Amazon Getting into Cycling?

[EigerSA]

Not sure if this has been posted before, but it could be an interesting turn of events...

 

 

MORGAN HILL, CA (BRAIN)— Specialized president Mike Sinyard is warning the company’s retailers to beware of Amazon.com’s incursions into the bike market.

 

Sinyard sent a letter to dealers Tuesday evening to bring their attention to Amazon’s Price Check app, a smart-phone application that allows consumers to scan a bar code from a product in a store and then order it immediately from Amazon. It raises the specter of customers trying on shoes in a bike shop and then buying them, presumably for a lower price, from Amazon.

 

“Who loses in this situation?” Sinyard asks in the letter. “Certainly not Amazon. And — at least in the short term — not the cycling brands selling through bike shops and Amazon. But what about you?

 

“By buying product from brands that severely undercut you, you are supporting your competition. Why finance your own demise?”

 

It seems that with a new phone app from Amazon, you can go into your bike store, scan the bar code with your phone, which then orders direct from Amazon! To me that's pretty low. If a guy goes into a store, writes down the details then sits in front of his computer later that evening and orders... well that's just tough luck fro the bike shop. But too be able to do essentially the same thing but from inside the bike shop I think is really insulting!

 

I'm all for Amazon getting into cycling, it can only encourage healthy (for my pocket at least) competition, but not with these sought of underhanded tactics.

 

Link to article here

[The Drongo]

Oh! I was expecting something like this.....

 

No sweat. The more the merrier.

[The Guy in Pink]

 

I'm all for Amazon getting into cycling, it can only encourage healthy (for my pocket at least) competition, but not with these sought of underhanded tactics.

 

Link to article here

 

I Tried to order cycling stuff from them , but if you don't have a USA address they don't supply.

[javadude]

If i go into exclusive books i often check the reviews on amazon first before i make a decision on buying. Being in SA i obviously dont automatically buy from amazon, but if i knew i would get it delivered the next day at a much cheaper price it would be a different story.

[Minion]

but if i knew i would get it delivered the next day at a much cheaper price it would be a different story.

Although, with free shipping on orders over 25GBP and delivery within 2-3 working days (my past experience) Amazon.co.uk comes damn close.

[Sharkie 2]

Easy the distributors should not supply Amazon, but they would not....plenty more sales for them

[gummibear]

But too be able to do essentially the same thing but from inside the bike shop I think is really insulting!

 

Maybe if they see what you are doing,you will be offered a little extra discount on the goods.

[TNT1]

Maybe it'll force the bike shops to stop reaming us?

[Garfield2010]

So when does Kalahari add this service to their website?

[Heckflosse]

Maybe it'll force the bike shops to stop reaming us?

Certainly.....

[EigerSA]

I'm all for amazon selling cycling stuff, it's healthy competition. My only complaint is the way they doing it. if i owned a shop and a customer scanned one of my bar codes and ordered from within my store, i'd be pretty pissed off.

[Garfield2010]

Still why is "Specialized" unhappy? If I was them I would make sure that Amazon stocks the Specialized brand.

 

In the end does it really matter to these guys how their product gets sold to the public?

 

I do agree with Eiger about the principle.

 

Maybe the shop owners should change the barcode's "language" or even have old school price tags on the more expensive items. They could even ensure the barcode doesnt have all the info onboard etc.....

 

The big thing about buying in store is 1. you get what you want IMEDIATELY and 2. the after sale service as hopefully you will be able to change whatever broke under warranty right away. Thats why I will pay a premium for a bike shop.

 

If the thing breaks then are you going ship it back to the UK/US? -- and who is going to pay for this?

 

Healthy competition is always welcome.

[Tumbleweed]

I'm all for amazon selling cycling stuff, it's healthy competition. My only complaint is the way they doing it. if i owned a shop and a customer scanned one of my bar codes and ordered from within my store, i'd be pretty pissed off.

 

And if they brought something they'd bought like that into your shop to work, you could do this:Corking fee

[Sharkie 2]

Why do we as customers always want discount at bike shops but never ask for it at Spar/PnP/Edgars, restuarants, pubs etc.?

[Tumbleweed]

Why do we as customers always want discount at bike shops but never ask for it at Spar/PnP/Edgars, restuarants, pubs etc.?

 

We had a kid in the shop on Saturday wanting to take a carbon handlebar, but was short R500 for it. He wanted to know if he could take it and come back and pay us the balance when he got more money. Imagine trying that at the places you mention.

[Sharkie 2]

We had a kid in the shop on Saturday wanting to take a carbon handlebar, but was short R500 for it. He wanted to know if he could take it and come back and pay us the balance when he got more money. Imagine trying that at the places you mention.

It will be funny, have all that you can eat and when the bill comes you just say I can pay for this and that and come back

 

Many people forget about the relationship you build with your LBS, loyalty shows a lot to a bike shop owner and you will receive much more than just discount at a shop

Edited December 29, 2011 by Sharkie 2