Why Amazon will (and should) put Performance Bike out of business

[54ny77]

Yes, they are going to domicile their new headquarters on the moon and drop things from an orbiting warehouse. No interstate borders will be crossed. Might suck if your package gets hit by flying space debris traveling at 16,000 mph, but that's ok. Prime members will be offered orbital damage insurance for an additional $39.95/yr.

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

Has Amazon figured out how to not charge sales tax for out-of-state orders yet?

[93legendti]

Originally Posted by Climb01742

Amazon Prime has perfected frictionless buying of almost anything. Including more and more cycling bits. Particularly saddles.

Like an idiot, I ordered a saddle from Performance Bike. They shipped me the wrong saddle. There is no online way to initiate the return. I have to print a return form and fill it out by hand. I must pay, upfront, for return shipping on a mistake they made. And I gotta wait until heaven knows when to have my CC credited for the return.

Compare that to an Amazon Prime return. Go online. Request a return. Hit print. Stick prepaid label on box. Drop off at UPS. The moment Amazon sees the package has been dropped off and scanned, they credit your card. Whole thing takes maybe an hour, on a slow day.

It's not just Performance, though they are strikingly antiquated. So many cycling online retailers are needlessly painful to use and behind the times. It's hard to believe they don't realize that Amazon is setting both the rules and expectations today. One click gets me a product in two days, with free, no questions returns, and a CC credited back in minutes.

Amazon will, and should, consign online retailers like Performance and others to the dustbin. Either step up (like Competitive Cycling did/has) or step aside.

I love Amazon. We use the site for buying so many things.

1. If you call Performance, they will email you a return label. I seem to recall they may even schedule the UPS pickup. At least they used to. My local Performance is 5 minutes away so I haven't needed to do this in a while.

2. When going thru the Amazon return process there is an option to have UPS pickup the item the next business day. Even more convenient and easy.

[Skenry]

Originally Posted by froze

Performance going into receivership? where did you get that load of nonsense? why not read something a bit more accurate, read this: http://www.bicycleretailer.com/north...rmance-bicycle Performance/Nashbar is not going into receivership, they are selling the company at a huge profit.

ASI got that deal as Performance couldn't keep up their payments.


this is what is important from the BRAIN story:
ASI secured a $100 million line of credit with Wells Fargo to help finance the buyout. Ideal, Taiwan’s third largest bike manufacturer, has a minority stake in ASI and becomes a shareholder in the new company. Cunnane said the transaction was made with “very minimal debt.”

“We’ve stabilized the business [Performance] financially and they will have the opportunity to grow and make additional investments to further perfect their business,” Cunnane said of the buyout.
*****
They got the transaction done with minimal debt because they were already owed. A $275million business doesn't get bought with a $100million line of credit. ASI "stabilized the business" as they couldn't stabilize it themselves.

I have close to 30 years full and part time in the industry. Did my stint at Pmart up until last year. What you read in the marketing mags isn't always the truth. Support your local bike shop, unless you live in central NC, this ain't it.

[54ny77]

Seems like you really can make a small fortune in the bike biz.....

....by starting out with a much larger one.

[charliedid]

I thought Amazon was buying TREK.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by Climb01742

Two things mentioned are true: Third party stuff bought on Amazon can definitely be problematic. Any bike bits I buy from Amazon I only buy from them, no more third parties. And yes, CC/Back Country is stellar. I'm a long time CC fan. Thing is, sometimes Amazon has bits CC doesn't. And yes, sometimes CC has a better price. The competition is making both sides better, I think.

This is true for anything you buy from them. I try to buy only stuff sold by, or at least through, (as opposed to 3rd party only) Amazon because I've had stuff not show up, take ages to get to me, and other headaches with 3rd party vendors.
I also buy very little bike stuff from them. Cleat covers, bar tape, but not much else.

[415km]

Do some research into Amazon's practices, how they treat their workers, the shark tank environment, ect. Ask yourself if that's conditions you'd want to work under and if not why would you want someone else to work like that.
The race to the bottom of prices has many not so obvious costs to our world.
I personally don't buy anything from Amazon and while I don't judge those who do I would encourage you to look into the ethics behind these very large companies and make a choice for yourself.

[Mzilliox]

Is there anyone else who doesn't mind actually doing a bit of work for things anymore? I'm dead serious when i say life has become too easy. its become so easy for some folks they actually just forget to do it. like they think its supposed to be so easy the email will return itself or something...

man, you have to fill out something to return something? the injustice? maybe pick up a motor off amazon for your bike so you don't have to pedal?

sorry, hard for me to ever sympathize when someone talks about how hard things are nowadays. kinda like complaining about your flight being 30 minutes late when you are actually flying though the air to reach your destination in amazingly short amounts of time.

[Climb01742]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

Is there anyone else who doesn't mind actually doing a bit of work for things anymore? I'm dead serious when i say life has become too easy. its become so easy for some folks they actually just forget to do it. like they think its supposed to be so easy the email will return itself or something...

man, you have to fill out something to return something? the injustice? maybe pick up a motor off amazon for your bike so you don't have to pedal?

sorry, hard for me to ever sympathize when someone talks about how hard things are nowadays. kinda like complaining about your flight being 30 minutes late when you are actually flying though the air to reach your destination in amazingly short amounts of time.

Your post reflects a complete misreading of what I said. My point was, and still is: one company is very good at selling online. And another company is very bad at it. Nowhere did I say anything about hard or easy. It's a question of competency and lack thereof.

Critique me all you want. But critique me accurately.

[jlwdm]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

Has Amazon figured out how to not charge sales tax for out-of-state orders yet?

Just the opposite. they made a decision to charge for deliveries to all states that have a sales tax (not true for 3rd party sellers). They have a presence in most states now to have quick deliveries which required sales tax. They then made a decision to pay in all sales tax states even if they did not have a presence.

If you have a sales and use tax in your state, you are required to pay the tax even if not charged by the seller. I purchased a lot of furniture in NC about 15 years ago or so and because furniture is a higher cost, a lot of states obtained sales info in NC and went after the tax. I had to pay the tax, interest and penalties.

Jeff

[Climb01742]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

Is there anyone else who doesn't mind actually doing a bit of work for things anymore? I'm dead serious when i say life has become too easy. its become so easy for some folks they actually just forget to do it. like they think its supposed to be so easy the email will return itself or something...

Before you write something like this, which makes enormous baseless assumptions, it might help to have some idea what you're talking about. You have no idea about me or my life, whether things are easy or hard, and about the principles I live by.

[Bruce K]

This one is getting a little out of hand.

Personal attacks are not welcome on our forum and can (and have) result in a 2 week time-out or worse.

We've been very civil over the last couple of weeks.

Please, let's keep it that way.

BK

[Big Dan]

Wish I had a Performance store closer to my house.
REI too....

[19wisconsin64]

I like Performance Bike. I've shopped with them since the 1980's, and have always had good experiences, even with returns.
Recently they sold me some great long sleeve summer white jerseys at a great price, and some good tires too.
They may not be as perfect with the online experience as other sellers, but they have always done right by me.
They also have house brands that are very good for the money, especially when on sale....which is often.
Performance bike more than almost any other company in the US has always had a great selection cycling products at great prices shipped to your door. To me that's great customer service. I'd be sad to see them go.

[Burnette]

Originally Posted by Big Dan

Wish I had a Performance store closer to my house.
REI too....

And it's end is season time and REI and Performance Bike will have rolling sales for weeks. I call this time of year "Bicycle Holidays" because of those two stores.