Amazon price gouging

tomjasz

tomjasz

Well-Known Member
Region
USA
City
Minnesnowta
I've been using Kenda tires for all my eBikes. Typically I could find them for $20-$25 plus shipping. I need a new set and they have doubled in price. Schwalbe alternatives are hard to find in stock. K838 now $5-$60 EACH!
 
I believe that’s called supply and demand. Bought any plywood lately? Gone up almost 40%
 
Not that much demand in the 20" size. I just replaced my Kenda tires with Kenda Kwest 100psi 20 x1.5" that I bought two years ago. I think they were under $20/each at Performance Bike, and today are still around $29.

A year ago, I bought Schwalbe Big Apples 20x2 for $32 each and they are at $36 right now.
 
I posted on craigslist about a month ago six used, but still good tires, and had a flood of inquiries. I priced them what I genuinely thought they were worth, what I'd pay for them. I just didn't want to throw them in the recycling and friends didn't want them. The people that bought them were extremely happy to get them. One guy said they were giveaway prices. I didn't know there was such a shortage. Luckily I still have some spares.
 
In the market for 26"x 4.0" or so street tires (slicks) so I don't have to listen to the growl from knobbies. They are getting absolutely crazy prices for those - when you can find them!
 
AHicks said:
In the market for 26"x 4.0" or so street tires (slicks) so I don't have to listen to the growl from knobbies. They are getting absolutely crazy prices for those - when you can find them!
Click to expand...
don't know what your budget is, but I have these and really like them.
www.ebay.com

Arisun Big Smoothy 26" x 4.0 Folding Semi Slick Fat Bike Tire Black 4" Fast Roll | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Arisun Big Smoothy 26" x 4.0 Folding Semi Slick Fat Bike Tire Black 4" Fast Roll at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
 
Ya, I noticed the same thing, some bike accessories such as extension bars have doubled in price, my bike stand increased 300%, mostly I noticed very low stock everywhere on good/popular tires, and those that have them are charging crazy prices. I ordered some from China, and some from Germany. Come late fall, I suspect prices will "Fall" themselves.
 
The tariffs our president put on bikes etc. from China has everything to do with this issue. My ebike cost me an extra $200.00 in tariff fees and the supplier paid $200.00 for a total of $400.00 in tariff fees. Now I understand he wants to add another 25 percent tariff.
The issue is that ultimately near 100 percent of bikes and components come from China so one has no other choice.
Make no mistake these fees are paid by you and me, not China or Chinese manufactures.
Has anybody noticed the huge price increases at Harbor Freight as of late?
 
teskow said:
The tariffs our president put on bikes etc. from China has everything to do with this issue. My ebike cost me an extra $200.00 in tariff fees and the supplier paid $200.00 for a total of $400.00 in tariff fees. Now I understand he wants to add another 25 percent tariff.
The issue is that ultimately near 100 percent of bikes and components come from China so one has no other choice.
Make no mistake these fees are paid by you and me, not China or Chinese manufactures.
Has anybody noticed the huge price increases at Harbor Freight as of late?
Click to expand...
Tariffs were dropped on complete eBikes but remain on kits and parts.
 
teskow said:
The tariffs our president put on bikes etc. from China has everything to do with this issue.
My ebike cost me an extra $200.00 in tariff fees and the supplier paid $200.00 for a total of $400.00 in tariff fees. Now I understand he wants to add another 25 percent tariff.
The issue is that ultimately near 100 percent of bikes and components come from China so one has no other choice.
Make no mistake these fees are paid by you and me, not China or Chinese manufactures.
Has anybody noticed the huge price increases at Harbor Freight as of late?
Click to expand...

Incorrect, please check your source before posting information on EBR.

Amazon price gouging is a function of supply and demand... Simple Econ 101. ;)
 
Last edited:
teskow said:
The tariffs our president put on bikes etc. from China has everything to do with this issue. My ebike cost me an extra $200.00 in tariff fees and the supplier paid $200.00 for a total of $400.00 in tariff fees. Now I understand he wants to add another 25 percent tariff.
The issue is that ultimately near 100 percent of bikes and components come from China so one has no other choice.
Make no mistake these fees are paid by you and me, not China or Chinese manufactures.
Has anybody noticed the huge price increases at Harbor Freight as of late?
Click to expand...
The proposed tariffs on bikes and ebikes a year ago never went into effect. You should ask the seller for a rebate.
 
teskow said:
The tariffs our president put on bikes etc. from China has everything to do with this issue. My ebike cost me an extra $200.00 in tariff fees and the supplier paid $200.00 for a total of $400.00 in tariff fees. Now I understand he wants to add another 25 percent tariff.
The issue is that ultimately near 100 percent of bikes and components come from China so one has no other choice.
Make no mistake these fees are paid by you and me, not China or Chinese manufactures.
Has anybody noticed the huge price increases at Harbor Freight as of late?
Click to expand...
Bike industry Tariffs got lifted months ago. Where have you been ? And in fact, companies like Rad, who supposedly 'ate' the tariffs, did not afterall 'eat' anything, as companies were all retroactively reimbursed by the government for everything they had sold that were charged tariffs for, during the time period it all occured. The REAL issue, is first and foremost, that all these bike products are pretty much single sourced from China. Basically 90% of the industry is there. Then that industry all in one country, got bludgeoned by COVID 19. ZERO diversification of factories for so many of the parts in the entire supply chain. Its a lesson in abject supply chain management stupidity. So we all are now paying the price for that stupidity by the industry, as many Chinese owned bike factories, and bike parts related factories, all got shut down for 4 to 5 months, due to China's CCP locking it all down for Covid 19. The rest after that is history. As lockdowns on our end, spurred unprecedented demand for bikes and ebikes, clearing out shelves in most big box stores carrying bikes within 60 days of beginning of our lockdowns. Then next were bike shops, that maybe had inventory for another 60 days past the big boxes, and then a number of independent shops had no inventory of bikes to sell, and had to wait, and hope and pray they could find any bikes from anywhere, other than their traditional suppliers.

Lets hope that a silver lining of very hard lessons learned, (i.e. all the retailers who missed out big on the demand bc they had zero inventory for months this year) forces the hands of the bike and ebike importers, and respective OEMs, and they all start the very hard work of heavily diversifying said factories to other countries, even if it takes the same 3 decades, it took for us to hand it all over to China, starting back in the 70's and 80's, to where they are today having a virtual lock on the entire bike industry supply chain. (as they do with many other manufactured products in many industries, thanks to US CEO's and execs, chasing those big fat short term oriented, and incentivized stock bonuses, and golden parachutes. Big pharma is another guilty party in that regard. China has a lot of US industries by their short hairs. )
 
Tariff lifted or not my bike cost me $200.00 extra to pay 1/2 of the tariff. Did it go in their coffer or did they pay it to Uncle Sam in tariff fee.
Did the company that supposedly paid the other $200.00 get it refunded by the administration? I have no idea now if they even paid it.
I will try and request a refund but am not holding my breath.
 
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