theroadnottaken

I think you have to buy Vitus from Wiggle or CRC; I've been looking. If I'm wrong, someone please let me know. Duty and shipping seemed to get lumped together, and are added on top of the bike price.

theroadnottaken

Yes, and we can choose not to buy a Volkswagon and instead get a Ford, and hotdogs over cheeseburgers, and Colgate over Aquafresh. It doesn't mean I can't like Vitus bikes and rail a little bit or, at the very least, question in a related thread Wiggle/CRC's pricing since a) they are the only avenue to purchase Vitus, and b) they are greedy, money-grubbing dickheads camoflaging price gouging with pandemic economics. Most importantly, that icy, blue strip in Aquafresh is a necessity for psychological well-being, so is our perceived choice really just an illusion?

Kapusta

You realize that anyone who offers “free shipping” is making more money from some people than from others based on where they live, right?

pstock

Hmmm, that 18% is about exactly the VAT (Value Added Tax) that Wiggle would have to collect from a UK customer But would not have to collect from an export customer. Cooincidence? I think not. Rather I think WIggle just decided "Heck, let's just keep that VAT. None of these punters care."

and the reason Wiggle thinks they can sell them for that price is because most of their customers are not.... errh "intrepid"? enough to wonder "Is Wiggle ripping us off"? (Surprise! They Are)

pstock

True but, People. Are. Lazy. Until their noses are rubbed in it.
If just hree people have woken up and starting doing the math and looking for alternatives, then that is an effect, a win, however small.

indyfabz

I don’t think you know what “ripping off” means. It does not mean charging more than another source. If your idea of “ripping off” is charging more than another source than the term is really meaningless. No one is forcing you to buy anything or selling something that is not authentic. They are just charging more for whatever reason they see fit. I can buy gas at any number of places. Some noticeably more expensive than others. No one is trying to “rip me off.”

Ridinglurker

They likely have to pay US custom since the bike is over $800. It is also more expensive and hassle to ship to the US.

It isn't a rip-off if they show you the price they charge before you agree to pay. They don't force you to buy from them. You are free to get a better value from a different seller.

Troul 

X2

If the final (checkout) cart price is not the deal I was after, the window gets the "x" & i move on.

theroadnottaken

It isn't quite that simple. The Sentier 29 has less reach and more stack than just about any bike in its class (Chameleon, Honzo, etc.), making it slightly more upright. For someone like myself (and many others) whose back isn't the best due to injury, it's one of the best options for a trail bike. Plus, they offer it in super cool midnight blue, when a lot of bike companies (looking at Specialized) seem to have drank the ridiculous color koolaid along with Nike shoes.

The buyer pays the customs fee, which is added to shipping on top of the bike price. So that isn't the explanation.

tomato coupe

Clearly, some people should not buy bikes on the internet:

Wiggle:
Vitus Sentier 29 Mountain Bike
$1,199.99 list, on sale for $1,019.99

What's the problem?

theroadnottaken

$1259 as of just now, but better than $1399, which was the price at the time of the OP when the bike wasn't on sale. Clearly, some people shouldn't attempt basic logic.

One has only to visit Chain Reaction, select various shipping countries, and examine the differences in sale % and shipping cost (which includes duty) to understand just how much this company is ****ing everyone over, well, at least the people in countries it's decided it can **** over.

tomato coupe

Can you point to the doll where Wiggle touched you?

theroadnottaken

What is your affiliation with Wiggle/Chain Reaction?

tomato coupe

My wife is an heiress to the Wiggle empire.

Sy Reene

So, if duty on bikes is 11% (per googlefu), $1249 / 1.11 = $1,125

livedarklions

I'm totally at a lost as to where several people have gotten the idea that a company is supposed to price products similarly in different countries or they're "screwing people". or "ripping us off." These are capitalist enterprises, and they will charge what the market will bear, provided that price is actually profitable for them.

As a buyer in the U.S., why should I care what the item would cost me if I was ordering from the UK? Since my moving to the UK just to buy the item is not an option, that info is irrelevant to me. I do care whether there's a source available to me in the US where I can pay less for the same or substantially similar item, and if I don't check for that possibility before buying from CR or Wiggle and I end up overpaying, any "screwing" of me is entirely my own fault.

TL/DR: The price is the price, and it's either higher, lower or the same as other available sources. What does it matter to us how that price was calculated? Check prices and if they're higher than the competition, don't buy from them.

PeteHski

Markets differ across the world. Demand, supply and competition are all variables affecting price in a given location/time. Living in the UK sometimes I notice certain things are considerably cheaper in the US. If I want those things and I can't buy them locally any cheaper then I have to either suck up the higher price or not buy them. Wiggle/CRC are usually competitive in the UK market, so I often buy stuff from them. If they really are more expensive in the US, then they are either going to be uncompetitive in the US market (in which case buy from the more competitive source) or if they are still cheaper than local US sources then why would they need to reduce their prices to match a totally different market?

MattTheHat 

The consumers in those countries are decided how much the company is "ripping people off." If the customer is not willing to pay, the company won't sell to them. As it has been pointed out, nobody is forcing anyone to purchase anything.

Additionally, have you ever considered the Wiggle's cost *is higher* to take, prepare and ship orders outside the UK? I don't accept export orders in my business for that reason.

livedarklions

It's almost like Wiggle is a commercial enterprise attempting to maximize profit. Those crooks!