I finally made a decision, and ordered the Rev’it Airwave 3 jacket from FC-Moto. Unlike the last time though when I’d ordered the Icon Mesh AF jacket, I ordered the Airwave in 2 different sizes, Medium and Small.
I also ordered Bull-it single-layer riding jeans, and did the same 2 size thing there as well, waist 30 and 28.
Me smol boi.
The question
Is this the right way to buy gear online? I’m not entirely sure, but it feels that way. When you buy stuff from a physical store, it’s very easy to try out different sizes and know exactly what you want. Sizing is extremely important for riding gear, and the sizing charts and stuff you find on sites are quite often inaccurate.
The first time I ordered stuff form FC-Moto, I tried to get everything perfect in a single order, that did not work out. The boots and gloves were spot on, but the jacket was not. My attempt at getting a replacement from FC-Moto for the correct size didn’t work out either, and I got a refund instead.
I’m hoping that by ordering 2 different sizes, I’ll be able to buy the correct thing in just one go. Whatever fits fits, whatever does not gets sent back. That at least is the theory.
Sites like Revzilla seem to suggest this way of buying stuff in their videos and other marketing material, the whole thing about “no re-stock fees” seems to me an invite to buy multiple sizes, try them out, and send back whatever doesn’t catch your fancy. But none of the gear sites openly say that this is the recommended way, it’s all very subliminal.
Financially, I would imagine that it’s more profitable to them if I order multiple sizes, and send back what I don’t need, rather than ordering twice and returning once. There should be some savings for them in shipping costs when sending just once, rather than sending twice, but I’m not so sure about that.
One big disadvantage of the multiple size thing would that if I order both the Medium and the Small, then send the Small back after 14 days, the Small size will show as out of stock for those 2 weeks. They could obviously buy more stock to solve this problem, but I don’t think that’s how it works.
A disadvantage from the buyer side is that to buy gear worth some 400 Euros, I had to spend some 800 Euros. Half of that money will be refunded to me, but it’s still a hefty sum to part with.
The Indian problem
One of the major reasons why I think there are no popular online gear sites in India, is that none of them allow free returns, I mean no questions asked free returns. You either don’t get to return anything at all, or if you do there has to be some defect or problem.
This is a very Indian thing to do, and it makes the gear buying process very risky. You, like Eminem, just get one shot, one opportunity, to get it right. My guess is that we simply don’t trust each other enough, just like the Indian govt,, stone owners don’t expect normal buyers to behave like adults. We keep getting treated like children, so we keep behaving like children.
Because you do have to behave like an adult in this situation, you gotta take exceptional care of the products you order while in the return window, not go out for a ride in them for one, keep the tags on, just general common sense things. It’s basically like trying stuff in a shop, you won’t do it while trying to cram a medium cheeseburst pizza whole into your face. That seems to be too much to ask of the average Indian consumer.
Which is why we seem condemned to never get any good gear in India, or at least not get all the variety and choices there are. Even if someone is willing to take the risk, and invest in a nicely stocked site with free returns and stuff, there’s simply no guarantee that people will actually take care and be responsible. It’s a huge risk to take, without any explosive rewards.
I’m waiting to receive the gear, try it, and complete the returns process, then I’ll know for sure how it all pans out. I’ve also ordered replacement armors, but from different companies, so that’ll also be interesting. There’s a goddamn stye on my eye for company in these fun times, hopefully it’ll be gone by the time I get the stuff.
