[Donkeeboy]

All of three of my current drivetrains (Shimano XT 12 sp) came from Ebay vendors in Asia, took anywhere from a month to a few months, no issues with delivery, got the products I was expecting, and they've worked as well as I expected.

They come wrapped in the Shimano instruction paper (no box) which was odd, so maybe they're pulled them out of bin used to build complete bikes?

 

[huckleberry hound]

I ordered a Shimano RT66 6-Bolt Disc Brake Rotor 203mm (oem) from Jensen and it was made in China. I've also ordered a MT520 caliper on Aliexpress and if it is a counterfeit it is a good one because it has been flawless for over 2000 miles.

 

[ungod]

I noticed prices are a lot lower in AliExpress than eBay, which makes sense given ebay's fees these days. You're still paying with PayPal so no concerns about buyer protections. Just figured I'd mention it.

 

[RS VR6]

All of three of my current drivetrains (Shimano XT 12 sp) came from Ebay vendors in Asia, took anywhere from a month to a few months, no issues with delivery, got the products I was expecting, and they've worked as well as I expected.

They come wrapped in the Shimano instruction paper (no box) which was odd, so maybe they're pulled them out of bin used to build complete bikes?

They're probably OEM parts supplied to bike manufacturers. A lot of OEM parts don't come in the traditional boxes and just come in plastic bags.

That's how places like Chain Reaction in the UK was able to give such low prices on Shimano parts. OEM pricing is significantly lower than your typical wholesale per piece prices to bike shops. Instead of using the parts to build bikes...they sell them individually. I've gotten parts from the UK and Germany wrapped in clear plastic bags. Bike companies in China also buy in large quantities.

Chain Reaction for a while a few years ago had brand new Thomson stems for $60 with free shipping and no tax. There is no way to get a Thomson stem here in the US for $60.

 

[paramount3]

For those who, for whatever reason, don't want to buy from vendors in mainland China, there are some legit Taiwanese vendors on Ebay. A few months ago I was able to purchase a genuine FC-M5100 crankset from an Ebay store called "mybicycleparts" in Taipei that was pretty much the only place in the world that could sell me this crankset with a 30t chainring. It arrived in about 10 days, also--but that was back in March.

 

[NORCAL1979]

Derailleur arrived today. It sure looks 100% authentic!

 

[NORCAL1979]

Compared it to my existing damaged SLX derailleur and it looks exactly the same right down to the smallest rivets and fasteners. I’m installing this weekend and test rides to follow during the week.

 

[NORCAL1979]

The ebay seller has been in business since 2008 and doesn’t have any really negative reviews. Looks as though he imports from one of the Asian Shimano distribution hubs via. DHL air mail.

 

[racefit]

Chain Reaction for a while a few years ago had brand new Thomson stems for $60 with free shipping and no tax. There is no way to get a Thomson stem here in the US for $60.

There are many counterfeit Thomson products out there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[006_007]

Thanks for the heads up. In the future please use the report feature and report the offending posts directly so any available mod can assist.

Please use the report feature so the mods can quietly and transparently make changes while drawing minimal attention.

 

[ValEs]

Its no different than what the UK and mainland European shops do. I bet they are 100% legit parts.

Possibly. Definitely there is the perception that it’s harder to get your money back, if ever, from ”grey market” when shipped from the Mainland.

 

[NORCAL1979]

It has been over a year now since I received my SLX 12 spd .derailleur from the Chinese seller. It has been problem free and works exactly as it should. I wager that is is indeed authentic based on its reliable performance.

 

[TandemBear]

They're probably OEM parts supplied to bike manufacturers. A lot of OEM parts don't come in the traditional boxes and just come in plastic bags.

That's how places like Chain Reaction in the UK was able to give such low prices on Shimano parts. OEM pricing is significantly lower than your typical wholesale per piece prices to bike shops. Instead of using the parts to build bikes...they sell them individually. I've gotten parts from the UK and Germany wrapped in clear plastic bags. Bike companies in China also buy in large quantities.

Chain Reaction for a while a few years ago had brand new Thomson stems for $60 with free shipping and no tax. There is no way to get a Thomson stem here in the US for $60.

And this is how the catalogs undercut the LBS for years in the 80's & 90's. Pedals were a big segment where the bike shops simply couldn't compete. Buying at wholesale and marking up keystone compared to OEM pricing and lower markup by mail order meant a big differential at the final price. Performance created a line of bikes so they could source OEM pricing on parts. Funny Shimano never noticed the were ordering 20,000 parts kits for a production run of 5,000 bikes!

And then the consumer got pissed at the LBS because they were "ripping them off!" Typical. But the customer graced the shop by paying them $5 to install the things! Lame.

 

[speedygz]

And this is how the catalogs undercut the LBS for years in the 80's & 90's. Pedals were a big segment where the bike shops simply couldn't compete. Buying at wholesale and marking up keystone compared to OEM pricing and lower markup by mail order meant a big differential at the final price. Performance created a line of bikes so they could source OEM pricing on parts. Funny Shimano never noticed the were ordering 20,000 parts kits for a production run of 5,000 bikes!

And then the consumer got pissed at the LBS because they were "ripping them off!" Typical. But the customer graced the shop by paying them $5 to install the things! Lame.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why the vast majority of local bike shops do not open online store fronts. Money for jam. They'd at least get a little bit of a cut on the sale of the parts, and then more than likely make more when the customer returns to have the parts fitted, after screwing it up and needing some help

 

[solarplex]

Not shimano but i bought trp spykes in 2018 for my farley from aliexpress and have been flawless since then. I ride 1-2 a week November to april in winter conditions.

not sure how they get their hands on them but they do seem like original parts.