jpescatore

3pm - decide to clean/lube chain on bike and change both tires.

3:30 pm - realize none of the tubes in my stock have the 60mm stem length the wheels on this bike require. I hop in the car, was trying to squeeze this in before Covid shot appointment at 5:30 pm. I like to support local bike shops as much as possible.

3:45 pm - Bike shop a few miles away that I try to support doesn't have 6omm either. I've used 80mm in past but I think the extra length causes leverage when pumping up and I had valve flats. 48MM is just a bit too short for my pumps.

4:00 - Bike shop 12 miles away where I bought the bike had 80mm stems in right tube size but not 60mm but I have to get my Covid shot - will go on Tues

4:10 - Just for grins, check online - most of my usual sources are out of stock except Amazon - they have a four pack with free same day delivery if I order by 5pm and I have Amazon points that cover the entire cost.

10pm - Tires dropped off.

PeteHski

I guess this is why JB has a spaceship and billions of dollars while your LBS owner doesn’t.

dedhed

What was wrong with the existing tubes?

XxHaimBondxX

What was your day before 3 pm? In 15 min intervals please.

TiHabanero

The amazing thing is that Amazon literally lost money on your transaction, provided it was only for the tubes. Delivery alone absorbed any profit realized.

bboy314

Improve your pumping technique, and you could’ve had 80mm valve tubes installed hours earlier, AND supported local biz.

DangerousDanR

The amazing thing is that without knowing how much Amazon paid for the tubes and how much the OP paid for the tubes someone knows that Amazon lost money on the transaction.

Having their own last mile delivery system the marginal cost of delivery depends on a lot of factors. But if the extra time and distance to deliver the package was low enough, Amazon's revenue could have exceeded the cost of goods plus the cost of delivery.

I often buy things both large (think carbon fiber wheels) and small (think brake pads) from my LBS just to pay them for the service they give to the community by things like running group rides and events.

And I find that their prices are often within 10% of what I will pay from trustworthy online sellers.

XxHaimBondxX

What's worse is that he ordered tubes and they dropped off tires.

pdlamb

For the record, I've succesfully reused old tubes with new tires.

Hope OP had fun surfing (and waiting until 10:00 to collect Amazon delivery).

veganbikes

Amazon doesn't pay their drivers hardly anything and I know some are contractors so they don't have to deal with them as employees so they can treat them even worse. Amazon can buy in massive bulk quantities so they probably didn't lose much given that their founder and now executive chairman has almost 150 BILLION DOLLARS I think they are doing just fine.

Length of tube is usually not an issue unless too small in the end as long as you aren't rough on your valves which is not a difficult thing you will be fine however yes having the right size isn't a bad thing.

SurferRosa

Can't remember the last time I bought a tube at a bike shop.

eBay is less expensive, has exactly what I need, I can shop without traveling all over town, and it's delivered to my front door.

Koyote

Incorrect and incorrect.

mstateglfr 

You won on this transaction since you bought tubes and received tires, but what about the tubes?...you still cant ride your bike?

All seriousness- what was wrong with the 2 tubes already on the bike? Do you just change tubes at scheduled intervals, regardless of need? Thats preventative maintenance to another level, if thats what you are doing.

mstateglfr 

Hold up- are you saying it was illegal for a company to intentionally take a loss on an item in order to incentivize purchases, and companies would be broken up as a result?
If I want to sell milk for cost, or even less, because I think it will bring in new business that will in turn purchase other items and more than offset the milk's pricing, why cant I do that?

^ this assumes there is no pricing agreement in place to not sell a product for less than X.

prj71

Brick and mortar stores are a thing of the past for numerous items these days. It's a dying business. Who wants to leave their house and go stand in line somewhere to buy something or find out that the shop/store doesn't have what you need? Easier to order online. Save money, save gas, save wear and tear on your car. Win-Win.

Just purchased a KMC 12 speed chain from eBay last night for my mountain bike. $20 delivered to my door. Cheapest chain I can find locally is $36 which doesn't include the 60 mile round trip, gas burnt up and wear and tear on my vehicle.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374785493508

Koyote

It's called loss leader pricing, which is selling a good below its production cost in order to attract customers. It is illegal to sell goods below production cost in about half the US states, and some other states ban the practice for specific items; some countries ban it, too. However, I doubt that there is much enforcement, at least here in the US, since it would be difficult to prove -- and also because it likely doesn't reduce consumer well-being. It's often sound business practice to sell goods below cost, as that would sometimes entail lower losses than sticking to the original price. (Think about day-old bread as a simple example.)

Note that, along with mislabeling it as "dumping," icemilkcoffee 's claim that companies used to be "broken up" for doing this is simply false.

bbbean 

Me. I do.
I also appreciate the million things my LBS (or any of the other locally owned and operated retail stores I frequent) do for me, for my community, and for our local/regional/national economy. I'm a big fan of buying something I need and taking it home - right then - certain that I got the right part, I know how to install it, can return it for immediate replacement if there's a problem, and got to hang out with other cyclists while I was doing it. I like buying from the same guy who's at the group ride, charity event, and/or race handing out free energy gels and dong free adjustments at the start line. I like buying from a guy who will remind me my new dimfrigit requires a special tool, one he's willing to loan me. I like buying from the shop that hires local kids. I like...

indyfabz

The takeaway is that, in this case, Amazon had what the OP wanted and got them to him quickly (assuming he meant tubes dropped off).

Stop the presses!

indyfabz

Maybe they were the wrong shade of black and thus didn’t match the new tires. Other than that, I got nothin’.

indyfabz

Ditto.

CAT7RDR

I live 2 miles from a major Amazon FC.
I get bike parts/supplies usually next day without paying a dime extra for delivery.
Amazon, eBay and others are storefronts often for LBS's or larger distributors.

My LBS went out of business because in the owner's words he could not get parts.
I do not know the whole story on that one.

icemilkcoffee 

The problem is Amazon is selling at a loss in order to bankrupt their competitors. Hence anti-competitive. Amazon is only turning a profit because of their cloud service. I suppose they have enough lawyers and lawmakers in their pockets that it's not considered 'dumping', but that is exactly what they have been doing.

Billlyy

Love Amazon I literally buy everything I need !!!
if they don’t have it
you don’t need it!!!

Koyote

It's not considered 'dumping' because it's not dumping. This has already been explained, with a link. Dumping is something very different.

As for whether they sold the tubes at a loss...Well, you don't even know what the OP paid for them. So how do you reach this conclusion? Further, we don't know whether the OP actually bought the tubes from Amazon (unlikely), or if he bought them from a shop that uses Amazon as a marketplace (likely). And either way, do you really believe that Amazon's plan for world domination hinges on selling inner tubes below production cost? Really?

It's fine to hate Amazon, but you shouldn't let that drive you to just make stuff up.

Rogerogeroge

I hope you bend a derailleur hanger soon.