Score A Sweet Deal On That Cycle: Haggling Can Net You Some Savings On Bike Purchases
Bicycle prices typically experience a decrease.
Love to ride, but hate the hefty price tag on a brand new bike? It's time to channel your inner negotiator! Though many folks quiver at the thought of haggling prices, it can be a lucrative venture. And as the ADAC discovered during undercover sales talks at a whopping 100 bike retailers, haggling often yields results.
Ready to save some cash on your bike purchase? Here's a helpful guide.
The ADAC's undercover investigators snooped around at brick-and-mortar stores nationwide, probed for discounts, and engaged in price negotiations. And guess what? In 88% of cases, they bagged a deal - sometimes even before asking for one!
Our undercover agents scrutinized two types of bikes: an extravagant E-Mountainbike costing over 3,500 euros and a wallet-friendly city bike priced around 1,000 euros.
Your Bike Could Be Cheaper Than The Listed Price
First off, our spies inspected if the bike was already discounted compared to the suggested retail price (RRP) on the tag. Then, they made two attempts to lower the price. All in all, they secured a deal priced below the RRP in 88% of cases.
With a casual 43% of retailers already offering reduced pricing compared to the RRP on the tag, no negotiation required. Another 63% of retailers gave a little during the first price negotiation, while 46% extended the discount during the final sales talk.
Enjoy A Deeper Discount With Persistence
The average discount on the E-Mountainbike was a respectable 13%. For the city bike, the savings were even juicier at a whopping 15%. The discount wasn't always an outright lowering of the price but also included discounted accessories like a lock or free maintenance. The ADAC noted that these perks were particularly prevalent during the second price negotiation.
City vs. Countryside: Price Wars
Interestingly, our undercover agents noticed a price discrepancy between city and countryside bike shops. Every second bike in the city already had a lower price than the RRP, while every third bike in the countryside boasted the same discount.
One vital takeaway: Always shop around, as bike prices can significantly vary from store to store.
Source: ntv.de, awi/dpa
- Bicycles
- Consumer Advice Centers
- ADAC
- Shopping
- Online Shopping
- Bargaining
- Negotiation
- Bikes
Insights:
Although the ADAC didn't conduct undercover negotiations exclusively for bike prices in Germany, bargaining for bike prices can see varying degrees of success:
- Bike Shops: While some German bike shops have fixed prices, making haggling less common, smaller or independent stores may be more amenable to negotiating prices, especially for costly or custom bikes.
- Used Bike Market: In the secondary bike market, haggling is more widespread, and lower prices can commonly be achieved, particularly if the buyer is making multiple purchases or if there are defects in the bike.
- ADAC's Role: ADAC primarily focuses on automotive-related concerns and consumer protection activities in that realm. There's no specific mention of the organization engaging in bike price negotiations.
- The community policy of engaging in price negotiations for bike purchases, as shown by the ADAC's undercover investigations, could potentially be adopted in home-and-garden or shopping lifestyle, leading to savings on various purchases.
- The employment policy of bike retailers, particularly those in the countryside, may need to be reevaluated to be more competitive, considering the higher prevalence of discounted bikes in city stores and the potential for increased sales through price negotiation.
