so, is serotta james selling on ebay??

[spiderman]

who else from saratoga springs
would sell such a pristine bike??
maybe that explains why the website
doesn't offer frame/forks anymore
http://cgi.ebay.com/200-Serotta-Ottrott-Carbon-Ti-Frame-F2-fork-NEW-53-5_W0QQitemZ7185042098QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZ WDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[mavic1010]

No..that's someone else..that person sells serottas often.

[Bruce K]

I think the reason Serotta isn't listing frames and forks is that they are headed to Interbike with one of their stated pruposes being to recruit new dealers.

Many retailers don't want to be in competition with the factory for customer dollars.

At some point, seconds or returns may resurface on the site but for now it makes sense for them to suspend the practice.

BK

[Sandy]

I think the reason Serotta isn't listing frames and forks is that they are headed to Interbike with one of their stated pruposes being to recruit new dealers.

Many retailers don't want to be in competition with the factory for customer dollars.

At some point, seconds or returns may resurface on the site but for now it makes sense for them to suspend the practice.

BK

Are they taking the Meivici?? :) :)

Simple Sandy

[JeffreyG]

From the color of the wall and base board I'd say its Blue Sky Cycles in Saratoga.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. .. with JeffreyG. Looks like Blue Sky. I would wager this is the Ottrott they've had on the wall in their fitting area for quite some time.

BBDave

[Fixed]

Bro any in the bike messenger price range? cheers :beer:

[Bill Bove]

I'm sure that it's Blue Sky too. When Serotta sells a frame off their web site, I'm pretty sure you still have to go through a dealer. They ship the bike to a dealer, you pay the dealer the stated price, Serotta charges the dealer the wholesale price so the dealer gets his mark up. It's almost a free sale for the dealer. I know a guy who wanted to buy a frame off the website but the dealer wouldn't sell it to him unless he also paid 75 bucks for the fitting, since he was buying an already built frame, not a custom and he was going to build it up himself with his own parts he did not understand why the dealer was adament about fitting him. He bought something else, somewhere else.

[vaxn8r]

How is it being a Serotta dealer? I would guess you need bikes on the floor to sell them. I don't know too many dealers who can have several $3-8K framesets sitting around...all so someone can order one in their own custom angles and colors.

Honestly, who sells Serotta? I'd guess you'd have to be a bike megastore. Anyone?

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . also on eBay with the same seller and background in the pics. I’m sure it’s Blue Sky and I’m also pretty sure they are not the only ones who would end up doing this to clear inventory off the floor. It’s the risk of being a dealer for a bike brand that makes a reputation on being “custom.” As a dealer, you almost have to have frames and built up bikes on the floor to show, but once customers have seen the wares, they want their OWN “custom” frame and nobody wants to buy the ones off the floor.

Can you elaborate on this, Bill? Do you sell any “custom” lines?

BBDave

[TiGuy]

When Serotta sells a frame off their web site, I'm pretty sure you still have to go through a dealer. They ship the bike to a dealer, you pay the dealer the stated price, Serotta charges the dealer the wholesale price so the dealer gets his mark up.

That's what happened when I bought my Concours CS off the website. My LBS had to order and deliver it. The frame had an extremely minor defect that is neither visible nor did it affect the frame's function, but it wasn't perfect, so Serotta marked it down almost 50%. The frame hadn't been fitted with decals, so Serotta allowed me to select the color. The bike fits me beautifully, and is a pleasure to ride. So, if they resume this practice, there are bargains to be had.

[spiderman]

with a rock bottom price as the opening bid
and still work it the same way through the local shops??
i think they'd rev us up
into a feeding frenzy...

[Frank]

with a rock bottom price as the opening bid
and still work it the same way through the local shops??
i think they'd rev us up
into a feeding frenzy...

they could hurt both their strong retail pricing structure and dealer network.

If Serotta starts selling over the internet via eBay, they may believe that they will see an erosion of their retail frame prices. While there are some items that sell for above retail on eBay, the vast majority of the ones I see go for well below retail. If frames start selling for less than retail, then there will be pressure from LBS customers for the shop to meet or beat that price. Two builders I have talked with tried the eBay route, but found their frames went for a fraction of what they were able to sell them for directly to a customer. They both discontinued the eBay route before (they feared) there would be a perception that their frames were worth only what they brought on eBay and that their frame businesses would be devastated.

Serotta may also believe that eBay buying takes away from the would-be buyers going to an authorized shop to buy the bikes and building a relationship with the shop. I didn't know that Serotta even allowed their dealers to sell Serotta produucts over the internet. Seems as if Serotta were going to sell closeouts, etc. over the internet they would post them directly from Serotta rather than from a particular shop where there could be a perception one shop is allowed to do something others aren't or that one shop is favored over the others.

[dave thompson]

When Serotta does sell frames over the internet, demo's and ready-built frames as they used to, a buyer still had to go to a Serotta dealer to make the arrangements, pay and complete the transaction, including picking the bike up from the dealer. I've not know Serotta to bypass their dealers during a bike sale. To do so would be the kiss of death for the maker/dealer relationship.

[jpw]

I'm sure that it's Blue Sky too. When Serotta sells a frame off their web site, I'm pretty sure you still have to go through a dealer. They ship the bike to a dealer, you pay the dealer the stated price, Serotta charges the dealer the wholesale price so the dealer gets his mark up. It's almost a free sale for the dealer. I know a guy who wanted to buy a frame off the website but the dealer wouldn't sell it to him unless he also paid 75 bucks for the fitting, since he was buying an already built frame, not a custom and he was going to build it up himself with his own parts he did not understand why the dealer was adament about fitting him. He bought something else, somewhere else.

Well, 'cheap' dealer and equally 'cheap' customer. Pathetic.

[BumbleBeeDave]

I’m at a lost as to figuring out how this CUSTOMER would be either cheap or pathetic. If Serotta does indeed tell him to go to through the dealer and Serotta then charges the dealer wholesale so as to maintain their integrity with their dealers, then that’s fine. But if I went into a sale knowing that info and the dealer then tries to charge me $75 EXTRA as essentially “added dealer profit” like some car dealers try to do, then I would leave, too, and I would never buy anything at that store again. Scams like that--and that’s EXACTLY what it is, a scam--totally punch my buttons.

Dealer “pathetic” for trying to get away with it? Yep. But not the customer.

BBDave

[djg21]

with a rock bottom price as the opening bid
and still work it the same way through the local shops??
i think they'd rev us up
into a feeding frenzy...

It would dilute the value of the Serotta trademark and cheapen the brand. Would you be caught dead on an Ebay-special Fetish bicycle?

[aLexis]

I’m at a lost as to figuring out how this CUSTOMER would be either cheap or pathetic. If Serotta does indeed tell him to go to through the dealer and Serotta then charges the dealer wholesale so as to maintain their integrity with their dealers, then that’s fine. But if I went into a sale knowing that info and the dealer then tries to charge me $75 EXTRA as essentially “added dealer profit” like some car dealers try to do, then I would leave, too, and I would never buy anything at that store again. Scams like that--and that’s EXACTLY what it is, a scam--totally punch my buttons.

Dealer “pathetic” for trying to get away with it? Yep. But not the customer.

BBDave

Whoa, Nellie!

This is quite a tangent.