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Justin

Maximum Pace
Nov 12, 2016
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I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I couldn't see a forum that was more suitable:

Given how expensive SRAM stuff tends to be in Japanese brick-and-mortar stores, and given SRAM has made it so hard to order its gear from online stores that are based in other parts of the world (presumably due to contractual arrangements with the Japanese distributor), where do people here go to get reasonably priced SRAM groupsets? Is the answer simply to use intermediary delivery services to get around the "no delivery to Japan" stipulation that online stores have? Am I breaching an unwritten protocol by even posting this question? If so, apologies — I'll delete. I'm pretty well in the dark when it comes to this stuff.
 
Thanks @kiwisimon.

Most of the SRAM groups I've seen on eBay appear to be well priced until I take a closer look and notice they're not complete groupsets, eg they're missing the crank or the rim brake calipers etc.

Does anyone here have experience ordering from the German site bike-components.de and using an intermediary delivery service?
 
I've had painless shopping with bike components and bike24 tho never with sram parts. However never used a freight forwarder and this was before region enforcement. Also bike24 always restricted sram to eu only.
 
I bought some chainrings for Force22 off a guy on Ebay. The only other SRAM part I've bought was a Rival long cage mech off Yahoo Auctions.

I've fitted a Quarq so I have a Force 22 carbon crankset (GXP - 2015 - 170mm) and not so heavily used 50-34 and 52-36 chainrings in my shed. I also have an Force 22 11-25 cassette and short cage rear mech I should really sell. I keep meaning to put them on Yahoo Auctions but haven't got round to it.
 
I've ordered a full sram rival group set from bike components.de and a full sram red 22 groupset. Great prices and delivery fee set at around 2 euros
 
I've ordered a full sram rival group set from bike components.de and a full sram red 22 groupset. Great prices and delivery fee set at around 2 euros
How recently was that, @leicaman? bike-components.de now says it doesn't deliver SRAM stuff to Japan, so I assume there was a change in policy at some point? I'm thinking of using a forwarding service such as mygermany. I've successfully used forwarding services before, but it always makes me a little nervous.
 
How recently was that, @leicaman? bike-components.de now says it doesn't deliver SRAM stuff to Japan, so I assume there was a change in policy at some point? I'm thinking of using a forwarding service such as mygermany. I've successfully used forwarding services before, but it always makes me a little nervous.
That sucks. The last thing I bought was my sram red groupset was in September last year.
 
Yeah, it really does suck. I'd probably ask either my parents or one of my siblings to take initial delivery.
 
If you're willing to be slightly patient, Starbike in Germany has great prices and have never refused to deliver anything to me in Japan. My experience is that they don't always hold stock, so there can be a wait while not-in-stock items come in.
 
If you're willing to be slightly patient, Starbike in Germany has great prices and have never refused to deliver anything to me in Japan. My experience is that they don't always hold stock, so there can be a wait while not-in-stock items come in.
I'm happy to wait a while. Just wondering: have you ordered a complete groupset from them, and if so, what kind of shipping did you pay for something of that size/weight? Cheers.
 
I'm happy to wait a while. Just wondering: have you ordered a complete groupset from them, and if so, what kind of shipping did you pay for something of that size/weight? Cheers.
I've ordered a couple of groupsets from them and, as far as I recall, shipping was a flat rate €20 or €25.
 
there was/is a bloke on Yahoo Auction who sold SRAM groupos at pretty good prices.
By the time you send cash pay conversions and any import duties .......?
The cheaper ones are take off groupos as many riders here in NIppon seem to prefer Shimano.
 
there was/is a bloke on Yahoo Auction who sold SRAM groupos at pretty good prices.
By the time you send cash pay conversions and any import duties .......?
The cheaper ones are take off groupos as many riders here in NIppon seem to prefer Shimano.
This is a good example of the kind of thing I was referring to above: https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f378981624. It's Red AXS, which admittedly is expensive anywhere you look, but he's asking nearly ¥200,000 for just the brake levers, the derailleurs (+ batteries), the battery charger and the brake cables. That's pretty funny.
 
Are you after AXS ? Nice gear. I'd love it on my dirt road bike but it's too pricey for me at the moment. And we are heading into ice and snow.
 
I haven't searched exhaustively yet, but the best deal I've seen is at Bike Components. Including the 19% EU sales tax, a complete Force gruppo is Y196,000. When I say complete, I'm talking about a direct-mount rim brake group minus BB. Everything else is included. Delivery cost to an address in Germany is negligible (about 4 euro). A forwarding service could charge anywhere between Y6000 and Y12,000, depending on the size/weight of the parcel. The challenge would be avoiding an import tax at customs in Japan. I don't know how cooperate forwarding services are, but they might be willing to put a made-up value on the package? I ordered carbon wheels from Taiwan last year, and the manufacturer listed the value as Y10,000.
 
I'm very happy with my bike, I've got Force 22 with a Red Quarq Dzero, but that flat-edged AXS chain looks amazing. Totally desirable.
As a gearing nerd, a 10 cog on the back also has me in serious Nigel Tufnell territory.
 
I haven't searched exhaustively yet, but the best deal I've seen is at Bike Components. Including the 19% EU sales tax, a complete Force gruppo is Y196,000. When I say complete, I'm talking about a direct-mount rim brake group minus BB. Everything else is included. Delivery cost to an address in Germany is negligible (about 4 euro). A forwarding service could charge anywhere between Y6000 and Y12,000, depending on the size/weight of the parcel. The challenge would be avoiding an import tax at customs in Japan.

It would make more sense to order directly to an address in Japan, if possible. Orders from outside the EU are not subject to VAT. So that 196,000 yen would drop to 164,700 yen (31,300 yen VAT is 19% of the net price) and the shipping charge will probably be less than what the forwarding service would charge.

AFAIK on import into Japan you will be charged consumption tax on 60% of the value of the goods including shipping insurance, which works out as 6% at the current shohisei rate of 10%. There's a limit below which you won't even be charged this (I think about 30,000 yen) but you may get away with more if you're lucky.

In any case, 19% VAT is the tax rate you want to avoid if you want a good deal, not the much lower rate in Japan. Order through a forwarding agent and you may end up paying BOTH.
 
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