what do you pay for spokes at your LBS?

[FishMan]

I just paid $1.95 per spoke four double-butted (14/15 guage) spokes at a LBS. Seems a bit steep to me. What does your LBS charge per spoke?

[rockyrider]

Black or silver? That's not too outrageous for black ones, a bit steep for silver. The problem with really small parts is that it costs more to sell them in time and materials than they're worth in small quantities.

[markie]

Yeah, I have paid around that price before. Just be thankful your LBS has them. Much better than paying $0.60 a spoke, but spending $10 in inflated shipping then realizing you've got the wrong length.

On the other hand my new favourite LBS will do a build with D.B. spokes for $50...

[kennbenny667]

My old LBS gave me a bro deal of sorts... Only paid for half the spokes in a wheelset. Maybe 25 buck and change? DT double-butted, of course.

[tryandgetme]

$0.40/spoke when I built my fixie wheels. Lots more for my misfit wheelset, but those are lots more better spokes (and black)

[FishMan]

[QUOTE=rockyrider;145538]Black or silver?/QUOTE]

Silver. I seem to remember paying $1 for them at my old shop, hell, I think it was $2.50 for revolutions.

[rockhound]

That seems steep to me.

Lucky for me, I acquired about 40 boxes of DT and Wheelsmith spokes...

[rockyrider]

Even online, DT swiss 1.8/2.0mm silver spokes are about $0.60/each when you buy a box of 100, and about $0.90/each as individually priced items (and DT includes brass nipples with each spoke).

In an LBS you're paying for inventory labour and financing costs and a lot of manual effort to break out the inventory and write up a small sale. They'd likely build them into a wheel for less $1 each.

It's like buying things like fasteners at your car dealer's parts counter, the manufacturer and dealer mark them up by about 50 times because of the cost in the entire dealer supply chain to keep track of them and send them somewhere to sell at retail.

[FishMan]

went to another shop in town and they only wanted $1 for DT spokes, so I guess I was right. works better for me anyway cause the rest of the wheel is DT and the $2 spokes are wheelsmith.

thanks for the input guys

[Trailer Rails]

On small parts I usually charge per minute it takes me to get the parts and not what the part costs. It costs way harder for me to find someone a two spokes than it is to just order them a whole box.