Does your LBS negotiate price?

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Does your LBS negotiate price?
Author Message
flag Crisper
Posted: Dec 16, 2019 at 20:54 Quote
traqs wrote:
and a tune generally costs about $50 for a basic
thats not typically true,
Many LBS have different prices depending on location and the minimum services they will do for the cheapest tuneup(ex: some offer just tuning shift and adjusting brakes while others have minimums that include the cleaning and re-lubing of all parts. The location part is also big because it mostly depends on the places minimum wage or the wage they have to pay employees so that they can well.. for a lack of a better term survive. So it could be 50$ or 150$ all depends.
flag tattooedmillionaire
Posted: Dec 17, 2019 at 12:07 Quote
My shop gives me 20% discount on bikes when buying. It probably helps that I've bought 17 bikes there since 2010 though
flag zark
Posted: Dec 17, 2019 at 13:34 Quote
JimTurkey wrote:
zark wrote:
Paying in cash saves the shop money on the merchant account (credit card processing)
You can ask if there's a cash payment discount.

Shops offer a lot of service on new bike sales, and as a new rider you are going to need their help.
So ask about free tune ups, that may be more valuable than the discount
How much does a tune up typically cost? What type of services might need to get done?

Tune ups vary a lot based on the area and what's included in that shops tune up. My shop has a basic tune that covers all adjustments (ders, brakes, wheel true and bearings) for $80
new bike sales at shops often include a free tune up to cover normal break in issues. Some shops will offer free tunes for the first year.

der adjustments and der hanger alignments seems the most likely repairs a new rider are going to need, as crashing is common for the new MTB rider.
flag Falcon991
Posted: Dec 17, 2019 at 16:32 Quote
Asking for the shop's "best price" is like asking what the smallest fraction of an integer is... there is no meaningful answer. Instead, make a reasonable offer. If the LBS is willing to do it, they will. If not, try again a little higher. The LBS might even make it easy on you and say, "We can't do $X, but we will do $Y.
flag jamesashton
Posted: Dec 17, 2019 at 17:09 Quote
yeah, thats kind of what I did, just went back and forth till we were both happy
flag Hammer48
Posted: Dec 17, 2019 at 17:39 Quote
Falcon991 wrote:
Asking for the shop's "best price" is like asking what the smallest fraction of an integer is... there is no meaningful answer. Instead, make a reasonable offer. If the LBS is willing to do it, they will. If not, try again a little higher. The LBS might even make it easy on you and say, "We can't do $X, but we will do $Y.


This^^^. As a past moto saleman, the one thing that I didn't like or appreciate was someone asking, what's your rock bottom price. As that statement leaves no room for negotiation. There's only so much profit to play with.

Rather ask if they would consider XXXX amount, of course, be fair with the amount, this will be much more positive.
flag RoadStain
Posted: Dec 18, 2019 at 3:38 Quote
[Quote="zark"]Paying in cash saves the shop money on the merchant account (credit card processing)
You can ask if there's a cash payment discount.

/Quote]

I go out of my way to always pay cash to small merchants for that very reason.
flag RoadStain
Posted: Dec 18, 2019 at 3:39 Quote
traqs wrote:
anything you don't know how to do, replacing parts, finding creaks, all sorts.


I know how to find creaks....well, all but the new one.....damnit...LBS has had no luck either.
flag howmaybesgo
Posted: Dec 18, 2019 at 7:25 Quote
Hammer48 wrote:
Falcon991 wrote:
Asking for the shop's "best price" is like asking what the smallest fraction of an integer is... there is no meaningful answer. Instead, make a reasonable offer. If the LBS is willing to do it, they will. If not, try again a little higher. The LBS might even make it easy on you and say, "We can't do $X, but we will do $Y.


This^^^. As a past moto saleman, the one thing that I didn't like or appreciate was someone asking, what's your rock bottom price. As that statement leaves no room for negotiation. There's only so much profit to play with.

Rather ask if they would consider XXXX amount, of course, be fair with the amount, this will be much more positive.

In all fairness, it doesn't matter how the salesman feels about the buyers approach. It is not the buyers job to make you happy. Either you are willing do deal or not. Even if you do give a "rock bottom price" most of the time that is not a true bottom price either. As a buyer I get tired of hearing the same spiel from salesman. This is coming more from auto and motorcycle dealings but it is like they have all gone to the same classes and say the same stuff no matter what dealer you are at. It is exhausting for me so I give the price I am willing to pay and if you can't make it work then on to the next.

Don't get me started on the waiting game they make you play when they have to go talk to their sales manager. Makes me feel like I will literally burst into flames.
flag Hammer48
Posted: Dec 18, 2019 at 13:03 Quote
howmaybesgo wrote:
Hammer48 wrote:
Falcon991 wrote:
Asking for the shop's "best price" is like asking what the smallest fraction of an integer is... there is no meaningful answer. Instead, make a reasonable offer. If the LBS is willing to do it, they will. If not, try again a little higher. The LBS might even make it easy on you and say, "We can't do $X, but we will do $Y.


This^^^. As a past moto saleman, the one thing that I didn't like or appreciate was someone asking, what's your rock bottom price. As that statement leaves no room for negotiation. There's only so much profit to play with.

Rather ask if they would consider XXXX amount, of course, be fair with the amount, this will be much more positive.

In all fairness, it doesn't matter how the salesman feels about the buyers approach. It is not the buyers job to make you happy. Either you are willing do deal or not. Even if you do give a "rock bottom price" most of the time that is not a true bottom price either. As a buyer I get tired of hearing the same spiel from salesman. This is coming more from auto and motorcycle dealings but it is like they have all gone to the same classes and say the same stuff no matter what dealer you are at. It is exhausting for me so I give the price I am willing to pay and if you can't make it work then on to the next.

Don't get me started on the waiting game they make you play when they have to go talk to their sales manager. Makes me feel like I will literally burst into flames.

There are pro's and con's on both sides. Not all buyers are the same, nor are all sales people..Buying any big ticket item these days can be a pain in the a$$..
flag shwinn8
O+
Posted: Dec 18, 2019 at 14:35 Quote
Only if you are a regular returning customer. I don't mean to toot my horn but My LBS gave me 50% a brand new Schwinn 4Banger back in 2000 (there's more too the story) but 50% off is still chunk off change for a shop to lose
flag Tripmo
Posted: Dec 18, 2019 at 21:01 Quote
gnarnaimo wrote:
Bike shops already aren't making much profit off bike sales as their margins are quite small on them. They typically make the majority of their profits from selling apparel, accessories, parts and service. So to expect them to budge alot on price is asking a bit much.
If you have developed a good relationship with a shop and have already given them alot of your hard earned money they will likely give you a better deal as they know you will probably keep going to the place and they will keep making profit from you.

LOL you are so wrong. I worked at an official Trek dealer before. They mark up their bikes 30%.
The dealers only don't wanna budge because they have a profit margin to make every week.

You sometimes see old bikes in the shop (that are "new"), but never sold. So they sometimes put crazy discounts on them.

But you will never get a 1 year old or spank new bike with 30% discount because the higher management wouldn't allow that. There is a lot of R&D into bicycles. So they don't budge because of the profit margin they have to obtain.
flag RoadStain
Posted: Dec 19, 2019 at 4:47 Quote
Tripmo wrote:
[

LOL you are so wrong. I worked at an official Trek dealer before. They mark up their bikes 30%.
The dealers only don't wanna budge because they have a profit margin to make every week.


While you may think that you know margins - that simply is not the case. It will depend shop to shop, contract to contract, level of sales, proximity to WI, how the flooring works and who is handling the financing while the bike is either in a box at the LBS or on the showroom floor. A higher producing dealer will always get a higher margin than a lower producing dealer (Trek/Giant/Specialized) are infamous also for penalizing an LBS for stocking more than one brand on the floor.

Seems some folks think that there is no 'cost of money' - well, there is. That margin is ONLY if you are tier 1 and only if you sell the bike the day it arrives.

Also, the RD profit margin has nothing to do with consumer sales, that margin is made at the wholesale level. While it is 'passed on' that cost is covered on the way to the LBS, not on the way out of the LBS door.
flag gnarnaimo
O+ FL
Posted: Dec 19, 2019 at 6:45 Quote
Tripmo wrote:
gnarnaimo wrote:
Bike shops already aren't making much profit off bike sales as their margins are quite small on them. They typically make the majority of their profits from selling apparel, accessories, parts and service. So to expect them to budge alot on price is asking a bit much.
If you have developed a good relationship with a shop and have already given them alot of your hard earned money they will likely give you a better deal as they know you will probably keep going to the place and they will keep making profit from you.

LOL you are so wrong. I worked at an official Trek dealer before. They mark up their bikes 30%.
The dealers only don't wanna budge because they have a profit margin to make every week.

You sometimes see old bikes in the shop (that are "new"), but never sold. So they sometimes put crazy discounts on them.

But you will never get a 1 year old or spank new bike with 30% discount because the higher management wouldn't allow that. There is a lot of R&D into bicycles. So they don't budge because of the profit margin they have to obtain.

Maybe not all shops have the same margins on new bikes... I am friends with two shop owners and know exactly what sort of margins they both make from new bike sales.
flag dean0044
Posted: Dec 19, 2019 at 10:36 Quote
It's worth asking definitely. I got $300 off a brand new Trek Fuel asking politely. This bike had to be ordered, I'm assuming they lost money on it, but gave me $$$ off figuring i'd come in for shop work.

 


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