[briderdt]

I can’t even count the time I’ve put into searching out the best prices on the stuff I use for riding — jackets, gloves, etc. Especially when it comes to things that aren’t motorcycle related (like hiking boots or other sports stuff), the search gets even longer, as I don’t do those searches as often. Seems like I’m starting over every time.

So, I’m curious… What if there was a service that would do that for you? Help you find what you want at the best prices? Maybe you’ve seen this already (and I’m not talking about a yahoo search or the like)?

If such a thing existed, would you use it, assuming the cost was negligible to you?

[SantaCruzRider]

Amazon and Yahoo! Shopping are two of the largest online retail aggregators, and I’m sure there are others. Of course any comparison shopping site is limited to the number of retailers they partner with — as the retailer pays for the traffic and/or leads. Trying to pass along any incremental costs to the user will be a very tough sell.
Also, you’ll find that online buyers are pretty cautious about using new sites. That’s one of the reasons that many smaller online stores work almost exclusively through a larger site like Yahoo! or Amazon. It gives them the respectability they need and the aggregator sites are usually really great about shutting down any partners that start generating any consumer complaints.

[WeaponZero]

I generally choose to give my business to a specific retailer even if they may charge more money. I love sportbiketrackgear.com because after speaking on the phone numerous times with both them and newenough.com as well as other retailers, I find their staff to be the most knowledgeable as every single one of them is passionate about the product. They’re just good people doing what they love.

[ranette]

Anything via the web is going to be biased, much like SCR mentioned, by the fact that whoever advertises on these sites, and to be economically viable they have to accept ads, is going to be recommended while those who do not are ignored.

That being said, I find that shopping for motorcycle gear, or anything else I have somewhat of a passion for, simply can’t be farmed out. I recently bought boots for my wife and I and agonized over every detail: looks, fit, protection, ventilated vs. airtight. We changed our minds countless times before pulling the trigger. In my opinion there is no way that any sort of personal shopping service would put that time and thought into a relatively small purchase, but I did, and I’m confident I picked the right gear for us.

As far as pricing, I do try to find the best price I can from a retailer that I trust. However, while I have no qualms about spending countless hours making sure I purchase the correct gear, spending day upon day trying to save a few dollars doesn’t make sense to me. Most of the major places seem to be relatively competitive on price. The two places that I’ve been happiest with are Competition Accessories(compacc.com) and Revzilla(revzilla.com). Revzilla has a fantastic website, comprehensive, fast, easy to navigate and a great filtering system.

[Sean_D]

.. is ISBNS.NET for comparative shopping for text books. The cost is definitely negligible for that. At least to the buyer it is free. Not sure what, if anything the sellers pay.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

I bought some cheap black nylon motorcycle pants online- I wanted them extra big to add knee braces and soccer shin guards under them, and I added an extra belt to hold the waist up better.

I bought my helmet, jacket, boots and gloves after trying them on in a store- I wanted to make sure they felt good, looking at a photo is a lot different that looking at the real thing, and the few extra dollars was worth it for me to get exactly what I wanted.

The mechanics impact gloves from Lowes or Walmart, with gel padding in the palms, are a good low cost summer glove with a very good feel, but they are not as protective as some of the gloves designed for motorcycles.

[Author]

Posts