend of mine owns a Company called VGkids, they do screen printing, Lots of small stuff, and few big things, they do contracts with Myspace secret shows, Modest mouse here and there, Upper playground out in cali, and recently, they are helping Drew Barrymore with her movie about derby girls coming up.

So you could call them pretty successful. In fact, right now he is having the most successful run the business has ever had, but he is still so far in debt it's ridiculous.

It doesn't matter what the shops "make" on the bike. They have overhead costs, and being a smaller business, it's going to be harder for them to cover those costs.

So In my opinion, unless it's a chain, or a bike store that is very well established in the community, and isn't in danger of closing, (which really isn't that many), trying to get them to drop the price is only going to hurt their business. And these business need the money to stay open. And people who are loyal to these shops are returned with loyalty. Which could mean free repairs, or discounts on accessories later on.

This isn't about "saving the bike store" this is about ensuring local success. From someone who lives in a community of starving businesses, it is more visible. Its hard to notice businesses closing when the rest of the city is doing well because it is populated with chain stores.

While I see your logic I counter it with this simple statement.
If their business will hurt by lowering their asking price to make the sale, how much will their business hurt when they don't make the sale at all. It's simple economic laws at play here. If I ask them to give me the best possible price and they don't make some concession, be it a free helmet, a light, a discount, what have you, I walk away. Especially when they are asking MSRP or higher.

I do own businesses, I own three, and I've run retail stores online. I know the factors at play and I made many a bargain, online no less ! You don't pay extra at the gas station to help the gas station stay in business do you? You go to the cheapest station if it's across the street or across town. The same principal applies to bicycle businesses.

I worked very hard to earn my money, I will make everyone that wants it work hard to get it.

Have to agree.But I would expect to get a few extras on the bike. Wedge with tube- repair kit and levers always seems a good deal to me.

But once you get into the higher reaches - then haggle before you get to the door. Be prepared and find out what the bike is going for elsewhere- Is the previous years model as good and still available at a discounted price- or are there any upgrades that you want on the bike before you buy it.

But then at the same time- If you Don't try- you don't get.

Hmm I think you're looking what I refer to differently then I intend. Your absolutely right about the economic theory. No question. If your turning away customers because you don't want to take a hit on one sale, that's absurd. In fact, giving that discount will then likely give you more business, not just from him, but from people he referred to you.

But what I am arguing is not that a local Business shouldn't give discounts. Which I think is how you interpreted what I said.

What I was inferring was that, the consumer make the decision to not ask, not the business to not accommodate.

Perhaps my "Have you ever owned a business, neither have I" was a bit hasty in my paragraph, it was a bit agressive, and it took the point away from what I was intending.

I think that it's consumer responsibility and promoting small business that I am advocating here. That if you can afford what the business is offering it as, you should buy at that price, as opposed to trying to haggle. Helping, in anyway you can, to ensure success of local businesses is something I think is very important.

In a time where politicians campaign on what they can "change" it clouds the fact that the biggest impact you can have in in your local community.

Now that's not to say I think small businesses should rachet up the prices and expect people to pay. But the difference between an Online "buy direct" site or chain super store that charges 50 to 100 bucks less on a 1000 dollar bike, and the mark-up of a local shop, I think it's better to help out the local shop and pay the extra money. It's being Loyal to your community.

From a business owners perspective you're absolutely right on the discounting of Items.

Also different situations will warrant different solutions. Etc etc.