Buying bike from a garage rather than bike shop

rayban_1
rayban_1 Posts: 3
edited July 2013 in MTB general
Hi,

I have found a local garage which is selling bikes, and the bike I am after is the Carrera Kraken Moutain Bike. I have seen it on at Halfords for £450, but this garage is selling it for £180 exactly the same bike!!. Seems a bit suspicious to me, are fake bikes something to look out for? Or do Halfords generally over-charge?

The garage is JA Lock Limited http://www.findnetone.co.uk/mot-centres/mot-centres/54424-ja-lock-limited-333-335-fore-street-edmonton-london-n9-0pd, based in Edmonton, London. They have around 200/300 bikes for sale I would say. Anyone bought from them before?

I know buying from Halfords I could also get insurance, have people found it worth getting?

Comments

  • ilovedirt
    ilovedirt Posts: 5,798
    Sounds a little funny to me, I'm pretty sure Halfords are the only distributer/supplier/whatever for Carrera...
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  • rayban_1
    rayban_1 Posts: 3
    Do you think this bike could be a second hand one then?? It did look brand new.... But thanks for the info, I was not aware of that.
  • mattv
    mattv Posts: 992
    Halfords are the owner and sole retailer for Carrera bikes. This bike cannot be new and will have no manufacturer warranty.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Either second hand or they robbed a Halfords warehouse.
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  • ilovedirt
    ilovedirt Posts: 5,798
    cooldad wrote:
    Either second hand or they robbed a Halfords warehouse.
    The latter sprang to mind, if they have a few hundred bikes....
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  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    Possibly old stock that Halfords shifted in bulk. A bit like Pauls cycles do for Giant and others. Another possibility they arent UK stock but grey imports.
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  • mattv
    mattv Posts: 992
    Carrera is a UK only brand, many of which used to be made by merida. They are only sold in the UK, and are only sold through halfords. If they wanted to shift stock cheap, they have 450 stores themselves to pile em high and sell em cheap. Either used and second hand, or stolen.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Doesn't this place state the condition, terms of sale?
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  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    mattv wrote:
    Carrera is a UK only brand, many of which used to be made by merida. They are only sold in the UK, and are only sold through halfords. If they wanted to shift stock cheap, they have 450 stores themselves to pile em high and sell em cheap. Either used and second hand, or stolen.

    I thought they had Halfords in other countries I am pretty sure I saw a Halfords in Dublin a couple of years back.

    edit: a quick google and the Irish republic has quite a few stores so its not a UK only shop. It also used to have stores in Poland and Czech republic but they were shut a couple of years back.
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  • benpinnick
    benpinnick Posts: 4,148
    Half odds recently sold up its French or maybe Dutch stores. Perhaps they are from them.
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  • thelonegroover
    thelonegroover Posts: 1,073
    mattv wrote:
    Carrera is a UK only brand, many of which used to be made by merida. They are only sold in the UK, and are only sold through halfords. If they wanted to shift stock cheap, they have 450 stores themselves to pile em high and sell em cheap. Either used and second hand, or stolen.

    Not necessarily, they might have got a guaranteed price for a job lot. But a simple question to the seller would confirm.
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  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Many Carreras came from my Daughters old store when it was flooded* and then put into the market for sale elsewhere, could be many legitemate reasons they are selling it.

    *The insurance assesor scrapped everything off even that stuff not touched by water, it was cheaper apparently than assesing by item.
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