Shimano USA - Price Too High?

In article ,
David Reuteler wrote:

Ryan Cousineau wrote:
: which I like to mention as a citizen of America Jr.

please, give yourself some credit. i prefer America Sane.

Bart Š "So, to win Gretta back I have to go to Toronto."

Homer ... "Canada? Why should we have to leave America to visit America
Junior?"

From "Bart Wants What It Wants", _The Simpsons_

"Americans watch television. Canadians watch American television."
-a comedian I can't remember, probably from SCTV, explaining the
observational distance of Canadian comedians,
--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

(Eric Holeman) wrote in message ...
In article ,
JP wrote:

I stand by my definition: dumping is the practice of selling a product
in a foreign market at a price below which it sells in the domestic
market.

That's absurd. For one, it makes no allowance for different
transport costs...

Yes it does.

For another, even if a Japanese bicycle parts company were to set U.S. and
domestic prices at parity, the slightest devaluation of the dollar (not
hard to imagine) would make them a dumper

No it wouldn't

If you stop and think about it, if you base it on the production cost,
every single business that is losing money would be "dumping" its
product or service. It is the disparity between the protected domestic
market and the unprotected foreign market that makes dumping a
predatory practice.

I suppose this is as good a time as any to point out that plenty of
Shimano parts that are sold in the U.S. likely come from China and Taiwan,
and that many of the OEM parts probably never go any where near Japan.

Good point. Irrelevant, but good. Just because they are made in China
does not mean that they can't be dumped. Now *that's* absurd!

It's pretty meaningless all around. The U.S. bike parts market probably
gasped its last breath when Bendix stopped making coaster brakes here.
Oh, wait, there were GripShifts, which may or may not still be made here.

I think the more meaningful question is whether dumping Shimano parts
here drove out European manufacturers that were not dumping. Try
buying a TA or Stronglight component in the US, or an SRAM
(Sachs-Huret) road derailleur anywhere.

The determination of whether someone is dumping or not is not so
simplistic that it would result in a finding of dumping in the
situations you described, unless it were driven by domestic politics.

JP

(JP) wrote in message om...
(Eric Holeman) wrote in message ...

It's pretty meaningless all around. The U.S. bike parts market probably
gasped its last breath when Bendix stopped making coaster brakes here.
Oh, wait, there were GripShifts, which may or may not still be made here.

I think the more meaningful question is whether dumping Shimano parts
here drove out European manufacturers that were not dumping. Try
buying a TA or Stronglight component in the US, or an SRAM
(Sachs-Huret) road derailleur anywhere.

TA components, or at least their Cranks, Chainrings and Pedals are
available he
TA Zephyr
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/zephyr.asp
TA Alize
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/alize.asp

Rivendell, Bicycle Classics, Sheldon Brown/Harris and a few others
also carry TA stuff.

Stronglight is available either through
ThorUSA/KHS Bicycleparts
http://www.thorusa.com
and both Excel Sports and Nashbar carry a few things.

Sram stuff is available thru most of mail order houses like Jenson
USA, Performance, etc.

(JP) wrote in message om...

[snip or dump]

The determination of whether someone is dumping or not is not so
simplistic that it would result in a finding of dumping in the
situations you described, unless it were driven by domestic politics.

JP

Dear JP,

Your last words made my eyebrows disappear into my
long-receded hairline.

What, besides domestic politics, drives the "finding"
of dumping? Who, besides domestic politicians,
issues such "findings" with any practical effect?

I hope that the weather on your planet is as nice as
it is here on mine.

Carl Fogel

bfd- TA components, or at least their Cranks, Chainrings and Pedals are
available he
TA Zephyr
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/zephyr.asp
TA Alize
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/alize.asp
BRBR

Zephyr is discontinued replaced by the Vega and Comina-both of which we will
have about 1 Jan, when they become available. TA stiuff is easy to get,
available lots of places.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"