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Overseas purchases - why so much less $$? Risk/Reward

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WaydeG

WaydeG

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Location
Springtown, Tx
I'm looking to upgrade my 7 year old Scorpion EXO 900X (Modular) with either a Schuberth C3 PRO, a C5 or possibly an AGC or Shoei. I started looking and these and the $600-$800 price range has me a little skittish but head protection is #1. A C5 from Revzilla or other online shop is about $750 as is a Shoei Nanotec II. Places like Moto FC and Champions have the C5 at $500 and it would cost me about $30 to have it shipped from either the UK or Netherlands. Obviously these are only ECE and not DOT rated but Texas doesn't have a helmet law. Anyone have any experience or a thought about Pros vs Cons? If all fails, I can get a C3 Lite for about $320. I don't need coms as my Cardo Freecom 1+ is perfectly fine for me.
 
I’ve bought from FC Moto as well as Chomeburner several times, no problems. Plus, they used to give you a 10% discount code when you signed up. That along with no sales tax usually makes up more than any shipping cost.
 
I bought a C5 from Champion before they were released in the US. Would absolutely do it again. Communication was by email and excellent. Just received a pair of Held gloves from another overseas vendor, also a good transaction. Saved considerable money on both transactions.
 
Just got a 15% discount code for FC Moto, if anyones shopping. Code: HALLOWEEK15
good 10/31 thru 11/6
 
One thing of consequence I can think of is insurance making a stink about the lack of a DOT sticker if something were to happen. I don't know if they care enough or are astute enough but if one believes insurance companies are looking for ways to avoid paying out, this could be one. I don't know if there are any anecdotal incidents like you may have seen about car tires on bikes, etc.

Another might be a riding class or track day that requires a DOT helmet. I'd suspect those sanctioning bodies are actually looking for better than DOT; except for a MSF class.
 
dukey33 said:
One thing of consequence I can think of is insurance making a stink about the lack of a DOT sticker if something were to happen. I don't know if they care enough or are astute enough but if one believes insurance companies are looking for ways to avoid paying out, this could be one. I don't know if there are any anecdotal incidents like you may have seen about car tires on bikes, etc.

Another might be a riding class or track day that requires a DOT helmet. I'd suspect those sanctioning bodies are actually looking for better than DOT; except for a MSF class.
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I went ahead and purchased a Schuberth C3 Lite from Cycle Gear for a reasonable price and can use it to gauge fit. A C3 Pro from FC Moto is $298 shipped (with coupon - thanks Rsquared). That's a hard deal to turn down. Since I'm not doing a track day on the R18 and I do have a Scorpion EXO 900x as back up, I'm pretty well covered. Now just waiting to get the C3 Lite and gauge the fit. Re: the insurance scenario, I can't imagine they would even know about DOT vs ECE ratings but I could be mistaken. Now that DOES prompt me to look into the situation if they pay out or not depending on if you (or me) are wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The caveat is I never ride without a helmet. That's the rule (agreement) I've made with the wife.
 
I bought a shoei neotec 2 helmet from Chromeburner, and it showed up within a week. I also bought Forma Adv touring boots from Chromeburner and they were at my door in like 4 days. Recently purchased a top case from FC moto and it took about a month to show up. There were almost 3 weeks where there was no update from DHL and there wasn’t really any good way to contact DHL for an update since it was their German branch. So I was pretty concerned about it taking so long, but eventually it all arrived and in good condition. In the future I won’t hesitate to order from Chromeburner again, FC moto I may be a little more hesitant.
 
wow. no kidding you can save some money at FC-Moto. I just looked up the Held Burt series of gloves and they were £49.18 there (which translates to 55.96 USD). The same glove from the Held USA site was 130 dollars. I can't imagine duties/taxes and shipping would be so much that a pair of gloves from the UK sent to the USA costs that amount of price difference. That's pretty much a 74 dollar price difference.
 
I almost bought the c3 pro from Fc Moto, about a year and a half ago but at that same time it came out on sale at Motorcycle.com , can't remember the exact price but it was about $20 dlls less than the c3 lite from cycle gear so I just went ahead and bought it
 
Tx123 said:
I bought a shoei neotec 2 helmet from Chromeburner, and it showed up within a week. I also bought Forma Adv touring boots from Chromeburner and they were at my door in like 4 days. Recently purchased a top case from FC moto and it took about a month to show up. There were almost 3 weeks where there was no update from DHL and there wasn’t really any good way to contact DHL for an update since it was their German branch. So I was pretty concerned about it taking so long, but eventually it all arrived and in good condition. In the future I won’t hesitate to order from Chromeburner again, FC moto I may be a little more hesitant.
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Great shipping times, but how long ago was that? I'm not in a hurry, but just ordered a Caberg from FC Moto, and they had in big red letters, warnings about delayed shipping (of course, the warning doesn't show up until you conclude paying :miffed:). Living down here in La Porte, we've driven by the industrial port several times, and I've never seen such a backlog of containers before. They are now stacked 12 high, deep as you can see, and there are several gigantic islands of these all over the place. Hope I get it before next Christmas!
 
Rydah said:
Great shipping times, but how long ago was that? I'm not in a hurry, but just ordered a Caberg from FC Moto, and they had in big red letters, warnings about delayed shipping (of course, the warning doesn't show up until you conclude paying :miffed:). Living down here in La Porte, we've driven by the industrial port several times, and I've never seen such a backlog of containers before. They are now stacked 12 high, deep as you can see, and there are several gigantic islands of these all over the place. Hope I get it before next Christmas!
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My FC Moto order was September of this year, and the Chromeburner order was June and July. Not too long ago, FC Moto definitely took a lot longer for the order to arrive.
 
What I've learned (the hard way). Placed order with FC-Moto for a sweet looking/great reviews Caberg helmet (not available here). Received it within about three weeks, but just did not like the fit, so sent it back for refund. Here's the breakdown:

Helmet cost: $164.80
Shipping: $ 32.77
Total: $197.57
Return ship: $73.80 (USPS/DHL)
Refund: $-164.80

So in total, with the cost of their shipping and mine, I'm out $106.57!! Lesson learned: Unless you are absolutely sure you will keep what you order, don't do it! :doh:
 
So here's my work around when buying from a non-brick and mortar/online store. The caveat is my selection is often limited but as an Amazon Prime member I look for a particular item (in this case a helmet), usually comparing prices and making sure it's a Prime (free shipping) and free returns. If the helmet I want is significantly less expensive as was the C3 Lite, I order it, try it on and then return it. If it fits well. I order from the cheaper source if not, I haven't incurred a return shipping cost. This worked great for my 100w solar panels as well. Ordered the two I was deciding between, plugged them into my Bluetti EB50 and kept the one that actually hit the higher input. Sent the other back.
Also, Cycle World will usually ship for free (and free to the store) and if you return it to the local store (if one is near), no return fees. I just got sick of the difference in fit between say a Cortech and a Rev'It size XL and costing me roughly $10 to return an item I couldn't use. I ended up with my Rev'It Eclipse jacket being a XXXL when I normally wear an XL or maybe in the rare case, a XXL.
 
Rydah said:
What I've learned (the hard way). Placed order with FC-Moto for a sweet looking/great reviews Caberg helmet (not available here). Received it within about three weeks, but just did not like the fit, so sent it back for refund. Here's the breakdown:

Helmet cost: $164.80
Shipping: $ 32.77
Total: $197.57
Return ship: $73.80 (USPS/DHL)
Refund: $-164.80

So in total, with the cost of their shipping and mine, I'm out $106.57!! Lesson learned: Unless you are absolutely sure you will keep what you order, don't do it! :doh:
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Rob makes a really good point. FC or Chrome Burner isn't a good place to buy and try.
Currently FC Moto has a 10% discount code good through 2/05 (CRAZY10) so I just ordered and received a pair of Alpine Stars Tech 7 from FC Moto for $331.08 total including shipping. Same boots from Rocky would've been $443.77. I've been wearing this same boot for years, and know what size I need, so there's not much chance of me needing to return them.
 
WaydeG said:
So here's my work around when buying from a non-brick and mortar/online store. The caveat is my selection is often limited but as an Amazon Prime member I look for a particular item (in this case a helmet), usually comparing prices and making sure it's a Prime (free shipping) and free returns. If the helmet I want is significantly less expensive as was the C3 Lite, I order it, try it on and then return it. If it fits well. I order from the cheaper source if not, I haven't incurred a return shipping cost. This worked great for my 100w solar panels as well. Ordered the two I was deciding between, plugged them into my Bluetti EB50 and kept the one that actually hit the higher input. Sent the other back.
Also, Cycle World will usually ship for free (and free to the store) and if you return it to the local store (if one is near), no return fees. I just got sick of the difference in fit between say a Cortech and a Rev'It size XL and costing me roughly $10 to return an item I couldn't use. I ended up with my Rev'It Eclipse jacket being a XXXL when I normally wear an XL or maybe in the rare case, a XXL.
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Yep, used that method many a times, but in this instance, it wasn't available on Amazon.
 
Chromeburner twice no issues . Shoei Neotec II arrived in a week @ 125 usd cheaper than anywhere in USA . I ordered a Scorpion last Sunday , and it arrived on Wednesday.

Copy / Paste of my E mail to and from Schuberth regarding the new C5

Long time user of your helmets . Currently in a C3 pro Americas , and tried on the new C5 pro at Cycle Gear in Katy Tx. $7xx for a grey color unit .
After looking online at competition why would I want to pay this price with other sellers in Netherlands are $426 usd ? or from FC moto I can buy a C5 Globe helmet for $707 or Grey for 486
Why is your MSRP so drastic in the USA vs other countries ?

On Mon, Dec 26, 2022 at 5:46 PM, Sales-SNA
<Sales-SNA@schuberth.com> wrote:
Sir,

Duty Freight and Entry for us to import is one reason. If you do choose to buy from outside the US keep in mind those are NOT DOT helmets and we will not service or warranty them here at the North American office.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best Regards,

Glen West
Sales - Internal Sales Manager
​
Please note our address has changed!
SCHUBERTH NORTH AMERICA
9920 Pacific Heights Blvd. Suite #150
San Diego, CA 92121
SCHUBERTH Service
13954 W Waddell Rd
Suite 103-603
Surprise, AZ 85379
Phone:+1 949 215 0893
E-Mail:Glen.West@schuberth.com
Web:www.schuberth.
 
FC Moto 15% discount code MOTO2023. Good through 3/5/23.
 
Cool, thanks! Fine print does eliminate a few big names but nothing I could afford anyway, LOL:

1677554052826.png
 
Sometimes it helps to write customer service, I've had success with the revzilla website customer service messenger getting them to apply 10-15% off of single items (more than once) for various reasons (mostly me not wanting to part with my money). For brick and mortar it doesn't hurt to get to know the people behind the counter, at Ridenow I asked point blank whats the best they could do on my Shoei gt air II (after having friendly conversation with the CS manager), they immediately knocked about $200 off to my surprise. Called them a year later, gave me 20% off to beat shop in Temple for the saddle bags I wanted, better deal than anywhere in the states online or in store. I'm not saying these are better prices than "overseas" but definitely competitive. You might be surprised to figure out how much can be negotiated in retail all over, sometimes you just have to try, sometimes you have to get in front of the right person, other times you have to modify tactics.
 
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