Alfred E Bike: Sloooow shipping!
 

Before now, i'd never dealt with Alfred E Bike.
I won't ever again.
I ordered a pair of alex da28 rims on the 18th (last friday).
It wasn't until the evening of the 24th that UPS even recieved the package; i won't be getting it until the 28th.
Not sure if others have had similar issues with them, but i figured i'd let you know. Their prices are OK, but they really drag their feet when shipping.

Never dealt with them but if we're on the subject of slow shipping... eBikestop blows. It took them a week and a half to think about shipping my seat post after saying it was in stock ready to go.

They sell the entire QBP catalog at a relatively low markup. I'd guess they don't really stock much, they just order it when you do, then ship it to you. so you CAN get a good price, but it'll take at least twice as long as it would ordering it from someone who actually has it in stock.

I got a Brooks B-17 (is this murder me bringing it up in your thread? ;)) from them, don't recall shipping time but I live north of the border, so I expect the unexpected where Canada Post is concerned. Their price is what made me choose them. I never set myself up for expected shipping dates, I'm just glad it reaches me.

Yep. I'd imagine that A.E. Bike has extremely low overhead, hence how they can provide you with such a good deal. One drawback to this is that you have to wait for them to order it for you.

well, they're closed on mondays so that's an extra day you had to wait.

they might only have ups scheduled to pick up once a week.

maybe if you order something on wednesday it will go out thursday,
but since you ordered the day after their pickup it had to wait nearly a week?

What did the website's shipping policy indicate for expected shipping time? I have bought from many companies that flat out tell you items are expected to ship in 4-7 business days. It sounds like it's only taking you 10 calender days to receive your item. That's not too bad. If you figure in that they probably didn't process the order at their location until the Tuesday (the 22nd) since you ordered on a Friday and they're closed Mondays I'd say you're making out ok. If you want instant gratification go to your LBS and buy what they have instock.

i've ordered from them a few times and never had a problem, i always get my stuff about a week later, which is fine with me.

If you needed it quickly you should have paid for express shipping.


From the AE Bike website:
Can my order be shipped via other methods?
Our standard shipping method for domestic orders is UPS Ground. We use USPS Airmail for most International Orders. If you would like your order shipped by another method please email or call us. We can ship via UPS Three Day, Two Day, or Overnight. We can also ship via USPS Priority.

+1

It's not too bad, you're right. I guess i'm j ust going by the notion that ordering anywhere else usually has same/next day shipping followed by three or four days (tops) in transit.
The only other time i've waited this long for a component was when i got my frame from Bob Jackson (but they're in England and had to paint it, so that doesn't count).
I didn't need it asap, but i would've liked to build my wheelset up in time for the weekend.

In my experience UPS ground is usually a week. I think they will leave it sitting in a truck outside your door for 3 days just to make sure you don't get it in less than a week. USPS, or Fedex ground is generally 2-4 days.

ups usually takes under four days for me.

no big deal either way, just figured i'd put my experience out there.

I have never had a problem with AE, but like what was already said about the "business day" garbage is very true when it comes to them and shipping. If I know I am going to be ordering from them I usually try to put it in first thing Monday or on Sunday night. Usually I get the package by the end of the week.

I have ordered a lot of stuff from AEBike. It's a small shop, so it does take them a little time to get products out the door. But they do have great prices, they're easy to deal with -- I've had a few email exchanges with the owner -- and considering all that, you get what you order pretty quickly.

Still, I can sympathize: when you're eager to build something, the waiting can be excruciating.

^ Agreed. Don't trash talk a company just because you're anxious. I've ordered from AE a few times and have always been pleased with their prices and service. Dealing with internet orders in a small shop like AE when you're constantly being bombarded with phone calls and in store customers is a pain in the ass.

yeah - i ordered something through them, but was passing through town and did an exchange in person just a couple of days ago. the mailorder guy is really nice, and fair. their shop definitely has a "mom and pop" feel to it. if you can, stop in yourself - they have a huge 50% "returns" rack in the back. support 'em!

I ordered my Cane Creek Volos from them because they had the best price on them. Shipping speed was not stellar. I would hesitate to order from them again, but would if they had the best deal I could find.

I've bought hundreds of dollars worth of crap from them. While shipping was not FAST, it was not noticeably slower either...

either way, they have sick prices. almost always the best.

As a former UPS employee, I must commend them on thier delivery speed despite my absolute loathing of the company. UPS drivers attempt a pick-up everyday, so if they didn't pick up a package for a few days, it's because the shipper didn't have it ready. Once it's in UPSs hands, it's usually pretty quick.

I just emailed them today.
Good news... i got an email reply in about 5 minutes.
Bad news... apparently "in stock" means that their warehouse has it and they have to wait for it to ship from the warehouse to them before they can turn around and ship it to you.

I had a good experience with Alfred E.

I got a few parts, mainly a SM Regal seat.

I'm in Australia and I think it took one week to arrive, from the time I placed the order.
That was fast compared to some other parts I was waiting for at the time.

As stated upthread, their "warehouse" is QBP, which serves most bike shops in this country. Your LBS can order you anything aebike can get you and have it in about 3 business days, less in the midwest. It won't be as cheap, but hey, then you'll still have something to complain about and the internet won't die for lack of whining.

I ordered every part for an entire CX bike from them, and it took about 2.5 weeks for it to arrive. It's SO cheap, I didn't mind waiting.