Buying Parts Online vs. the Stores.

[Lane]

How do you guys feel about buying ATV parts from all of the different online parts retailers?

I am in the market for a cycle country ATV plow & parts. After spending a ton of time pricing out all of the parts I need I have found that I can save $137.00 by purchasing the mount kit, push pipes and plow blade online.

On one hand I really like money...on the other hand I like walking into a local store and being able to deal with a person when something goes wrong. At what point is the savings worth the risk of not having someone to go to for help?

[1johntimm]

Depends on shipping price also. If you look into it thoroughly you may save $. Larsons Cycle in Cambridge usually has some good prices on atv plows.

[Lane]

The $137 includes adjustments for both tax at the brick&mortor store and shipping from the HSOforum.

[rundrave]

Support those that support you!

As someone that was/is still kind of involved with ATV racing, I support those that support me. My local stealership will never get a dollar of my money because their prices are higher, they never have anything in stock and never went out of the way to provide any form of service or the sale of a machine.

I buy all my parts and maintenance stuff from a small shop that employees about 3 people. They do great work and sure I pay a little more, but they go out of their way to accommodate me as a customer.

I look for places of business that offer support to other areas in the industry and provide good service. Keep buying things on line and the smaller mom and pop shops will be a thing of the past. The economy is hitting the ATV industry extremely hard, keep that in mind when you make your purchase, where any profit goes .

[Macgyver55]

I've found that if I walk in and ask for a price on something and its much higher than it is online, I have found that many places will match or at least discount somewhat in order to keep my business. I dont mind paying a bit more (even the amount of shipping) for the convenience of getting a part right away, but many dealers dont always stock the parts and just order them anyway. When that is the case I order them myself and speed up the process.

[BobT]

Support those that support you!

As someone that was/is still kind of involved with ATV racing, I support those that support me. My local stealership will never get a dollar of my money because their prices are higher, they never have anything in stock and never went out of the way to provide any form of service or the sale of a machine.

I buy all my parts and maintenance stuff from a small shop that employees about 3 people. They do great work and sure I pay a little more, but they go out of their way to accommodate me as a customer.

I look for places of business that offer support to other areas in the industry and provide good service. Keep buying things on line and the smaller mom and pop shops will be a thing of the past. The economy is hitting the ATV industry extremely hard, keep that in mind when you make your purchase, where any profit goes .

You make some important points. Value includes more than just price. Service before and after the sale, speed of delivery, reliability, loyalty to you as a customer, and even personal attention can all play a role in building value. I think it becomes a personal choice.

I take all my service work for my truck to the dealership where I purchased my truck. I've done a fair amount of business with them over the years and as a result I've built up a certain value as a customer. They treat me well and when they don't I let them know and they listen to me and take action. As a result they have built value for me. Most of the time their service prices are competitive and I'm willing to pay a little extra on some jobs to maintain the relationship I have with them.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Living where I do sometimes on line is the only option. However, when there is a problem with a part you're kind of on your own. There is a local auto parts store I've been dealing with for quite a while and they do pretty darn good at getting me non-auto related parts. It takes a couple of days for them to locate and get these parts, but it would take that long if I got them on line. Prices seem to be a bit less through the auto parts store, but I do a lot of bizzness with them and they cut me a little slack.

Returns of faulty parts, few and far between, with the local guys has never been a problem.

If I can, I go local and support local fellas just trying to make a buck like the rest of us.

[usmcjsy]

Usually I have found service to be [PoorWordUsage] at most places anyway, so I have been shopping online. The funny thing is a lot of times its easier to return product online than most stores these days. There is a few places I am loyal to because they have had good service, but most the time I am a online shopper.

[Gordie]

I buy all my ATV parts on-line its earier than a dealership and I tend to shop a bit more and learn more about the part before I order it. I look for the best online deal be it lowest price to free shipping or even return policys. I have had great success with the online parts stores and will continue to do so.`

[ClownColor]

I buy all my ATV parts on-line its earier than a dealership and I tend to shop a bit more and learn more about the part before I order it. I look for the best online deal be it lowest price to free shipping or even return policys. I have had great success with the online parts stores and will continue to do so.`

Same here...though I only buy from a reputable place, not just some random online store. Make sure it's secure with the lock or has https (s=secure). 99% of the time the product never has to be returned if you did your research. Try "googling" sites before hand for free shipping or coupon codes. Another good idea is to contact them before hand to see if you can even reach them by phone, if they don't list a phone number, don't deal with them.

Buying online is huge for stores and they know people have concerns about returns so alot offer free return shipping (not e bay though, expect to pay restocking fees as well).

[riverwader]

I have found that I can get my parts quicker online than having the dealership try to get it. I blew a radiator and called a few shops in the area and 2 of the 4 told me that I have to go online to get it. They didnt even offer to order it for me.

[usmcjsy]

Ya the nice thing with purchasing online is they usually have your info in the computer, so if you do have a return and cannot find the reciept it is not a problem. As far as EEEbaay goes most of them will do what they can to make sure your happy as to not damage their feedback rating. I think that a local HSOforum of some sort (something like angies list) would help keep local business's more in line. I have just had to many problems with local dealers and stores that I now prefer online. I dont need to pay a premium price for service I usually dont need or when I do need it they are difficult at best to work with.