Road Bike Prices Rise are brands cashing in on the demand

[shnjmsn]

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55702243

Here is the link 50% increase

Our business imports products from China. Leisure related, but not bikes. A year ago we were paying around $2,500 for a 40' container. We're currently paying $10,000 per container....... and it's rising. We can't absorb those costs as a business, they have to be passed on to the end user. There are thousands upon thousands of empty containers sat around the world, but not in China where they should be. Meaning the containers that are there are commanding huge premiums........ that's if you can even get one filled currently. Shipping companies don't want to collect empty containers and transport back to China as there's no money in it. I suspect it will be a year before things are resolved there.............. Our prices of all our products in the UK have just gone up 15% at retail...............

 

[lane]

Our business imports products from China. Leisure related, but not bikes. A year ago we were paying around $2,500 for a 40' container. We're currently paying $10,000 per container....... and it's rising. We can't absorb those costs as a business, they have to be passed on to the end user. There are thousands upon thousands of empty containers sat around the world, but not in China where they should be. Meaning the containers that are there are commanding huge premiums........ that's if you can even get one filled currently. Shipping companies don't want to collect empty containers and transport back to China as there's no money in it. I suspect it will be a year before things are resolved there.............. Our prices of all our products in the UK have just gone up 15% at retail...............

What has gone wrong why all the empty containers elsewhere?

 

[fossyant]

The company my wife works with have seen a massive increase in container costs - huge

 

[fossyant]

Hmm, cheap garage/sheds anyone - small containers to convert ?

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

It should be fairly neutral IF the seller charges you the price without German VAT, adds UK VAT instead and remits the UK VAT to HMRC under their nice new UK VAT registration. There should also be no admin charges on arrival.

In practice only eBay, Amazon and a handful of big sellers are bothering. So, more typically, you get charged German VAT, then the carrier adds UK VAT on top, plus a hefty admin fee.

That's got nothing to do with Brexit, and everything to do with administratively lazy or rapacious business practices. If someone is trying it on, and you aren't happy about it, then don't give them your custom. It's really easy. Just say "no thanks" and keep your money in your pocket rather than put any of it in their pockets, or their national governments pockets.
When Israel got pissed off with all the Arab neighbours hostility and attempts to frustrate them obtaining supplies of anything, they eventually just said "feck you lot, we'll develop our own capability" - and that's exactly what they did do, so they're beholden to no-one.
If too much EU dummy-spitting carries on for too long, then we should cut them out of our business dealings and transact with those people who do want to facilitate smooth business. Bollocks to the EU and bollocks to any EU-based company that wants to play silly buggers for whatever reason. We can live without them.

 

[FishFright]

Not really when Brexit was meant to give is the exact same trading relationship as we already had.

Did you honestly think we could leave yet still get free trade ?

 

[kingrollo]

Sit tight and watch eBay in 12 months time.

 

[Joffey]

Did you honestly think we could leave yet still get free trade ?

Nope. Not a chance. As soon as Boris Johnson got involved I knew I couldn't trust the Brexit lot as far as I could throw any of them.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Did you honestly think we could leave yet still get free trade ?

We do trade freely with plenty of other countries. The EU is being awkward because we put their noses properly out of joint by leaving, and they don't like it. To an expansionary regime like the EU, having some awkward upstart walk away and cut about 15% off their economic might is a pretty big slap in the face. After 50 years of being able to grow ever larger and ever more controlling and bossy, Brexit has come as a nasty shock to their system. They never seriously believed anyone could or would ever leave, Until we did.
They've got massive internal economic and political problems right across the bloc. The political elite's answer is a false show of "european unity" - which is demonstrably fake because the Germans have just done a dirty vaccine deal despite signing up to the "one EU" procurement shitshow that has now gone very wrong. For all the EU's bluff and bluster, we in the UK have seriously wrongfooted them and shown their monolithic bureaucratic machine to be inflexible and utterly incompetent. That glimpse into their inner workings won't be lost on either their own member states populations or the rest of the world.

 

[FishFright]

We do trade freely with plenty of other countries. The EU is being awkward because we put their noses properly out of joint by leaving, and they don't like it. To an expansionary regime like the EU, having some awkward upstart walk away and cut about 15% off their economic might is a pretty big slap in the face. After 50 years of being able to grow ever larger and ever more controlling and bossy, Brexit has come as a nasty shock to their system. They never seriously believed anyone could or would ever leave, Until we did.
They've got massive internal economic and political problems right across the bloc. The political elite's answer is a false show of "european unity" - which is demonstrably fake because the Germans have just done a dirty vaccine deal despite signing up to the "one EU" procurement shitshow that has now gone very wrong. For all the EU's bluff and bluster, we in the UK have seriously wrongfooted them and shown their monolithic bureaucratic machine to be inflexible and utterly incompetent. That glimpse into their inner workings won't be lost on either their own member states populations or the rest of the world.

Which countries do we currently have free trade with ? Remember that doesn't include those we have trade deals with where trade isn't actually free but has tariffs and limits etc .

ETA Remember almost all the deals we had pre brexit were EU deals and not with us alone.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Children, children, I'm sure the Brexit thread is still over on the dark side, please take your rantings over there.

 

[FishFright]

Children, children, I'm sure the Brexit thread is still over on the dark side, please take your rantings over there.

Ok but it would be handy to have a list of things that won't be affected by brexit to keep it walled off ....

 

[Dag Hammar]

Back to the subject of the title.
Fact.
Oct / Nov 2020 a Cube Aim £549
January 2021 a Cube Aim £649
That is, of course, if you can find a retailer with stock to sell.
I’m not after one so no need to search the internet looking, thank you.

 

[PaulSB]

Our business imports products from China. Leisure related, but not bikes. A year ago we were paying around $2,500 for a 40' container. We're currently paying $10,000 per container....... and it's rising. We can't absorb those costs as a business, they have to be passed on to the end user. There are thousands upon thousands of empty containers sat around the world, but not in China where they should be. Meaning the containers that are there are commanding huge premiums........ that's if you can even get one filled currently. Shipping companies don't want to collect empty containers and transport back to China as there's no money in it. I suspect it will be a year before things are resolved there.............. Our prices of all our products in the UK have just gone up 15% at retail...............

I was talking to my LBS owner last week and he gave me exactly the same numbers - container shipping cost up from £2500 to £10000 and retail prices to rise by at least 15%.

I spent most of the autumn trying to track down a new bike. Every option I looked at was unavailable for one reason or another. In mid December I took delivery of a Kinesis - it was literally the last one available. Delighted with it. The manufacturer is now quoting August 2021 for delivery on all sizes except 62cm which is currently available. My LBS told me in October there would be no discounting in 2021 - I think my little story proves why.

A combination of huge demand, manufacturing issues, Covid-19, shipping costs and Brexit have coincided through 2020 to create a situation whereby price rises are inevitable. Often when manufacturers offer significant price increases they fail to maintain these as at least one company will break ranks. With demand outstripping supply it's unlikely any will lower prices in the foreseeable future.

From what I've seen, read and experienced I suggest anyone wanting a particular bike who can find it should place an order and wait. It's unlikely prices will change in 2021 and quite possibly won't reduce in the future.

It's better to sell out at full price than produce another 20% which has to be discounted with the result fewer and fewer customers are prepared to pay list price as more wait for discounted stock. From the manufacturer's perspective the market gets skewed as buyers wait till autumn to buy next Spring's bike.

 

[Joffey]

Just been looking on the Decathlon website, seems bikes have gone up £200 since Brexit. This one was £1,599 last year:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/rcx-cf-carbon-cyclocross-bike-grx/_/R-p-324261?mc=8580527