Negotiations on price
- Thread starter Neverlost
- Start date
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Depending what brand. A Specialized dealer gives me a customary 10% off the list price when I buy anything expensive (including e-bikes) at the LBS.
nutdriver
Member
- Region
- USA
Both my girlfriend and I purchased ebikes in December, 2023. Both Gazelle bikes. The bikes were already discounted by Gazelle about $1000 off msrp however the LBS offered an additional 10% off her bike. They would have done that on my bike as well but I ended up buying from Upway. Upway was very easy to deal with and their support staff were quick to respond. The downside of Upway is that they only offer a 1 year warranty unless the buyer pays for an upgrade at additional cost.
My sense is that many bike manufactures over produced as covid wound down and in some cases are still reducing that excess inventory. I suspect that bike stores will be less willing to discount as inventory evens out.
My sense is that many bike manufactures over produced as covid wound down and in some cases are still reducing that excess inventory. I suspect that bike stores will be less willing to discount as inventory evens out.
AvalancheRun
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Won't know unless you ask!
Dewey
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Arlington, Virginia
This tracks with what‘s been going on with Trek. I read the BRAIN article earlier this week about Trek reducing their staff by 10%. Yesterday I learned a friend recently bought a 2021 Trek Allant 9S new from a dealer for half off msrp.
AvalancheRun
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I was offered discounts on two major brand premium bikes between December and now. Don’t see how Gazelle is any different.
Be sincere about buying, offer a reasonable price and be ready to pay right now.
If they don't negotiate the walk away is very powerful buying tactic. It is surprising how often the seller will call you back before you leave the premises The problem is we usually want the item more than the seller wants to sell so we cave and pay what they are asking.
If they don't negotiate the walk away is very powerful buying tactic. It is surprising how often the seller will call you back before you leave the premises The problem is we usually want the item more than the seller wants to sell so we cave and pay what they are asking.
nutdriver
Member
- Region
- USA
I agree that it is generally important to not ask for a discount until ready to commit. Certainly ok if the shop offers a discount on their own.
rob feature
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Greenwood Village, Colorado
Shops have too much inventory and too few customers. Yeah, they'll negotiate. Covid days where they wouldn't budge from retail on anything are over. Also seeing some crazy good advertised deals.
CodyDog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Colorado
My recent experience here in Colorado was not finding a discount at the local shops for high end MTB e-bikes. Both a Specialized and two Trek shops were willing to let me walk out without budging even a few hundred dollars and I was ready purchase. With that being said they were willing to negotiate on high end analog MTB's. I did get a the manufactures offered discount on my Trek Fuel EXE 9.8 XT from the factory thru a Trek dealer. I think MTB e-bikes are in high demand in my area. Lots of mountain climbing here and there's a wave of younger riders that consider these bike to be a shuttle up the mountain to enjoy more down hill adventures. As far as price negotiations on more street oriented E-bikes, I couldn't tell you.
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Negotiation is key! Start by researching the invoice price and average sale price in your area. Be polite but firm, and don't be afraid to walk away if the dealer isn't willing to negotiate. In this digital age, tools like Competitor Price Tracking can turn the tide in your favor. For instance, Priceva offers a seamless experience with automated tracking and instant price change notifications, all managed from a single interface.
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scottsdalecommuter
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
good to know! i kicked around going shopping for a mountain bike without a motor and decided to save the money and have just been trail running instead. maybe next year ill spring for one.
Malthus
New Member
- Region
- USA
I wanted the current Gazelle Ultimate C380 with the latest Bosch Smart System but didn't want to pay ~US$5,000 for one, I don't think that price represents good value. After spending some time searching the Internet, I found The Bike Connection, a local bike shop in Palo Alto CA that sells the latest model Gazelle e-bikes online at substantial discounts way cheaper than I can find locally in my state.
I called them and they have an internet specialist who seemed knowledgeable and was able to answer my questions satisfactorily. So I took the plunge and placed an order with them for several hundred dollars less than I could find anywhere else.
I ordered the Gazelle Ultimate C380 on a Tuesday and it arrived via UPS the following Tuesday. I don't live in California and was not charged California sales tax.
The bike arrived in a big Diamondback box and was well wrapped, although on unpacking I found a few tiny scuff marks where parts had rubbed together during shipment over 500 miles. I had to attach the handlebars, insert the seatpost, attach the front wheel, the front mudguard, the front light and a rear reflector, pump up the tires and check all bolts for correct torque. It took me a while to do all this because no assembly instructions were provided and I have never done these steps before, but none of it was difficult. The only difficulty was that e-bikes like this one are heavy and not as easy for a small person like me to lift and align.
The one problem I encountered was that The Bike Connection sent me the older model Bosch System 2 charger by mistake and it took me a while to figure out why it would not plug into the (fully charged) battery. I emailed them about my problem and they called me the next morning to apologize and send me the correct charger by next day UPS.
Despite this issue, I would order from them again to save several hundred dollars, as long as I knew exactly what I wanted. If you call them, ask for the Internet sales guy, he was the most helpful to me. Here's the link:
Electric City & Recreation Bikes
Find Bulls, Electra, Gazelle, Giant, Liv, Momentum, Scott, and Tern electric city, hybrid, and recreation bikes at The Bike Connection. Shop online or visit us today to select your new e-bike.
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AvalancheRun
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I wanted the current Gazelle Ultimate C380 with the latest Bosch Smart System but didn't want to pay ~US$5,000 for one, I don't think that price represents good value. After spending some time searching the Internet, I found The Bike Connection, a local bike shop in Palo Alto CA that sells the latest model Gazelle e-bikes online at substantial discounts way cheaper than I can find locally in my state.
I called them and they have an internet specialist who seemed knowledgeable and was able to answer my questions satisfactorily. So I took the plunge and placed an order with them for several hundred dollars less than I could find anywhere else.
I ordered the Gazelle Ultimate C380 on a Tuesday and it arrived via UPS the following Tuesday. I don't live in California and was not charged California sales tax.
The bike arrived in a big Diamondback box and was well wrapped, although on unpacking I found a few tiny scuff marks where parts had rubbed together during shipment over 500 miles. I had to attach the handlebars, insert the seatpost, attach the front wheel, the front mudguard, the front light and a rear reflector, pump up the tires and check all bolts for correct torque. It took me a while to do all this because no assembly instructions were provided and I have never done these steps before, but none of it was difficult. The only difficulty was that e-bikes like this one are heavy and not as easy for a small person like me to lift and align.
The one problem I encountered was that The Bike Connection sent me the older model Bosch System 2 charger by mistake and it took me a while to figure out why it would not plug into the (fully charged) battery. I emailed them about my problem and they called me the next morning to apologize and send me the correct charger by next day UPS.
Despite this issue, I would order from them again to save several hundred dollars, as long as I knew exactly what I wanted. If you call them, ask for the Internet sales guy, he was the most helpful to me. Here's the link:
Electric City & Recreation Bikes
Find Bulls, Electra, Gazelle, Giant, Liv, Momentum, Scott, and Tern electric city, hybrid, and recreation bikes at The Bike Connection. Shop online or visit us today to select your new e-bike.www.bikeconnection.net
Nice work! Would be curious to hear the price you were able to get, if you are comfortable sharing. That link doesn't show any 2023 Ultimate C380 bikes like yours.
Also if you're relatively (or even a little) handy ordering online seems like a perfectly fine solution. Several new bikes we bought locally in the last year were put together wrong (multiple pedals falling off, handlebars flopped over on my Haul ST, reflectors fell off on initial ride, and probably more). So it's not like buying locally is a sure fire either.
Malthus
New Member
- Region
- USA
I paid $4,250 for the latest Gazelle Ultimate C380 with Bosch Smart System. I think I got the last one they had in stock.
This is a late response but I'm just now considering a Gazelle. You found an interesting and surprising vendor. Bike Connection is one of my local shops. They are across from and service the Stanford student population, among others. I had a fairly decent opinion of them until I sent a friend over to get his vintage Raleigh 3-speed serviced. They made some big mistakes, and that was after I vetted them to work on the IGH and ensure they had the "special" size 26" tires. They failed badly on both, and returned a bike with stripped axle nuts (common problem with Sturmey-Archer) and loose chain. I found another shop to take my old Raleigh to and they misrepresented their skills as well. I ended up talking my IGH apart myself. Anyway, I will consider their internet sales guy, even though I can walk into the shop.I wanted the current Gazelle Ultimate C380 with the latest Bosch Smart System but didn't want to pay ~US$5,000 for one, I don't think that price represents good value. After spending some time searching the Internet, I found The Bike Connection, a local bike shop in Palo Alto CA that sells the latest model Gazelle e-bikes online at substantial discounts way cheaper than I can find locally in my state.
I called them and they have an internet specialist who seemed knowledgeable and was able to answer my questions satisfactorily. So I took the plunge and placed an order with them for several hundred dollars less than I could find anywhere else.
I ordered the Gazelle Ultimate C380 on a Tuesday and it arrived via UPS the following Tuesday. I don't live in California and was not charged California sales tax.
The bike arrived in a big Diamondback box and was well wrapped, although on unpacking I found a few tiny scuff marks where parts had rubbed together during shipment over 500 miles. I had to attach the handlebars, insert the seatpost, attach the front wheel, the front mudguard, the front light and a rear reflector, pump up the tires and check all bolts for correct torque. It took me a while to do all this because no assembly instructions were provided and I have never done these steps before, but none of it was difficult. The only difficulty was that e-bikes like this one are heavy and not as easy for a small person like me to lift and align.
The one problem I encountered was that The Bike Connection sent me the older model Bosch System 2 charger by mistake and it took me a while to figure out why it would not plug into the (fully charged) battery. I emailed them about my problem and they called me the next morning to apologize and send me the correct charger by next day UPS.
Despite this issue, I would order from them again to save several hundred dollars, as long as I knew exactly what I wanted. If you call them, ask for the Internet sales guy, he was the most helpful to me. Here's the link:
Electric City & Recreation Bikes
Find Bulls, Electra, Gazelle, Giant, Liv, Momentum, Scott, and Tern electric city, hybrid, and recreation bikes at The Bike Connection. Shop online or visit us today to select your new e-bike.
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