Okiecardinal

Has anyone ever fished for a better price for a new bike at your LBS? Would this be considered in poor taste considering that probably the lower the price of the bike - the lower the profit margin for the owner?

I'm about to buy a newer bike and don't want to look like a mixture of a cheapskate and fool.

erg79

It couldn't hurt, as long as you aren't rude about it, I would say. If you notice that it's a previous year's model, they'd probably be willing to knock some money off to get it off the floor.

Also, besides the price of the bike itself, you might want to consider trying to get some extras thrown in, or included at a discount--a rack, say, or fenders, a new seat, etc.

contango 

No reason at all not to negotiate a little. You might get some money off, you might get some accessories thrown in, you might get a bit of both. Accessories are a good way to negotiate because it represents more of a win-win situation.

If you negotiate $100 off your bike it means you gain the $100 and the owner gets $100 less. If instead you negotiate $100 worth of accessories you get $100 worth of stuff (based on retail price) and the cost to the owner is his cost price which will be less, maybe considerably less.

jimnolimit

^ this is great idea.

remember, it never hurts to ask as long as you are respectful, the worst the thing you'll hear is "we can't lower the price any more".

if you're getting the bike and a speedo, fenders, seat, etc, you can always ask "what's the best price you can give me for everything?"

you can also try to negotiate things like water bottles, spare tubes, future bike maintenance/cleanings, etc.

p.s. sometimes it also helps if you mention that you will be paying cash

p.s #2 i always double check prices to make sure i'm getting a fare deal. i don't expect my LBS to match the lowest price i have seen (this includes online), but it has to be pretty competitive.

SHOFINE

I tried to deal with the closest Trek dealer to my home for my 2011 Sawyer and they would not match other Trek dealers. I dealer near my work matched a Atlanta store of 1/3 off. They had no problem in ordering my bike...just paid $25 shipping.

rekmeyata

There's more negotiating room on last year models too. And yes I've negotiated on all mine and my wife's bikes that I bought new; can't remember the details any more but all but one of the bikes were closeout models so I got prices cut more then the sale price tagged and got a few accessories thrown in.

contango 

One thing I always consider when comparing LBS prices to online prices is the level of service. If I push the LBS to match the online price I don't expect any more service than the online retailer gives me. Namely, "there's your part, that's £30, thanks, bye". If I'm going to want them to fit it, or advise me, or help me adjust it, I can't expect them to do that while matching the online box-shifters on price.

I know a lot of people go to the local shop, find out what they need and then buy it online to save a bit of cash. As it happens my LBS owner is quite happy when people do that with bikes, because sooner or later they take it in for a service, adjustment, tune-up etc and if they didn't buy the bike from him it's all chargeable work. For good measure if they bought a bike online he gets to charge to tune it, adjust it, sometimes fix it, and he doesn't have to carry the warranty on it.

The LBS has the usual overheads associated with running a shop - staff pay, insurance, stock costs, stock risks (theft,damage,deterioration etc). So if all I want him to do is order me something and call me when it's there I don't have a problem squeezing on price, because a lot of the usual value the LBS adds isn't there. When I ordered my roof bars to put bikes on my car his price was slightly the wrong side of £310 all in, looking on fleabay I could get everything (albeit from five different sellers) for more like £240, I haggled a little with the LBS until we settled on £265. I was happy with that price on the basis it meant I had one point of contact I trusted rather than five strangers, and they were happy because they were still making some money on the deal.

todayilearned

I got $200 taken off if I paid in cash and bought $300 worth of accessories.

Igo

I like my LBS but his mark up, like most of them, is through the roof. After I bought my second bike from him, he always tells his guys "He's good for the 10%"

gb1044

My lbs always takes money off and if i pay cash no tax , so even bigger savings but i do tend to spend some money in there so i guess it works for both of us , but i would deff try to hagle its almost expected in ny but dont be rude about it

fietsbob

Load up on Point-of-sale accessories. when you buy the bike. ritually 10%
off on all that .. may even put it on the bike gratis.
such as racks and Mudguards.. and offer trade ins on a different saddle
than the stock one.

+1 on cash discounts, bank cards have fees they dock from the business ..

jimnolimit

yeah, i don't expect my LBS to match an online price, but only be fair in comparison. i'm happy to pay a small premium to a shop to able to see and hold a product and provide customer support.

Lexi01

If you have a good relationship with your LBS just ask them for their best price - they will inevitably give it to you.

Is the extra $50-$100 really worth it when it comes time to them looking after you (and your bike) for the next few years. I did this with the shop that eventually turned into MY LBS when I bought my road bike. I'd been shopping around for a while and just went to them (close to home) and asked for his best price. It was a little under $100 higher than the other stores but he was a 5 min drive away and had a good reputation for service.

Best decision I ever made (concerning bikes).

Igo

Prolly wouldn't tell that on the interweb. LOL!