went to a shop today that believes MSRP is competitive...

[twinboysdad]

Bad thing is they have a ton of real contractor gear and they are near an Army base so I know the men serving probably buy there. I had some cash to burn and got a new Photon keychain LED and a new pocket holster for the j frame. They had a few D4's and E4's, Militaries, and Manix 2's. I thought I would finally grab the SE E4 I have always meant to grab...for $124? Yeah, NO. Standard Millie? $250. Guess they have no problem selling them. I would have tried to dicker with them but when I am willing to pay $70 and they are at $124, why bother? Just keep buying on-line I suppose.

[SpyderNut]

I once had a guy at a gun show try to sell me a Leafstorm for $160. I tried to make a counter-offer, but he said, "You won't be able to find another one of those around here at that kind of price!" (I thought to myself, "True, but I can still order one off the 'Net for about $129 + free shipping :rolleyes :) .

Having said that, though, the sad reality of the matter is that most of the brick-and-mortar shops are generally going to sell their knives closer to the MSRP in order to offset their operating/overhead costs, etc. In the end, however, there is a price to be paid for the convenience of being able to hold something in your hand before you make a purchase. For this reason, I try to buy at least a few knives from my local shops in order to show them my appreciation for allowing me to drool over their knives. :)

[SolidState]

I've dealt with shops, but honestly, I find the best place to buy good knives from people who know what they're talking about for good prices is at knife shows. You generally get to see way more interesting things at knife shows. The inventory is almost always far more diverse as well.

[Blerv]

While MSRP is generally discounted it's rare to find a place that is 10%'ish above MSRP.

Still, they have their own feeling of supply vs demand. If inventory is flying off the shelves at those prices I guess the value they provide is sufficient. Brick & mortar stores will never beat the internet consistently on price, property and employees are more expensive than bandwidth. Hopefully they can make up for it in selection, customer education, and community.

[Invective]

I had that problem once. If anyone in the Cupertino/San Jose area remembers Armor-geddon, that was it. They charged a lot more than internet retailers ($150 for a Sage 1, $130 for a Manix2 etc etc) but it was a much better experience than clicking a few buttons and lookin at my credit card, then more button clicking. I could spend an hour and a half in there and not realize that any time had passed. It was a real experience to just talk with the employees and browse, talk knives and stories, etc etc. You just don't get that online. I always tried to spend some money there just to help them out, and although it was over-priced, it was worth it. Got a Yojimbo2 when they were just released and out from all the internet retailers, same with the Manix2 in S30V, and a few other knives that I can't remember. Then I had to leave for school and wasn't able to frequent them for a few months and when I came back they were out of business. I miss that shop ):

I guess what I'm saying is, yeah it's cheaper online but is that worth losing the ability to go to a shop, chat with the employees, handle the knives to see how they feel and experience the knife before you buy it? To me it is. Lately I found a local gun shop that also keeps lots of old stock of Spyderco, BM, Zt, and Kershaw that I drop in every few weeks and buy something.

[Donut]

There used to be a knife shop on the other side of town from me who sold Spyderco's at around MSRP prices. They went out of business. At that time, I probably would have seen the rarest Spyderco knives and laughed at the $200 price tag.

I think the rent/lease cost it takes to have a large retail shop... you have to make a lot of profit. Notice it's Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, not Manufacturer's Suggested Online Retailer Price. :p

[twinboysdad]

Well, as the OP we have in Birmingham a B&M that is in my mind as good as it gets. 2 of every sprint, tons of Spydiestock and a bit of an upcharge. I got my SB E4 for around 97$. What I hate was the fresh faced high and tight 5 gentlemen I saw driving off together, who were at this shop in Anniston (an hour from Birmingham at least) who have no choice on their soldier salary. I wish I could have hooked them up spydie style but I am too poor.

[kbuzbee]

While MSRP is generally discounted it's rare to find a place that is 10%'ish above MSRP.

I know that store. It's actually a CIA cover. Selling a knife just means they'd have to replace it to keep up the appearance of a legitimate business.

Ken

[The Mastiff]

I know that store. It's actually a CIA cover. Selling a knife just means they'd have to replace it to keep up the appearance of a legitimate business.

Ken

Heh!

I have no intention of paying MSRP because someone is selling out of a brick and mortar store. I will continue going to the places that give me the best prices and service. I have been dealing with one particular company since 2006 and they give me great service as well as prices. Any problems and they take it back no questions. They will hand check knives for me and take care of me on pre orders.

What would be the advantage of a more expensive brick & mortar store 45 minutes drive from my house ?

[VashHash]

There are 2 b&ms within an hr or so drive from me but i go there for the old stock they have on hand. Its It's more pricey but i bought a new smurf yojimbo, kumo, SE temp, SE jester, SE ladybug sheepsfoot, and some knives i can't remember, I've also snagged a CE C95manix and a CE Chinook 2 from not so local. B&M For about 130 each. I usually go to gun shows. I know a guy that carries some really interesting pieces from some interesting manufacturers /makers. He also has a lot of spydies and we talk knives for about an hr each time he comes down. Everything has an up and down. I won't lie i make impulse buys but i don't like overpaying if i can get it cheaper.

[twinboysdad]

Heh!

I have no intention of paying MSRP because someone is selling out of a brick and mortar store. I will continue going to the places that give me the best prices and service. I have been dealing with one particular company since 2006 and they give me great service as well as prices. Any problems and they take it back no questions. They will hand check knives for me and take care of me on pre orders.

What would be the advantage of a more expensive brick & mortar store 45 minutes drive from my house ?

I throw my B&M a bone here and there for letting me play with the merchandise. I very often go handle it there and then buy online though. They are usually $20 higher than online and often more than that

[Blerv]

I know that store. It's actually a CIA cover. Selling a knife just means they'd have to replace it to keep up the appearance of a legitimate business.

Ken

Haha! :D

[Pockets]

The only B&M in my area is an REI that only has BM, no Spydercos. Also, they're way overpriced.

[xceptnl]

My immediate B&M is a police supply that is way overpriced. They mostly have BM and CS, but I did see a G-10 Persian in there for 10% less than MSRP. For me if I need to handle it, I will drive to see Mike Dye at New Graham because he is online as well as B&M. He is also a knife nut like us and nice to talk ot about this industry. I will always give him business over most all other online stores (when both have the item in stock). I do love finding older knives still sittingin those cases at the MSRP type stores. I saw an M.O.D. Keationg Hornet, but he wanted $249 for the manual action. I didn't love that model that much.

[Popsickle]

yeah I would have pulled up "competitive pricing" on my Iphone, showed him, and walked out

[Fresh Eddie Fresh]

I will pay a little more for instant gratification and the experience of buying it from a person. Being able to hold a knife in my hand helps to decide, as well... and I think that is worth something. I can't tell you how many knives I bought and when they arrived were way bigger/smaller than I thought they would be!

Online retailers have an unfair advantage of no overhead. A lot of them do not even buy stock, they just drop ship from the manufacturer.

[Foghorne]

Heh!

I have no intention of paying MSRP because someone is selling out of a brick and mortar store. I will continue going to the places that give me the best prices and service. I have been dealing with one particular company since 2006 and they give me great service as well as prices. Any problems and they take it back no questions. They will hand check knives for me and take care of me on pre orders.

What would be the advantage of a more expensive brick & mortar store 45 minutes drive from my house ?

I feel the same. The weird part is that I still help the local B&M, which is a little Rocky Mountain High, by purchasing online. Wonder if my online vendor chuckles as he sees my shipping address is only 35 minutes from Golden.

[markg]

I hear the cry that B&M stores have higher expenses. Keep in mind most of the internet dealers you buy from are also brick and mortar stores too. The real issue is that knives are more often than not, a side business for most retailers. Most are outdoor gear stores, gun stores, etc. They don't know the product or what competitive pricing would be. Or their primary retail product is priced at MSRP, so they assume all items sell that way.

Frankly, any knife store that only sell out the door is a relic. There is not enough local demand for most to stay open. The internet is the way to go, and if you are not going that way you will be out of business. You have to adapt to survive or thrive.

[Freman]

I do shop at local knife shops, although New Zealand has a limited range of companies selling over the counter (two locally). I do buy most of my knives online though.

[RanCoWeAla]

I only buy at Gun Shows, The Blade Show and a Flea Market close to where I live. A Dealer told me one time that you should be able to get most knives for around half of retail so I try to get as close to that as possible. I have a Sage 2 that I paid $157.00 for and that's the most expensive Spyderco I own. It cannot possibly cost that much to make a knife when you're talking about two handle scales and a blade. It I was guessing I would say somewhere in the neighborhood of $35-$40 for an average G10 VG10 knife maybe even less. So if you pay full retail you're getting ripped off big time.