Ribble shipping/availability

[Jaybee]

I've gotten a couple groupsets over the past 10 years from UK vendors. Great prices for USians, for sure. But I've been able to do just as well if not better by surfing forum classifieds/craigslist/ebay and keeping it local. I guess that isn't doing a whole lot for my LBS, but at least the money is staying in the local bike community and goods are being re-used rather than disposed of.

I certainly don't have a stable of bespoke 5-figure bikes, but I don't think my riding is suffering from not having the latest/greatest. What I really need is better time management to ride the bikes I do have.

[Davist]

Originally Posted by sales guy

As someone who was affected by Brexit, it didn't have anything to do with this. 's.

Another way you could always get your "wear parts", talk to people on here.

I don't think the full commercial impact of brexit (I'm in b2b and data centers, we may be ahead of curve?) has begun to hit yet. I work for a Swiss Company, with an Irish (Republic) boss, it's already costing us plenty, and the IE vs UK stuff (specifically the Northern Ireland border or lack thereof moving forward is heating up significantly).

As to wear parts, I haven't seen a lot of new Ultegra chains for sale in the classifieds, but I'll be glad to keep looking..

[sokyroadie]

I ordered some Campy components from Ribble earlier this week without an issue, I have not received them yet but it shows they have been dispatched.

Jeff

[loxx0050]

I just ordered some Michelin latex tubes from Ribble last week and it shipped the same day.

Was definitely cheaper than from US retailers or Amazon. But they also carried the 40mm valve length that is hard to impossible to find at a US retailers...even Amazon has sparse listings for these that come from 3rd parties out of country.

I wouldn't mind buying Vrdestein (sp?) Latex tubes since they measure differently so the 50mm length is shorter where it counts. But those seem to also be hard to find from a US retailers too.

[choke]

Originally Posted by sdrides

This topic does raise the question of why these items are more expensive in the US than these British sites. Is it the import duties? More middlemen? Wal-Mart style pricing schemes from Ribble etc.? Manufacturer-mandated pricing?

It's likely a combination of everything that you listed, though the last one is a big problem in the US. The US allows resale price maintenance while the EU does not.

While many may see blocking shipments to the US as a good thing, I see it as exactly the opposite and I'll try to steer of products from any company which does so. That really sucks for me as Castelli shorts have long been my favorite.

[Tony T]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

It's about effing time!!!!

Good on Sidi and Castelli

Yes!! Great for Sidi and Castelli!!!
(but not so good for the US consumer )
(…and even better for their competitors, as I will now be giving them my business )

[wc1934]

Originally Posted by sokyroadie

I ordered some Campy components from Ribble earlier this week without an issue, I have not received them yet but it shows they have been dispatched.

Jeff

Yeah that's the crazy part of this.
I can and did get campy components without a problem (received them in less than a week). Not sure if I can't complete the transaction because I am trying to buy clothing/shoes or if it is the particular brands (Castelli and Sidi) that are excluded/ preventing the purchase.

[CSKeller]

Trying to understand...

Can someone tell me what IBDs and ISPs are in the sales context?

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by CSKeller

Trying to understand...

Can someone tell me what IBDs and ISPs are in the sales context?

Independent Bicycle Dealer (your local shop)
and
Internet Service Provider (the company you access your internet through)

[Bostic]

Originally Posted by sales guy

Chain Reaction, Ribble and a few others are stopping the sale of product to the US due to Shimano, SRAM, Campy and others getting slammed by IBD's here.

If your ISP is based in the US, it assigns it to a no sale algorithm.

What happens if someone uses a third party VPN or the built in one in the Opera Web Browser to not be US based? Or does the shipping to US then flag it as well for a no sale?

[Davist]

You have to tell them a shipping address, then it says "this product not available to ship to your area" or some such..

[peanutgallery]

This is a puzzling sentiment, nobody at the LBS level is ever going to get rich. Scratching out a middle class existence is a dream for all but a few. No retirement or benefits to speak of, you're on your own. Most do it for the passion of the sport and quality of life, don't begrudge them for doing something in life that generates enough profit for food on the table and a roof over the head.

If you do begrudge that person, please share what it is that you do in life, what you charge for it and as a group we can collectively judge if you're gouging your way thru life or not and if what you do justifies how you are compensated

Price gouging at the LBS, pfffffft. Sort of like the concept of clean coal

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

This is a puzzling sentiment, nobody at the LBS level is ever going to get rich. Scratching out a middle class existence is a dream for all but a few. No retirement or benefits to speak of, you're on your own. Most do it for the passion of the sport and quality of life, don't begrudge them for doing something in life that generates enough profit for food on the table and a roof over the head.

If you do begrudge that person, please share what it is that you do in life, what you charge for it and as a group we can collectively judge if you're gouging your way thru life or not and if what you do justifies how you are compensated

Price gouging at the LBS, pfffffft. Sort of like the concept of clean coal

I agree. Pricing is all over the map because of weird, grey/black market distribution, manufacturer's who get their margin regardless and don't care who they sell to(distributors who sell to bike shops AND consumers) and walmart type selling in a rush for the bottom who rely totally on volume.

BUT LBS' buy, add a margin to keep the lights on, and try to stay in BIZ. 35-36 points is the recognized minimum to break even at the end of the year(take cost and divide by .65/.64)...no more debt and no net profit. US LBS are tied to distribution channels in most cases. Some manufacturer's are LBS direct(like Mavic, Ritchey, others) but when you see prices from places like Planet Cyclery and others, don't say the LBS is gouging me cuz their prices are higher. These MO outfits are discounting deeply, often w/o warranty(regardless of what they say-most self warranty), and if the volume goes down a bit, they are adios.

Throw in stoopid product intro schedule and bike makers who demand the world and promise nothing...buy a load of bikes that sell at low margin, no $ to build, sell or service after the sale, then discount(means losing $) when the new crap is introduced in the middle of the selling season.

Lots of stuff goes into this but please, do a little research, that tube at $7 doesn't mean the LBS is 'trying to screw US!!'....

[peanutgallery]

Sad trombones...poor Wiggle

https://cyclingindustry.news/wigglec...pening-losses/

[sdrides]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

This is a puzzling sentiment, nobody at the LBS level is ever going to get rich. Scratching out a middle class existence is a dream for all but a few. No retirement or benefits to speak of, you're on your own. Most do it for the passion of the sport and quality of life, don't begrudge them for doing something in life that generates enough profit for food on the table and a roof over the head.

If you do begrudge that person, please share what it is that you do in life, what you charge for it and as a group we can collectively judge if you're gouging your way thru life or not and if what you do justifies how you are compensated

Price gouging at the LBS, pfffffft. Sort of like the concept of clean coal

It's not that anyone begrudges the shop owners, I'm definitely sympathetic. But in the end, it's not really my job to look out for their bottom line, is it? I'm concerned about my bottom line, reasonably so I think, and that makes the pricing downtown pretty unappealing against some of these easily accessible alternatives.