Cheap Alpinestars GP Plus gloves
Discussion
I have been looking at getting myself a new set of summer gloves and started looking at the Alpinestar GP Plus gloves. I notice on e-bay that there are UK sourced 2008 spec. gloves for £80 to £90 but that there are gloves available from China for £30! While the Scotsman in me is instantly attracted to the cheaper option there is the big question of are these cheaper versions as good as the more expensive versions?
Now I can understand that gloves sourced directly from the factory in China (assuming that’s where there made) and sold via e-bay are going to be significantly cheaper than those sold via UK high street outlets and that any items bought over the net in this way risk getting an import duty slapped on them in addition to the purchase price!
Has anyone got any experience of such items from China and does anyone know if they really are/aren't the same spec. as those sold through UK outlets? (BTW: I don’t want to hear that more money automatically means better quality/protection/service! I have lived in ‘rip off UK’ for long enough to know that there is generally little correlation between price and quality.)
Now I can understand that gloves sourced directly from the factory in China (assuming that’s where there made) and sold via e-bay are going to be significantly cheaper than those sold via UK high street outlets and that any items bought over the net in this way risk getting an import duty slapped on them in addition to the purchase price!
Has anyone got any experience of such items from China and does anyone know if they really are/aren't the same spec. as those sold through UK outlets? (BTW: I don’t want to hear that more money automatically means better quality/protection/service! I have lived in ‘rip off UK’ for long enough to know that there is generally little correlation between price and quality.)
For £30 I would expect them to be knock off's - the Far East is renowned for that. I could of looked at the tag of mine to see where they where made if it was yesterday when I road into work. But most of Alpinestar kit seems to be made in Eastern Europe these days.
Though they might be ligit and a bargain. Linky?
Though they might be ligit and a bargain. Linky?
I've seen these as I'm after a pair of GP Pro or Tech gloves.
I assumed they were fakes, and therefore probably inferior quality and best avoided. However just had another look and the feedback seems to be good.
http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFe...
I assumed they were fakes, and therefore probably inferior quality and best avoided. However just had another look and the feedback seems to be good.
http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFe...
I wouldnt risk it.
They will look identical to the originals for a few weeks , then disintegrate.
I was in Beijing last year and bought a few rip offs from the silk market , all bagged and tagged as the priginals.
One particular item , a North Face ski jacket , got it for £12 . Kept the rain and snow out and keeps you warm , but it doesnt feel good quality any more and looks tired and frayed .
They will look identical to the originals for a few weeks , then disintegrate.
I was in Beijing last year and bought a few rip offs from the silk market , all bagged and tagged as the priginals.
One particular item , a North Face ski jacket , got it for £12 . Kept the rain and snow out and keeps you warm , but it doesnt feel good quality any more and looks tired and frayed .
Hmmnnn...
Have we not had several debates about attitude to risk and risk assessment before?
If you are happy wearing a £30 pair of "Alpinestars" then I'm not going to hold at against you (that's your risk assessment).
But if you do have a decent tumble in them, I don't know how much you'll be holding afterwards.
I don't see how genuine A'stars are going to be so much cheaper in China / Thailand / Singapore than in western Europe without being knock off or copies.
If they were genuine, I would imagine various independent retailers would be buying them by the boxful and flogging them at £20 below normal retail to make a killing (the price listed is actually below the UK wholesale price).
Unfortunately, I have never seen A'stars kit anywhere over here apart from in a genuine A'stars stockist.
Your hands, your wallet, your risk.
Have we not had several debates about attitude to risk and risk assessment before?
If you are happy wearing a £30 pair of "Alpinestars" then I'm not going to hold at against you (that's your risk assessment).
But if you do have a decent tumble in them, I don't know how much you'll be holding afterwards.
I don't see how genuine A'stars are going to be so much cheaper in China / Thailand / Singapore than in western Europe without being knock off or copies.
If they were genuine, I would imagine various independent retailers would be buying them by the boxful and flogging them at £20 below normal retail to make a killing (the price listed is actually below the UK wholesale price).
Unfortunately, I have never seen A'stars kit anywhere over here apart from in a genuine A'stars stockist.
Your hands, your wallet, your risk.
Rubin215 said:
Hmmnnn...
Have we not had several debates about attitude to risk and risk assessment before?
If you are happy wearing a £30 pair of "Alpinestars" then I'm not going to hold at against you (that's your risk assessment).
And that’s the point. I am currently trying to do a realistic risk assessment rather than just saying ‘£90 gloves = good so ‘£30 gloves = no good!’. Why would you be unhappy wearing a pair of £30 Alpinestars?Have we not had several debates about attitude to risk and risk assessment before?
If you are happy wearing a £30 pair of "Alpinestars" then I'm not going to hold at against you (that's your risk assessment).
Rubin215 said:
But if you do have a decent tumble in them, I don't know how much you'll be holding afterwards.
Why will that be any different from the £90 gloves? Is there something you know about the cheap gloves?Rubin215 said:
I don't see how genuine A'stars are going to be so much cheaper in China / Thailand / Singapore than in western Europe without being knock off or copies.
Now, that one I can see. The UK gloves already include shipping and import duty/VAT. They also include a retailers mark up and I expect, a larger ‘slice’ for Alpinestars. If shipping/handling from manufacturing source to the UK retailer is £10 and VAT is £15 then the £90 price is immediately down to £65. If manufacturing and material costs are say £10 then the retailer and Alpinestars are only making £55 between them. Of that, lets say £15 goes to Alpinestars and £40 goes to the retailer.Now, using £10 manufacturing and material costs and another £10 to Alpinestars means that ‘matey’ in China can make £10 a piece for exactly the same gloves. He’s got very few overheads so is doing ‘very nicely – thankyou’ on just £10 per pair of gloves.
Rubin215 said:
If they were genuine, I would imagine various independent retailers would be buying them by the boxful and flogging them at £20 below normal retail to make a killing (the price listed is actually below the UK wholesale price).
Sorry, but they can’t do that! Tesco tried that with genuine Levi jeans bought cheap in the far east then sold in the EU at a fraction of the cost of genuine Levi jeans sold in the EU. It went to the European court and Levi successfully argued that part of their brand image came from the price they sold their jeans at so Tesco were told to stop selling. That is exactly why the bottom dropped out of the ‘grey import’ market for new bikes!Rubin215 said:
Unfortunately, I have never seen A'stars kit anywhere over here apart from in a genuine A'stars stockist.
See answer above!Rubin215 said:
Your hands, your wallet, your risk.
Indeed, which brings me back around to square 1. Does anyone actually know if the e-bay gloves are simply rip off copies or are legit bargins?black-k1 said:
Stu R said:
certain to be knock offs, loads of good bike gear getting copied over there atm.
Is that based on real knowdege or 'gut feel' because they're cheap?You cash your choice, but I'd be very surprised if it was genuine given a) it's origin and b) it's price. Whilst I've seen them knocked down quite a bit, anything like that from china screams walk away to me.
There's a strong change they're overrun. Alpinestars say to chinese factory:
"We want 3,000 pairs of GP Pros made, please."
Factory churns out 3,500 and gets rid of the overrun through 'other methods', but as stated by others, there is a chance they're pikey knock-offs made from used odor eaters and sellotape. I'm not sure I'd risk it.
"We want 3,000 pairs of GP Pros made, please."
Factory churns out 3,500 and gets rid of the overrun through 'other methods', but as stated by others, there is a chance they're pikey knock-offs made from used odor eaters and sellotape. I'm not sure I'd risk it.
black-k1 said:
That's my worry. Are they poor copies or are they legit cheapies?
I can't get e-bay access from the office I'm in at the moment but to a search for "Alpinestar GP plus gloves" and there are loads of "buy it now".
They might be knicked ones in which case genuine just stolen...I can't get e-bay access from the office I'm in at the moment but to a search for "Alpinestar GP plus gloves" and there are loads of "buy it now".
dern said:
black-k1 said:
Why would you be unhappy wearing a pair of £30 Alpinestars?
I wouldn't. I'd be unhappy wearing a 30 quid pair of knock offs though. Too risky imo, if money was the issue I'd be buying the best I could afford from the ride reviews from a uk shop.Edited by black-k1 on Thursday 12th June 16:22
steven182 said:
black-k1 said:
That's my worry. Are they poor copies or are they legit cheapies?
I can't get e-bay access from the office I'm in at the moment but to a search for "Alpinestar GP plus gloves" and there are loads of "buy it now".
They might be knicked ones in which case genuine just stolen...I can't get e-bay access from the office I'm in at the moment but to a search for "Alpinestar GP plus gloves" and there are loads of "buy it now".
black-k1 said:
Indeed, and the Alpinestars came second in the Ride review. I too would be unhappy wearing a pair of 'knock off' gloves at £30, £90 or £300 and buying in the UK is no guarantee that they’re not knock offs while buying from China is no guarantee that they are knock offs. I accept that the likelihood of them being knock offs changes with location, which is why I asked if anyone knew for sure. As Rawwr has pointed out there can be legitimate reasons for genuine bargins.
Absolutely. They're also very good gloves but I bought mine from HG because I couldn't see a way of verifying authenticity from an ebay source.Update (well, sort of!)
I e-mailed the customer enquiries team at Alpinestars to ask if the cheap gloves on e-bay are genuine or not and got no reply. I e-mailed again, attaching my previous e-mail, and asked again if the cheap gloves were genuine. Just to be sure that the address was working I also e-mailed (from a different e-mail address) asking a straight forward stock availability question. I got a reply to my general question within a couple of days but I have still had nothing regarding the cheap gloves on e-bay.
I would imagine that if the cheap gloves were not genuine it would be very easy for Alpinestars to say so and recommend that I buy from their UK based distributors. Their lack of response would indicate to me that there is a good possibility that the gloves on e-bay are genuine and that Alpinestarts don’t really want us ‘punters’ to know about it. I may well take the risk!
I e-mailed the customer enquiries team at Alpinestars to ask if the cheap gloves on e-bay are genuine or not and got no reply. I e-mailed again, attaching my previous e-mail, and asked again if the cheap gloves were genuine. Just to be sure that the address was working I also e-mailed (from a different e-mail address) asking a straight forward stock availability question. I got a reply to my general question within a couple of days but I have still had nothing regarding the cheap gloves on e-bay.
I would imagine that if the cheap gloves were not genuine it would be very easy for Alpinestars to say so and recommend that I buy from their UK based distributors. Their lack of response would indicate to me that there is a good possibility that the gloves on e-bay are genuine and that Alpinestarts don’t really want us ‘punters’ to know about it. I may well take the risk!
Edited by black-k1 on Monday 7th July 11:45
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