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Do you pay the whole MSRP upfront for a bike you ask your bike shop to order?

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#21 ·
rider95124 said:
If you have become known as the customer who will try to renegotiate the price of a special order bike based on cosmetic blemishes then it isn't surprising that they are asking full price up front.
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I'm not sure I understand what you saying. Are you suggesting that he should still pay full price for a damaged bike?

Frankly a bike arriving with damage would be the least of my concerns. The bike shop and/or manufacturer should make it right for the customer offering either a discount on the damaged bike or a replacement in perfect condition.
 
#22 ·
I see four options:

1. Buy from another shop that doesn't require full payment up front.
2. Ask if they'll agree to a 50% deposit.
3. Don't buy it. Pick a different bike.
4. Buy it and hope for the best. It will most likely all work out just fine (but use a credit card just in case).
 
#23 ·
It’s simple.....the shop owes money to specialEd....specialized won’t let them order any more bikes, or won’t let them order any bikes on terms....so they have to pay up front for them. The shop wants it paid in full so they don’t get screwed.
 
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#24 ·
mtnbikej said:
It's simple.....the shop owes money to specialEd....specialized won't let them order any more bikes, or won't let them order any bikes on terms....so they have to pay up front for them. The shop wants it paid in full so they don't get screwed.
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I'd say there's a decent chance that's the deal, and if it is it could work to the op's advantage. Full cash up front for a special order bike is a pretty sweet deal for a shop and one that is hurting will probably be willing to negotiate a fair amount, it's money in the bank for them.

Even if the shop is doing well cash up front should buy you some sort of discount IMO, 20-50% deposit is more standard.
 
#25 · (Edited)
A shop asking for a 100% deposit on a bike from a big manufacturer would really turn me off. It's not like your LBS is paying the full 8k for the bike. If this is a shop you know and trust, maybe there's more to this situation and it'll be fine. But if they are being prickly about a big purchase how are they going to treat you when there's little or no money involved (ie: service or warranty work)?
 
#26 ·
*OneSpeed* said:
I'm not sure I understand what you saying. Are you suggesting that he should still pay full price for a damaged bike?

Frankly a bike arriving with damage would be the least of my concerns. The bike shop and/or manufacturer should make it right for the customer offering either a discount on the damaged bike or a replacement in perfect condition.
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I think we would need to define what constitutes "damage". If the OP is the one person out of a thousand that is going to scrutinize the paint looking for minor blemishes that most people wouldn't notice or even care about and then demand 10 to 20% discount in order to purchase the bike then it would be understandable if the shop decides to ask for full price up front. My experience with dealing with manufacturers when trying to appease people who do that is the manufacturer isn't thrilled about giving discounts for minor cosmetic blemishes and often the shop ends up taking the hit on the sale price so as not to get stuck with a bike they wouldn't normally have stocked.
 
#27 ·
My wife had a salesman offer to order her a bike no strings attached, and it paid off for him because she bought it. But we are talking here about a $500 bike and not a $7000 hangar queen.
 
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#28 ·
it's possible the shop doesn't really want to deal with an ebike so the 100% deposit is discouragement.

I know that a lot of shops hate ebikes from a service side of things. Electronic components go bad, too, so they've gotta invest in more training and equipment so that their techs can diagnose that stuff.

The electronic drivetrains are one thing. They're pretty modular and diagnosis doesn't seem too bad. Replacing a bad component pretty much involves unplugging the bad one and plugging in the new one. ebikes are a bit different. There's lots of variation from one to another and the components are not so easily modular on many.
 
#29 ·
I wouldn't pay full retail up front for a car I never drove from a local dealer, and the same goes for a bike that's priced the same as some used cars. What if it doesn't fit? Looks like your LBS is also a victim of the outlandish bike prices these days (even though yours is electric). You might as well mail order.
 
#30 ·
The shop I work at does 20% down to order a bike.

I always say 'you aren't making a commitment to buy THIS bike, but you are making a commitment to buy A bike. If it comes in and something isn't what you had expected we'll help you find one that is and apply your deposit toward that.'

Then again, if I had done business with that shop and trusted them as one should trust their LBS I probably wouldn't be too concerned. That's a big ass purchase, on a 'new and exciting' product line, they're gonna want to make sure you end up happy.
 
#31 ·
My LBS ordered the bike I wanted and let me ride it before committing to buy it. I bought it, but I assume if I didn’t they’d just sell it to someone else. Heck even when I bought my last Chevy Tahoe the dealer shipped it in from a couple states away and let me drive it before committing. I’d shop elsewhere personally.
 
#33 ·
JDHutch said:
My LBS ordered the bike I wanted and let me ride it before committing to buy it. I bought it, but I assume if I didn't they'd just sell it to someone else. Heck even when I bought my last Chevy Tahoe the dealer shipped it in from a couple states away and let me drive it before committing. I'd shop elsewhere personally.
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Shops commit to large pre-season orders based on their best estimates of sales, ordering an extra bike that just ends up being warehoused costs the shop money so it's understandable for them to want a down payment and commitment.
 
#36 ·
No.

That's no way to run a "business". I wonder what you wonder, "what happens if the store goes out of business?".

Find another dealer who wants your business.
 
#38 ·
The shop that ordered my bike at an 18% discount required a 60% deposit. A Trek bike only the manager could or would negotiate my sale. I made an appointment to do the deal. In your case I'd start talking to managers at some other stores. You should shoot for 20% off for cash. Find a manager willing to work with you to get the deal done. Walk away from this shop.
 
#39 ·
Nat said:
I think a credit card company would take care of you in that event. Still, I'd rather use a business who wanted my business enough to trust me a little.
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Eventually, after a lot of ass ache with the CC company.

I agree, find someone who wants your business.
 
#40 ·
borgey007 said:
I've decided on an E-Bike (Specialized Turbo Levo FSR Comp 6Fattie). Its MSRP is $7,169 CAN (total price including tax approximately $8,000 CAN).

The bike shop does not have the bike on the floor (ie in stock). To order the bike, the shop wants me to pay the full price upfront.

I expected they would only ask for a deposit.

2 out of 2 bikes I previously had a bike shop order came with paint ships. I hadn't paid the full price upfront for those bikes, and in both cases the manufacturer discounted the bikes 10 or 20% to compensate for the paint chips.

I'm afraid to pay the full price upfront, for the bike shop to order the bike.
If the bike should arrive with any defects, I would have no clout. The shop said I need to "have faith" and "trust". They refused even to consider writing a contract.

This is the most expensive bike I will purchase. If you want a bike that your bike shop does not have on the floor, do you pay the full price upfront first, for the shop to order the bike?
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Walk away. Why should you put your faith and trust in a shop that doesn't believe that you are making your purchase in good faith? I've ordered a few items at full price that took forever to arrive - I think that a cash short business "borrows" your payment and delays the order to delay their inevitable failure.
 
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