Hello, maybe some of you know that situation:
Next spring I want to buy a new bicycle in Spain. I checked Amazon and found it there. But the bike is 400 Euros more expensive than buying it directly from the producer. Checked both descriptions and they are identical. The producer even lets you choose the color, Amazon doesn’t.
I prefer to buy from Amazon, but 400 Euros is too much. What would you do? Ist paypal still a good option to be safe when not using Amazon?
Is the manufacturer based in European Union, or will you have to pay customs fees and transport costs?
Free shipping to Europe. I think from Poland.
I think I will do the following:
First I do what I do best: nothing. 
I just wait, it is still 3 months. Then I check again, maybe the situation corrected itself. Otherwise I’ll write to Amazon client service, with not much hope of an answer, I’ll have to fight with some AI. If the difference persists I order from the manufacturer paying with paypal. (I had a case in China resolved with them once, but that is a very long time ago).
Anybody else encountered this kind of situation?
I’m curious, even if they had a customer service you could reach. Why would they care? (By the way is it even sold by amazon, or is that a 3rd party seller? their business is arbitraging the convenience + access to a bigger market, similar to price difference between booking platform and hotels directly)
By the way, you can even have price differences between different amazon marketplaces (I usually check .fr/.be/.de/.co.uk).
Exactly.
Thanks, did not know that. I usually only check .es.
Yes, that. Probably from China and distributed in Europe from Poland. I see that the seller has a link to ask questions, probably will use that.
Is it normal bike or e-bike. In case of e-bike I would recommend to get it in a shop where you can physically go for updates etc. Can be a real pain in the ass.
3rd party sellers often use Amazon/Ebay for scalping (buying off the stock and then sell at inflated price). However, that must be a pretty special product to work… What kind of bike are you looking at ?
e-bike. Was looking at shops, but the prices are way too high. I did spend that in Switzerland for my KTM but for Spain where I will use the bike only for short periods of time I don’t want to spend that much. I literally can buy 3 to 5 bikes for the price of one in a shop. Security is a concern too, as I will have to leave it outside during my stay. And my neighbour and driver is a bike enthusiast who can repair whatever I need.
I will make less than 200 km a year I suppose. OK, it is a mountain bike, probably I’ll do one or two rounds at the beach with it.
Did you look at Decathlon ? Especially in the Mid-Price level you will find really good offers (even the cheap ones are pretty good for the asking price). Good network for service points, even in Spain as far as I know.
For normal bikes, I would say yes sure, Ebikes can be a real pain in the ass with all the electronics and software. If your neighboor is that tech savvy, good for you.
With the use case you describe, a Decathlon could be real price efficient while still having access to a service point.
Sorry, that is the bike (I hope the link works)
I don’t have any experience with this, but another idea: Some credit cards offer best price insurance. Maybe you could order the product from Amazon and then have the credit card issuer refund the difference. But as I said, I don’t know anything about that.
Yes. I bought one this year that I have seen at Decathlon, but found it cheaper on the internet. And Decathlon refused to add a thumb-gas saying it was illegal in Spain (which is not up to 20 km/h, like in Switzerland).
It was a China e-bike and all the updates came over the app, no problem. My neighbour mounted it for me and then sold it for me in autumn. It was a folding bike, quiet uncomfortable, that is why I want a bigger one.
Huh Huh 41 kg, that is an effective way of getting it not stolen…
What is that supposed to cost ? (I just see not available, and no price). Honestly, I would really recommend to stay away from it, except if they throw it at you for cheap (and even then, not sure it will be fun).
For your use, case look for something without suspension, wide tires are more than enough to drive on unpaved roads. Suspensions are breaking and useless if you do not have blocked terrain. (honestly I find those E-SUVs just ridiculous. Just upselling stuff which is pointless).
Why the thumb gas ?
If not hard set on brand new,
consider refurbished (and well checked + guaranteed).
I got mine at Rebike,
with low mileage/battery cycles and top equipaje,
for 50% off the price of brand new.
It is 41 kg with battery 48V 20Ah. Price is 1899 at amazon and 1499 at manufacturer. (that would be CHF 1392).
thumb gas: the pub I meet sometimes with friends is at 20 km and on the way back I like to relax…
OK, maybe the swarm intelligence of our members can help me. I could not find a single webpage to compare e-bikes that is working for me.
I want a bike with low entry, a big battery (>800 Wh), >80 nm of torque, full electric mode/thumb gas, good light and not too expensive.
Nice to have: belt drive, GPS, low weight and probably some off-road (sand) capabilities, not too heavy and some security features.
In Switzerland I ride a KTM macina since many years, very satisfied with it but was kind of expensive (I think a few years ago > CHF 7’000). That would be robbed in Spain in a second. I want to spend more or less EUR 1500, max 2’000. But I would compromise price if needed.
I’d ask AI this question
Shit, I still have to do that. Why can it just give me the answer???
Many manufacturers use Amazon as a store front to generate demand knowing full-well that consumers often search for products and compare them on Amazon but with the intention to actually buy them elsewhere. They purposefully price high on Amazon to not screw up their other channels.