So a few weeks back, my neighbor surprised everyone by rolling up to our neighborhood BBQ on this cool 3-wheeler electric bike and I was immediately hooked. The thing looked practical, had decent storage, and he mentioned getting around town was way cheaper than his car. It got me thinking since I've been trying to cut transportation costs lately.

I started researching these bikes and wow, the prices were wayyyyyy above my budget. Most decent ones starts around $1700+ which is way more than I was hoping to spend. But after digging around for a couple months, I actually found some solid ways to get discounts that might help others:

Timing is everything - Try to hit up the local bike shops when they're clearing out inventory. I managed to find a 2022 model marked down like $800 just because they needed the floor space. Demo/floor models are your friend - lots of dealers will sell display units at pretty decent discounts. I found one that just needed a battery calibration and some minor cosmetic fixes. Check online communities - Facebook groups and eBike forums sometimes have people selling barely used ones, or organizing group buys for bulk discounts. International options - if you're patient, there are tons of manufacturers on Alibaba selling direct at factory prices. You just have to remember to factor in shipping costs and potential customs fees.. The key is being patient and checking multiple sources. It took me about 4 months but I saved around $600+ compared to buying retail. Has anyone else found good discount strategies?