Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
Distributors have contracted agreements with brands to distribute product in a specific geographic area. They have costs, obviously, which increases the price you pay. Distributors are out of some things, so shops are then out of those things.
Ali Express has no contracted agreements with those brands. Some products are fake, some are gray market, and some are legitimate.
Its quite simple to see the difference in supply models.
What's not so simple is the why? The West is by far the largest consumer of the top-tier Shimano products yet we are the ones constrained by limited supply channels, inflated mark-ups and reduced inventories. I just received a pair of 160mm XTR rotors and 170mm 810 GRX crankset within 2 weeks of order on Ali both of which are unavailable in the local marketplace and for 1/2 the MSRP. Something is seriously wrong here.