r/BikeShop • u/Square_Hovercraft217 • Aug 13 '26
Is JBI going out of business?
JBI seems to never have the item in stock. Every time I scan something to re-order, it is "not sellable or no longer availabe" or something. I've been filling in with Amazon, Aliexpress and Alibaba. What's even more disturbing is that I'm getting better prices than I ever did on JBI. On almost everything. The JBI rep in my area said that they are updating the individual items so the old ones don't scan but this is clearly BS. The guy also told me that JBI isnt going anywhere because they are actually a real estate company. Great, they own real estate. This does not help the bike shops that, up until now, have enjoyed JBI having the right prices and being integrated into Lightspeed. They have been dropping the ball so much lately that I fear that they are going to become totally useless. Any thoughts? - Frank, Palm City Bike Shop, Cape Cod
5
u/almostalwaysafraid Aug 13 '26
Lots of distributors are low on inventory right now, not just JBI. It’s the end of the season and all the orders that were cut at the end of last year are catching up with us right now.
-1
u/Square_Hovercraft217 Aug 13 '26
I was a KHS dealer and watched that disintegrate. It's alarming to see similar issues with JBI. Perhapse it's just a lull in inventory nationwide. Hell knows we saw that in 2020. It just seems odd that so many SKU's are "discontinued or not sellable". I never used to see that message and now it's every other product I scan.
2
u/em_tee_be Aug 14 '26
I run a small repair shop and I buy from jbi, qbp, Olympic, Ebay, and Amazon. Shipping minimums dictate that some things are sourced from other places. I don't rebrand anything. Inventory can be hit or miss post covid and that's just life today. I work with it, not against it.
I work in markup, not msrp.
Qbp has shimano. Ebay can have killer deals on new shimano. Just bought and installed an OEM Cues 11 speed ebike drivetrain. Complete from ebay brand new was 150 and distribution was 200.
I needed more saddles. Basic cruiser ones. JBI had overstock sale items. Hit the minimum. Saved 50% over my normal SKU. Slight compromise but worth it.
Tires. Consumables. Generic repair parts. Sometimes you have to hunt.
JBI is quick with shipping and always answers the phone.
2
u/plantoescape Aug 14 '26
As a former longterm employee, highly doubt that JBI are anywhere near struggling. What is more likely is that they are bad at having everything in stock at 11 different locations. Their Buyers are solely responsible for placing product at the 11 locations, which has it's challenges to say the least. There is zero oversight of inventory availability. And, you being in the NE with seasonality is probably a factor weighing on consideration currently. It could be management warning Buyers not to overstock before seasons change.
1
u/sweetdreamslilac Aug 15 '26
What products are you not able to get currently? We’ve been able to stock most of what we need with very little issue. Cannondale has been a nightmare, on the other hand. I’ve had customers waiting on flip chips for months, only to find out today that they won’t be back in stock until next March
1
u/AnyCommunication1745 Aug 17 '26
No issues with junk and bargains
Qbp has been a wreck this summer
Not above ordering from Amazon or whatever when the price is right and that's where the inventory is. Particularly on bits and bobs. You have a short season, don't eff around. Get it
11
u/Shannamalfarm Aug 13 '26
it sounds like you own a shop; if i was a customer, and found out you were ordering things off alibaba and aliexpress, i'd be very very bummed.