Buying a helmet online... Restocking fees

So I am in search of some new head gear and would like to get a matching set for me and my lady friend. She's not too into getting on the back just yet, but she's coming around and I want to be ready when she is.

Well, my lady friend is petite, although not short like most clothes makers associate with petite. In fact she has a hard time finding clothes because a size 0 is too big. Mind you she used to be a 2 and hasn't gotten smaller, but that's a whole other discussion.

Back to the point, it's hard as hell to find a motorcycle shop which stocks XS helmets. Its also hard to not spend a whole day trying on different helmets as it seems to take 10 minutes to get a helmet from the back, and try on 4 helmets and people start looking at me like blink.gif . Dude, who cares how it fits, pick the hottest graphics yo.

Any who, looks like I'm gonna need to order a helmet without her having tried it on. Since I'd like to save the 30-40% markup at my local dealers, I'm looking online. For the life of me I can't find an online dealer willing to accept returns without at least a 10% restocking fee.

Ideally, I'll order 4 helmets for her to pick one from, but not if returning 3 is gonna cost me $100. Anybody know a place without a ridiculous return policy. I'd be willing to pay something, but not a percentage. If I could order 8 helmets with the intent to keep 3 of them, I'd be satisfied throwing the guy $20. But if they offer free shipping do I have to pay for that "free" shipping should I return something.


p.s. On a side note, anybody in the metro new york area know of a dealer with good prices and a selection of XS helmets?

Thanks wheel.gif

Wouldn't it be easier to call all the local shops and ask if they have any XS helmets in stock? Do a fitting and go from there. That way you don't risk restocking fees.

I did not have this problem with RapidRacer.com or NewEnough.com. From RapidRacer, I bought a bunch of helmets for both me and "rider" (whoever that might be) and made my decisions for me, and I had a few galpals try on a few lids so I could determine that a Medium works for most gal heads.

Point is, I told them upfront that I was buying all these helmets with the intent of trying them on and sending the rest back. They had no problem with that, making a note on my order that all but two would be coming back.

And with NewEnough, I've returned a bunch of stuff that I've bought two of for "sizing", and returned a pair of Icon boots (after carefully riding with them for a day or two) and there was no restock fee. I think with any of these outfits hears that you're looking for an XS, they will understand the issue and work with you.

But don't even THINK of trying this with RideNow.com. Crook bastards with the worst service (disservice?) in the world. You'll be stuck with 5 helmets.

Finally, I'm not a big fan of going to the local shop and trying their stuff on and then ordering cheaper online. Just seems dishonest and cheesy to me. However, in the case of your XS-GF, I can understand why this might be necessary.

My wife is extra small as well. I have a local shop and ordered three helmets til one fit. She could of used one a hair smaller but we couldnt find anything else. If you have a cycle gear or large well stocked dealer near you, go try helmets. If you dont like the price you at least know what size and brand to order. Good luck.

Trace, Jun 17 2006, 09:46 PMI did not have this problem with RapidRacer.com or NewEnough.com.

+1.gif NewEnough is great with doing returns or sending out multiple sizes and accepting back the ones that don't fit.

Cycle Gear has a 30 day trial period for helmets. If the helmet doesn't fit right after the 30 day break-in period, just send it back for a full refund. No restocking fees.
From their website:

Need to make a return or exchange?
Our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee always beats a manufacturers warranty!
At Cyclegear.com you can make your purchases with complete confidence. Whether you return an item to one of our Cycle Gear retail stores, or ship it to us at Cyclegear.com, any items that fail to perform satisfactorily may be returned for a full refund or exchange, and you�ll never pay a restocking fee. It�s that simple.

If there is a defect with a product purchased from Cycle Gear, we�ll never send you to the manufacturer. You don�t need to know what the manufacturer�s warranty is. If it�s defective, we�ll hassle with the manufacturer, just return the product to one of our stores or to CYCLEGEAR.COM where 100% satisfaction is guaranteed.

Finally, I'm not a big fan of going to the local shop and trying their stuff on and then ordering cheaper online. Just seems dishonest and cheesy to me. However, in the case of your XS-GF, I can understand why this might be necessary.

[/quote]

Off topic but, thanks Trace. As the owner of a small business, I see this all the time.
Even been asked to write down style numbers and color codes for the customers.
Which I do with a smile, hoping their order gets screwed up and their product is backordered for weeks.

Back on topic, I've also had great customer service from NewEnough. Very pleasant to deal with and a knowledgeable staff.

Trace, Jun 17 2006, 08:46 PMFinally, I'm not a big fan of going to the local shop and trying their stuff on and then ordering cheaper online.� Just seems dishonest and cheesy to me.� However, in the case of your XS-GF, I can understand why this might be necessary.

FLsurfer, Jun 18 2006, 06:22 AMOff topic but, thanks Trace. As the owner of a small business, I see this all the time.
Even been asked to write down style numbers and color codes for the customers.
Which I do with a smile, hoping their order gets screwed up and their product is backordered for weeks.

CrazyInNYC, Jun 17 2006, 08:21 PMAny who, looks like I'm gonna need to order a helmet without her having tried it on.� Since I'd like to save the 30-40% markup at my local dealers, I'm looking online.� For the life of me I can't find an online dealer willing to accept returns without at least a 10% restocking fee.�

Hmm... Not my intention at all... I went to that dealer with cash in my pocket, but they had a very minimal selection and weren't willing to order anything unless I paid for it first.

The comment I made has to do with the fact that I HAVE to order a helmet WITHOUT having tried it on. For that, I'm not willing to pay an IMO larger than justifiable markup. Plus, It's a real PITA to get to the dealer, so why am I gonna pay more to have them order it, then have to go there and pick it up when I can order it and have it shipped directly to me. The only answer I can come up with is to have the ability to try it on before commiting money to it. Take that away and I got nothing. Add to that crappy customer service and I also have a bad taste in my mouth.

Having lived in Manhattan for some time, I know about paying more for convenience. Unfortunately, the one local dealer is unable to provide convenience for my situation and as such they have eliminated my motivation for paying more.

The topics of competition and adaptation are very off topic and I doubt this is the place to discuss them. I can say that being in IT I have seen many people lose out to competition from "emerging markets" and I deal with it daily as we have aggressive initiatives focused on "rightsourcing" and "rightshoring"

DangerMonkey, Jun 17 2006, 09:06 PMCycle Gear has a 30 day trial period for helmets. If the helmet doesn't fit right after the 30 day break-in period, just send it back for a full refund. No restocking fees.
From their website:

Nice, this just may be exactly what I was looking for. Decent prices coupled with convenience. As I said, I'm certainly willing to pay a little more for convenience. fing02.gif


I do have one concern, when I visited their site I noticed this mention of a 30-day helmet exchange policy.

No Hassle 30 Day Helmet Exchange

You may exchange for a helmet of any value.

Returned helmet must be in saleable condition with the original packing materials and box.

Program applies to street helmets only.

Exchange only.

No cash refunds.

Difference paid with store credit.

Does this preclude helmets from the all encompassing "any items" in the 100% satisfaction guarantee? Guess I'll have to call on Monday.

Thanks DangerMonkey, help like this makes asking a legitimate question worth any amount of judgmental pigeonholing. tongue.gif

beer.gif I'm just f@$#ing with you, thanks everyone.

Crazy,
Apparently their helmet exchange policy has changed since I bought mine. The full refund policy was quoted to me by in-store personnel when I bought a helmet from my local CG in Sept '04. Worth a phone call to a CG store to see if the internet helmet sales have a different refund policy than for those puchased in the store. Their website shows one at
63 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester CT 06040 (860) 647-1022

DangerMonkey, Jun 19 2006, 12:08 AMCrazy,
Apparently their helmet exchange policy has changed since I bought mine. The full refund policy was quoted to me by in-store personnel when I bought a helmet from my local CG in Sept '04. Worth a phone call to a CG store to see if the internet helmet sales have a different refund policy than for those puchased in the store. Their website shows one at
63 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester CT 06040 (860) 647-1022

So I gave a call to Cyclegear.com today and got the lowdown.

100% satisfaction guarantee has no discernable time expiration as long as the item is in NEW condition.

30 day helmet exchange means you can exchange a helmet that you have worn and is no longer in NEW condition, provided it is within 30 days and in "saleable" condition.

I'm liking this place, thanks for the link.

Seems the only store in the Northeast is in Manchester, CT. Too bad it's about 2.5 hours away and I don't know how i would fit multiple helmets with boxes on my bike. 491.gif