The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-30
PRICES OF WHEELS
ON THE DECLINE
Outlook That Prices Win Tumble Before
Next Season.
DEALERS ARE GIVING DISCOUNTS
Caused by the Large Number Of Cheap
Wheels ON the Market..Departmeat
Stores Playing Havoc with Regular
Deaicrs..In Scranton the Cutting Is
Quite General.

Persons intending to purchase BIZ
cycle may do well to walt until the
end of this or the arrival OF another
season. The present outlook indicates
that there Is to be a general falling In
the prices Of rirst-class as well as the
cheaper wheels before summer comes
again, says an exchange. Owing to the
fact that there are SO many cheap
wheels on the market, makers of the
standard grade who have been reaping
a harvest for the past few years find
that they will have to come down in
their prices in order to compete with
others who are handling an article
lust as good"
There has been considerable price
cutting this season already by some OF
the dealers who are handling high
grade machines, which practice has,
to all intents and purposes. been sane
toned by the manufacturers them
selves. One instance referred to by a
handler Of high-grade wheels, is where
well-known firm who originally al
and offered a reward Of $40 IL they re-
ported case Of price cutting on the
part Of any of the others.
PROOF OF THE CUTTING.
This offer has recently been with
drawn. however, and letter issued
announcing a discount Of 40 per cent
as a result of which price cutting has
since been active. One firm which has
manufactured high grade wheel for
several years past. was forced to come
into line. but as they did not want to
lower the price of theirStandard make,
they were compelled to buy out another
plant and they are now manufacturing
cheaper wheel on the side and are
making good run against the other
cheap wheels.
The cutting process will probably go
on until the end of the season and then
the bottom will fall out Of the prices so
far that there will not he much left to
cut on. One we'll known firm who have
q reputation for manufacturing a high
grade wheel which sells for 500, adj
vertise that although they are making
cheap Wheel the price on the stand
ard machine will remain the same until
the end Of this season. From this one
would infer that there will be cut on
! the part of this firm next season and
the same has been rumored about other
manufacturers Of high grade wheels.
One dealer stated recently that there
was but one wheel In the market on
which there could be no cut made and
that was a cheap one That Is, 1t is one
, IL
, looking forward to close competition,
| put the figures for the dealers so low
! that there is little profit in handling
+! them and that in order to make any,
| thing from the sale. the wheels have to
be sold at their face value. This gives
the public demand to secure a wheel
| at greater discount than could be
/ secured We're they buying other makes,
but they have as yet to learn that les
/ son.
DEPARTMENT STORES.
| The department stores are playing
| havoc with the bicycle dealers, as the
! dry goods merchants and other store
| keepers can afford to put In q stock cf
wheels and sell them at a small profit.
which Is damaging to the bicycle deal
ers. There must soon be something
done. or the dry goods and hardware
stores will soon be controlling the sale
| Of wheels.
! In Scranton the cutting Is quite gen.
| eral. One high grade (?) wheel in par
ticular is being sold for all kinds OF
prices Some buyers pay 800 for 1t,
while others have been given dis
| count of as rauch as 25 ptr cent.