DOS

So kind of a silly question about packaging. I have over the years purchased Enduro bearings a few times from various online suppliers to include Amazon and Ebay sellers based in the US. Sometimes they come in packaging like the boxes in the pic, but the last couple of times — once from Amazon once from Ebay seller, they are in small ziplock bags with enduro label inside. Of late I have seen warnings about counterfeit bearings; should I be concerned about these bearings I have that came in zip lock bags or there is some innocuous explanation like that they are easier to ship and store this way for online sellers?

'02 nrs

Had the Amazon plastic baggies as well & sent them back.Amazon is known for counterfeiting,to include sunscreen.when in doubt send them back.https://www.enduroforkseals.com/

mpetry912 

+1 Amazon is rife with fakes and "substitutions" now.

It is far from my first choice for any online purchases. Think before you click.

Also get your alexa and echo dot speakers out of your house ! those things are surveillance devices

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA

davidad

call or e-mail Enduro and ask them.

WizardOfBoz

When Enduro sells direct, why would you buy from Amazon? Do you really think Enduro is going to sell these to distributors cheaply enough to significantly undercut their own store?

WizardOfBoz

I agree:

DOS

Yeah, I went there first but $11.00 for shipping seemed a tad absurd for a couple of bearings

DOS

I was buying other stuff and the Enduro shipping costs were high. Besides, Enduro bearings are available in lots of mostly reputable places at lots of prices, although generally within a few bucks either way, so I didn’t think twice about adding a couple of bearings to a larger order. I don’t care if I am buying excess stock from last year, which is often what you find on Amazon and Ebay (in addition to counterfeits apparently).

WizardOfBoz

Got it. It's easier to buy from Amazon. I'm surprised that Enduro doesn't make it easier/cheaper to buy directly.

I guess you put your finger on it: pay a little extra, you're sure you're getting the real stuff. Save a few bucks and you take a bit of a risk. I'd accept last year's bearing if I could save five bucks, too.

AnkleWork

Is there such a thing as "last year's bearings" and why would they remove the packaging just to close them out?

Kapusta

Another thing you need to be carefull of on Amazon is unauthorized dealers. Many warranties require purchase from an authorized dealer.

I used to think that the requirement to buy from an authorized dealer was just a way to get out of warranty claims, but with all the counterfeit products out there, I can see why companies need to do that.

Kapusta

That people would allow an always-on, internet-connected microphone in their house is crazy enough.

That they will actually PAY to have it is shear lunacy.

Marcus_Ti

Try normal. Amazon Prime has gotten people to forget exactly what shipping costs have risen to, now.

DOS

Thats not normal for such a small order being sent via regular shipping. I don’t mind paying shipping, but I could have taken those bearings to post office or UPS and shipped them for $3.00. Two day shipping for $4.50.

Anyway, I have had a couple of exchanges with The seller and Enduro and so far things are pointing to these being legit Enduro bearings,

but I have sent pics and am standing by for final resolution.

DOS

No idea. The listing for the ones I bought showed a pic of the standard packaging and the seemed to be a brick and mortar US bike shop with an online side business. So I was surprised by the Packaging.

Hard to tell who is authorized for a product as widely available as Enduro bearings. But I guess lesson learned is to go direct to a supplier site rather than route to small suppliers via Amazon or EBAY...Universal cycles, Wheels mfg, Modern Bike,Jensen, and others all seem to carry Enduro bearings, and Enduro directed me to Enduroforkseals, which is run by a company called RWC.

The site my bearings came from is called Send it! Bikes. They have a stand alone site and an EBAY presence as well, claim to have established the Cannondale Experts site, and are or used to be a Cannondale dealer in Utah. I previously have gotten baggie packaged Enduro bearings from an Ebay seller in New York called Abaxo.

TakingMyTime

This is part of the problem. People tend to think of shipping in terms of how much the carrier is charging. I have managed several fulfillment operations and there is more than that. It's not as simple as walking over to a bin and pulling a part and dropping in it a box. Packing lists need to be printed, there needs to be a quality control component built into the process before it leaves the door. You need extra employees because you're shipping high volumes. Sending the wrong part or sending it to the wrong address opens up a can of worm. You end up with dissatisfied customers. Your customer people have to deal with this customer. Replacement parts need to be sent "express". In a large scale operation there are so many things that can go wrong.

mpetry912 

The endless search for the "best deal" is a source of continual frustration and disappointment for those who pursue it. If you're buying plastic dog poop from china, fine. However, Enduro bearings are a premium product - if you are a prospective customer then, yes, you are probably not a value shopper that is looking for the best deal. Expect to pay accordingly. Frequently good deals can be found on ebay and shipping is often - not always - free.

I do agree that shipping charges frequently are used to pad margins. And shipping calculations in storefront software are ridiculously out of proportion.

Here's a story. I had a young guy working for me, he wanted a new watch so he could be a bigshot. He clicked on an ad for "best cheap rolex" and charged $499 to his credit card. When the item arrived I looked at and felt bad - I did not have the heart to tell him that he could have bought that watch for fifty bucks from a street vendor in Kowloon. Truly Nt Wrth Sht, and the poor guy had flushed his money down the toilet.

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA

Kapusta

The most incredible part of that story is that a young guy wanted a Rolex.

DOS

Had an exchange with Enduro where I asked if I should be concerned about counterfeits.

They responded: Saying only that "Any bearings purchased through Amazon and Ebay will not be honored with warranty." (Says nothing on their website’s warranty page about this, by the way).

But they did not answer my question about the bearings possibly being fake (I don't think they are, by the way).

So I followed up thusly: “Wow, I didn't know that. I won't buy Enduro from EBAY or Amazon anymore. But since I already have some bearings purchased that way, some follow up questions” (see Enduro responses in Red):

— You didn't answer my main question about the bearings I have. Should I be concerned that bearings I have are counterfeit? Is there any way to tell based on the packaging and UPC codes (see pics I sent)? I couldn’t answer this question without the bearing in hand. Packaging materials are not produced by us. We order packaging materials from a paper production company, so imitating packaging material is the easiest thing to do without us being able to tell if it’s from us or not.

—If they aren't counterfeit, how do unauthorized sellers get your bearings. Can they buy your bearings in bulk from distributors like QBP? We don’t have a list of dealers that our distributors sell to. We trust that they understand we do not allow for our products to be sold on eBay or Amazon. Sellers on those sites pop up from time to time so it is not easy for them to monitor.(I don’t why they forbid sales of their products on EBAY and Amazon).

—Of all the many entities selling Enduro bearings online, how do I know who are authorized and who are not? For example, any number of Amazon and EBAY sellers also have independent websites (Planet Cyclery for example).In other words, who are your authorized retailers, in addition to Wheels MFG and Enduroforkseals, from whom it is safe to buy bearings? We do not un-authorize or authorize retailers. We just simply restrict them from buying our products if we find that they are selling on third party websites. (So if I buy from a retailer's website, I am good but if I buy from the same retailer's ebay store, no warranty?)

So bottomline, in the future I will probably buy Enduro stuff from Enduroforkseals.com or Wheels MFG, but I am not particularly concerned that the bearings I have are no good. If they fail after I install them, I will update this thread.

and speaking of Wheels MFG, just bought a Wheels MFG bearing press...from Amazon because I had a gift card.I am not worried that its fake..

davidad

If you live in a large city or a place with a lot of industry you can find a business that sells good quality bearings.

tomtomtom123

Misumi sells Japanese NTN bearings. normal P0 class for around $4, and precision P5 class for $10. Small miniature sizes are most likely made in Taiwan. They don't say exactly where, but TPI's website in Taiwan says its factory was jointly founded by NTN. I ordered a pair of P5 bearings and they came in really fancy extra large boxes (4 times the volume of the Enduro boxes) with security seals.

In the past, when I ordered Enduro bearings from the big retailers, they came in bubble mailers, which is a no-no. Those bearing races will get bent in the post. The Enduro bearings I used leaked a lot of grease.

'02 nrs

$7.69 + free shipping.this retailer sells them in a sealed plastic wrap,org. box.