Bike 24 Germany
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Bike 24 Germany
hey folks, made a couple of purchases from Bike 24 in Germany. Their prices are awesome, good exchange for my Canadian dollar, even better for the US dollar.I got both orders in 2 weeks! First order was $240 Canadian, had to pay $30 duty, second order was about the same and paid no duty. Shipping is dirt cheap too, check them out, good solid business.
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#2
Senior Member
hey folks, made a couple of purchases from Bike 24 in Germany. Their prices are awesome, good exchange for my Canadian dollar, even better for the US dollar.I got both orders in 2 weeks! First order was $240 Canadian, had to pay $30 duty, second order was about the same and paid no duty. Shipping is dirt cheap too, check them out, good solid business.
Bought a lot from them. Unfortunately they are not allowed to sell Shimano and DT Swiss to US customers anymore. Some artificial restriction to protect LBS. Not sure if that applies to Canada.
Not only great prices, also great selection and website. Jenson et al really suck in that department.
#3
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Interesting comment Herr, I havent had any issues, I did buy a Shimano disc rotor for my mountain bike from them. Jenson wont ship the oddest items so I dont even go there anymore. I live 1 mile north of the border with Washington in a little town called Whiterock, normal times I ship to mail swrvice in Blaine Washington but with the border closed that option is not open to me anymore.
#4
Senior Member
Shimano really cracked down on sales into North America a couple of years ago. I think Merlin is the only one still shipping Shimano to Canada. It looks like Bike24 will ship DT Swiss to Canada....
#5
Senior Member
Shipping to Canada shows 19.99 EUR ($31 CAD) which I consider rather high. What was you dirt cheap shipping rate?
#6
Senior Member
Interesting comment Herr, I havent had any issues, I did buy a Shimano disc rotor for my mountain bike from them. Jenson wont ship the oddest items so I dont even go there anymore. I live 1 mile north of the border with Washington in a little town called Whiterock, normal times I ship to mail swrvice in Blaine Washington but with the border closed that option is not open to me anymore.
I've had some luck with modernbike recently. And for Shimano I now buy OEM parts of ebay or Alieexpress. I don't even look at US sellers anymore at twice the price. They all want to forcefully become wealthy.
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#7
Senior Member
I've tried a number of German online shops and overall my best experience is with www.bike-discount.de/
#8
Senior Member
CRC still has free shipping, but less selection.
It is incredible how that US distribution system keeps prices high. Too many distribution levels, too many artificial restrictions.
#9
Senior Member
Shimano's N.American supply chain is a joke.....Too often I seen reduced selection, out of stock, available for order. I don't fault the LBS, but NA distrubution is lacking compared to the EU.
#10
Senior Member
I find their shipping to be a little high but just make up for it by buying 3-4 tubes that I'm low in stock of. The savings on 4 tubes is usually a touch more then 20.00 and it makes the tires a deal. I wanted rocket rons for my kids' bikes, 4 of those in 24" at a deal price in the US was still 60.00 each, paid less then 20.00 each from bike24. The difference is just too ridiculous on some things. I also think shimano and sram just like screwing over their US customers since we'll just pay. Its why I went campy on the last build and saved money.
#11
Senior Member
If you were a U.S. seller trying to compete with foreign sellers whose selling prices for Shimano components are often at or below your wholesale cost for the same items, you might have a different attitude.
#12
Senior Member
The obvious solution would be to cut out the many markups in the US to be competitive. European distribution is profitable, proven by the fact they are still in business.
But instead of actually competing and being more efficient (or less greedy) it seems easier to lock the competition out. This is done by crying to the government to implement trade restrictions, crying to the manufacturer to forbid foreign sales, and so on.
Sure, the old days where there was a Schwinn dealer that had a license to print money were great. Customers had no internet to gain knowledge and had to go to the dealer. there was no other way to buy parts, so the dealer always won and could charge whatever they felt. But the world changed.
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#13
Half way there
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I, too, have taken advantage of the low Shimano prices from EU vendors while they lasted. The big savings for NA buyers was not having to pay the significant VATs. Even with the VAT it still looks like the EU market has cheaper prices. I just looked up the Bike24 price for a Shimano Ultegra FC-R8000 Crankset: $216 to Germans (with VAT). The Jenson USA price is $270. I've heard that EU-based shops can by directly from Shimano, but that shops in NA are compelled to buy from middleman wholesalers like UBS or QBP who seem to be in a position to control prices.
#14
Senior Member
I, too, have taken advantage of the low Shimano prices from EU vendors while they lasted. The big savings for NA buyers was not having to pay the significant VATs. Even with the VAT it still looks like the EU market has cheaper prices. I just looked up the Bike24 price for a Shimano Ultegra FC-R8000 Crankset: $216 to Germans (with VAT). The Jenson USA price is $270. I've heard that EU-based shops can by directly from Shimano, but that shops in NA are compelled to buy from middleman wholesalers like UBS or QBP who seem to be in a position to control prices.
When I compare prices, I compare the prices excluding VAT or sales tax. on bike24.de, when you select your country and language, it shows prices without VAT. Bonus points for CRC, they also show the price in your currency (USD in my case)
Reminds me of the time the Ottoman empire was the only path for spices from Asia to Europe. Then someone found a sea route to Asia, and then
If there was no internet, I wouldn't know the actual price is much less. But once you know you get cheated, you get mad.
The funny thing is, the US is pretty good with textile distribution (also from Asia). When I get visitors rom Europe, they buy bulk of clothing because here it is much more plentiful and cheaper. Unfortunately my hobby is biking, so I'm stuck with the opposite.
#15
hey folks, made a couple of purchases from Bike 24 in Germany. Their prices are awesome, good exchange for my Canadian dollar, even better for the US dollar.I got both orders in 2 weeks! First order was $240 Canadian, had to pay $30 duty, second order was about the same and paid no duty. Shipping is dirt cheap too, check them out, good solid business.
My best experience is with https://www.bike-components.de. The only thing is, since the pandemic, their shipping prices doubled. They do craft a box to fit your order which is USPS-proof.
#16
Junior Member
Thread Starter
THat IS dirt cheap! costs more to ship from the US to Canada and takes twice as long, 2 weeks from Germany to Canada. Lots of companies in the US wont ship to Canada as they dont even know where Canada is if you ask me lol!!!
#17
Junior Member
Thread Starter
I think the US wants free trade as long as it suits them and when it doesnt they want to slap draconian tariffs on products that you end up paying anyway because the seller wont absorb it. In this day and age, being a Canadian buyer that gets bent over every time we buy something and have it shipped? I dont care where it comes from, what the social ramifications are, I will buy it where its cheap, that capitalism isnt it??
Last edited by banjaboy; 10-30-20 at 02:50 PM.
#18
Senior Member
I think the US wants free trade as long as it suits them and when it doesnt they want to slap draconian tariffs on products that you end up paying anyway because the seller wont absorb it. In this day and age, being a Canadian buyer that gets bent over every time we buy something and have it shipped? I dont care where it comes from, what the social ramifications are, I will buy it where its cheap, that capitalism isnt it??
Now just wait till you ask question about installing what you bought online, the " support your LBS" crowd will come upon you.
#19
Grupetto Bob
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No thanks to this thread I spent $250 on two sets of new pedals and two tires. I won’t open it again.
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#20
Junior Member
Thread Starter
I do most of my own stuff, been riding seriously off and on for $55 years, yup Im a really old bastard. If I ask anything and they get pissed, so be it. I have a 25 year relationship with my "LBS", they tell me many times they cant get a certain part, I rarely shop for price, thats usually when I go online, I dont have to be lectured by riders whose nuts have barely dropped the importance of the LBS, thanks for the heads up. The Bike 24 purchases were made NOT to save money, they were made because I bought a couple of pairs of winter riding shoes, road and off road, there were none to be had in my size in Canada for one pair and simply not stocked in the other version. As it was cheaper to buy from Germany after I knew I couldnt get them in Canada, thats the way I went. Shipping was more from the US than from Germany and took an estimated 6 weeks to get them.Delivery time from Germany is 2 weeks. Jenson should go out of business, bought 2 items that showed in stock, paid and told days later they had none. What a way to run a business. They took my money and Im still out $305 Canadian until they decide to send me the money back, wankers.
#21
Senior Member
My best experience is with https://www.bike-components.de. The only thing is, since the pandemic, their shipping prices doubled. They do craft a box to fit your order which is USPS-proof.
#22
Senior Member
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#23
Senior Member
My best experience is with https://www.bike-components.de. The only thing is, since the pandemic, their shipping prices doubled. They do craft a box to fit your order which is USPS-proof.
#24
Note that the VAT is not included in the advertised price but added at checkout when required.
Last edited by ChrisWagner; 11-02-20 at 05:40 AM.
#25
Senior Member
If you complain about shipping rates, be happy you get it at all. Right now Deutsche Post in Germany and USPS here in the US have significant restrictions for international mail delivery due to Covid 19.
Lots of international flights have been cancelled which would normally haul mail. And local Covid 19 measurements prevent the acceptance and delivery of mail.
Here are the current restrictions from Deutsche Post to the US. Any packages over 500 grams and 2cm thickness are no going the old fashioned way via "steamer".... That means weeks and weeks of delivery time.
https://www.deutschepost.de/en/c/coronavirus.html#usa
Also private companies like UPS and Fedex have restrictions and they have always been way more expensive than the postal service.
I have bought lots of stuff from bikes stores in Germany and had it sent to my mom in Germany. I then picked up all the stuff then during my annual visit. But I am not sure when I can travel again safely.
I am buying mostly stuff which I cannot get in the US such as internal hub parts, dynamo powered light systems or Dutch bike specific parts.
I also hate any kind of trade restrictions. Same with the stupid region codes on DVDs. Not sure they still exist.
Lots of international flights have been cancelled which would normally haul mail. And local Covid 19 measurements prevent the acceptance and delivery of mail.
Here are the current restrictions from Deutsche Post to the US. Any packages over 500 grams and 2cm thickness are no going the old fashioned way via "steamer".... That means weeks and weeks of delivery time.
https://www.deutschepost.de/en/c/coronavirus.html#usa
Also private companies like UPS and Fedex have restrictions and they have always been way more expensive than the postal service.
I have bought lots of stuff from bikes stores in Germany and had it sent to my mom in Germany. I then picked up all the stuff then during my annual visit. But I am not sure when I can travel again safely.
I am buying mostly stuff which I cannot get in the US such as internal hub parts, dynamo powered light systems or Dutch bike specific parts.
I also hate any kind of trade restrictions. Same with the stupid region codes on DVDs. Not sure they still exist.
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