Wiggle are being Nobs

They definitely are doing something fucking weird and have been for quite some time. You get stuff like a set of pedals where black, white, red, grey, blue are £15 and the green ones are £2 and out of stock. Or a wetsuit that's £10 in size S and £100 in other sizes.

I understand the idea behind clearing surplus stock but it seems to be a bit beyond that.

It's a big company, they must know what they're doing I suppose, but it does seem odd from the outside

It's the PlanetX strategy of pure chaos pricing.

The lowest price of out of stock goods is for search engines, no?

I understand the idea behind clearing surplus stock

I’m no business genius, but I though you cleared stock by reducing prices until it’s all gone?

You get stuff like a set of pedals where black, white, red, grey, blue are £15 and the green ones are £2 and out of stock

I understand that, as the ‘headline’ price is £2 when you search. It’s a borderline con, but I understand why they do it.

Just found an example.

30T red chainring: £55, 42T black chainring £3.99

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/race-face-direct-mount-cinch-narrow-wide-chainring?color=red&chainringTeeth=30T+%7C+Cinch+DM+%7C+Non+Boost

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/race-face-direct-mount-cinch-narrow-wide-chainring?color=black&chainringTeeth=42T+%7C+Cinch+DM+%7C+Non+Boost

I don't think anyone's going be tricked into spending £55 on a chainring when the headline price is £4. But I don't know anything about this stuff

But I don't know anything about this stuff

Maybe they don’t either, which is why they’ve gone bust

I had some hubs in my basket at lunchtime for £15 that are now £100. Same for a saddle last week. Quite entertaining chaos, have just just constantly trawl.

In other news, 3T Exploro in small for £1,250.00 which seems ridiculous. Geo doesn't work for my wife, otherwise I'd buy immediately. https://www.wiggle.com/p/3t-exploro-team-rival-axs-1x-gravel-bike-2022?index=n&sizeStandard=S&color=sand

There's defintiely some kind of weird algorithm which reduces prices on the most overstocked items and then cranks them back up when they get below a certain level.

It's almost a compulsion trying to buy crap I don't need at prices which are too cheap to ignore. I should stop looking, but I can't.

algorithm

bet its them just pumping as they see demand

I don't think anyone's going be tricked into spending £55 on a chainring when the headline price is £4.

I’d wager most retail shop owners would agree that this is the most destructive thing wiggle has done to the market. As a customer, RRP now feels like a rip-off, whereas for shops it usually means trade cost + 5-20% margin + 20% VAT, depending on the item. Sure, you can charge 2-20x on cables or housing ferrules, but for most stock the margins are terrible, and with the perception of what is and isn’t a reasonable price skewed by Wiggle’s permanent clearance sales, the segment of the market willing to pay RRP (or doing so without a negative impression of the exchange) has shrunk even more than it would have done given the economy.

Wiggle: No one’s buying all this crap I want rid of. I know, I’ll slash prices!

Also Wiggle: People are buying my unwanted crap too quickly. I’d better spike prices!

They've been doing this for a long time with these chainrings, not quite as low as £4 but I've bought a few all at cheaper end of the pricing.

Yeah the weird thing is that I don't think they do necessarily crank the prices. Sometimes they just completely sell out of all stock of a certain variant of an item. Like the £4 chainrings will fully sell out but they're still left with stock of black ones... Or tanwalls sold out and the black ones are still available at RRP... what are you trying to achieve?

EBay sellers do it by chucking, let’s say, rotor bolts in as a £2 or £3 option along with £20 or £30 rotors as it must rank their listing higher in search results. I guess wiggle have decided that the sales they lose from people thinking “I’m not buying the black ones at £50 when the green ones were £5” must be outweighed by the traffic it drives to the site.

Slightly related, there’s a pair of brothers come to the velodrome that run a busy car garage and we were talking there other day about mechanics/garages that refuse to fit internet bought parts for customers. They obviously have no problem charging only for labour for such jobs on cars. Thought it was interesting that this thing about wanting the mark up from the parts wasn’t as universal as I’d imagined it would be.

There's also being liable for fitting parts you don't know are legit.

^ This. A mate has snapped 3 chains in the past 2 years, all installed by different trained mechanics but purchased from Amazon and random stores on eBay, while chains purchased from wiggle and me have been fine. That’s not a hassle I want my business involved in just to save a customer a tenner.

I’ve barred Amazon and random eBay chains. If an established customer would like to bring a chain in, they’ll have to email a copy of their receipt for it and acknowledge an email highlighting the dangers of possible counterfeit chains.

A mate has snapped 3 chains in the past 2 years

Maybe he just has more mad power than you.

No doubt. At 6’ 4” and 115kg/17.5 st, he has a natural advantage over my humble self.

Fohn clothing is a wiggle brand right? I'm trying to track down a replacement supercell 3l jacket. Wiggle only have the blue at full price, was after the green. I guess it's uncertain whether there will be more stock. It was pretty much my favourite jacket in a long time, perfect fit for me until my mates dog shredded it to pieces, long story.

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the brand crop up on sportspursuit in the past, might be worth keeping an eye out there too?

Fohn clothing is a wiggle brand right

Yes it is. I wouldn't count on anymore given the fire clearance of the brand and their return to focus on UK cycling.

Wiggle sent me the wrong thing and I have to pay £2.99 for return postage!?

I have to pay

No you don't. If it was their error, they have to refund your reasonable shipping costs if they want it back.

I had this bike in medium in my basket for a few hours and missed out on it 🤣

Yep that, they should email you a free returns label.
Look at the jungle site. If they send the wrong cheap stuff they just say keep it and refund or send the right thing. They don’t want the hassle and cost of a return.