Spydereconomics & a Buy-Sell-Trade section?

[ChrisinHove]

Does the secondary market do more harm to Spyderco by depressing new sales, or more help to Spyderco by giving purchasers of new Spyderco products confidence to buy new by maintaining high secondary values?

I would suggest a strong secondary market is important in underpinning “full” new prices by demonstrating an actual future $ value.

On that basis, could a buy -sell- trade element of VINTAGE or DISCONTINUED ONLY Spydies on this Forum help stimulate interest and ultimately prove a benefit to Spyderco’s current bottom line?

Or are older Spyderco knives too niche and /or a BST section simply more trouble than it’s worth?

(I’m personally more interested in the economics)

[SG89]

If someone gets ripped off on the forum through your proposed BST section then it's a bad look for spyderco. Don't see any positives that could come from this for spyderco

[zhyla]

Spydercos, current and "vintage", are traded all day long on Bladeforums, Reddit, and eBay. I assume it's always a positive thing for products to have a secondary market. Most people reinvest their proceeds in more knives. At least I do.

[MichaelScott]

If someone gets ripped off on the forum through your proposed BST section then it's a bad look for spyderco. Don't see any positives that could come from this for spyderco

I agree. If an entity hosts a market, then, whether true or not, it will be held responsible when things go wrong. Putting a buy-sell-trade market on this forum would not be a good thing.

[Hopweaver]

A BST market would change the dynamic of the people visiting this site. I predict it would lower the quality of discussions and likely eliminate 'shiny footprints'. Not a good idea. As others have stated, there are others places on the web already providing a used Spyderco marketplace.

[attila]

Since I don't Reddit, Facebook, etc., or have a premium membership at Bladeforums, and EBay charges >10% in various fees, I have wished for a for sale section here. I also thought about how it would be nice to give this community first crack at what Spydies I don't need anymore.

The question I have is whether a for sale section would lure unsavory characters into our community or potentially create animosity between some members over time.

Having a sale section would certainly swell the community with less genuine, market-only-minded folk, so for that reason alone, I'll suck it up and recommend against a marketplace here.

[tvenuto]

I’m active on the Iron Heart (clothing) forum and they have a BST section. It does not seem to negatively impact the discussion in general, attract profiteers, etc. That said, I can certainly see the pitfalls/headaches of having one, and I respect Spyderco’s decision not to.

[cabfrank]

I definitely think a strong secondary market boosts new Spyderco sales. It really lowers the risk of new purchases. If you don't love one, someone else surely does. Personally, I'd be in favor of it here, but if I was Spyderco I wouldn't , and I can see why it won't happen.

[bearfacedkiller]

This is the least moderated, or shall I say most self moderated, forum I have been on. I am always amazed at how well this forum runs considering that. A BST section would likely require them to staff a dedicated moderator. The mods on BF are often settling disputes with forum members due to transactions on that site. Bkadeforums is a for profit site so it is less of an issue.

Also, there are many members of BF who only use the exchange and have something like 80% or more of their posts in the exchange. Being a for profit site I see no issues with that as they pay for that ability. They do not however contribute to that forum in other ways. This forum is for the discussion of sharp things and Spyderco products and I am happy if it stays focused on just that.

I personally sell on EBay even though I almost never buy on there. Even with the fees I find I get more there and in the event of an issue Ebay/PayPal will settle the dispute. Luckily all my transactions there have gone smoothly.

[MichaelScott]

I think Darby is correct about the uniqueness of this forum. Pretty much self-moderating. A few years back I was invited to help moderate a gun forum. I was one of six official moderators. It was a lot of work and sometimes depressing. I would certainly vote to keep this forum as it is.

[Stuart Ackerman]

It takes just one, I repeat, just one person here to sell a defective or a fake, and the whole bang-shoot will get ugly.

[Stuart Ackerman]

That said, I would love a Sales section here, and I have wanted one for years.

The dynamics would change, when folk would only join for a bargain.

[Daveho]

Support your local blade forum and pay the couple of dollars for a premium membership.
It keeps them keep the lights on and is cheaper than eBay costs.

[The Deacon]

Does the secondary market do more harm to Spyderco by depressing new sales, or more help to Spyderco by giving purchasers of new Spyderco products confidence to buy new by maintaining high secondary values?

I would suggest a strong secondary market is important in underpinning “full” new prices by demonstrating an actual future $ value.

On that basis, could a buy -sell- trade element of VINTAGE or DISCONTINUED ONLY Spydies on this Forum help stimulate interest and ultimately prove a benefit to Spyderco’s current bottom line?

Or are older Spyderco knives too niche and /or a BST section simply more trouble than it’s worth?

(I’m personally more interested in the economics)

Chris, I've been a member here for 15 years. During that time I've seen a lot of ideas put forth here, put forth a few myself and have been amazed at how open to them Sal has always been. While I realize that nothing is certain except change, I can tell you the idea of some type of BST section has come up at least once a year and Sal has yet to find it worth implementing.

Can't say that I blame him, as I think it would cause more drama than it would be worth. As others have mentioned, every forum that has such a section has had its share of "deals gone wrong", ranging from simple differences of opinion as to what "like new" means to flat out theft. Add to that the butt-hurt when a seller refuses to ship overseas, the righteous indignation when guy who bought 10 of a hot Sprint Run to flip starts selling them off, and the annoyance of a poorly packaged knife being damaged in transit.

[Evil D]

I think everyone has overlooked Spyderco's business sense in this. If it had the potential to drive sales, or if they thought it would, don't you think it would be happening already? Is it safe to assume that over the 20 or so years this forum has been around, this topic has been brought up who knows how many times, and has been shot down every time. They've certain had time to think it over, and have continued to avoid it for a reason.

[ChrisinHove]

All fair comments - I was prompted to post both by yet another “my friend has a xxx where can he sell it, wink, wink” post, but also trying to consider ways to better support Spyderco somehow, using their very rich heritage of disco’d models.

[bearfacedkiller]

Chris, many of us have developed a rapport and there are certainly dealings going on through PM. I myself have helped a few members out and vice versa. This is however very different than Spyderco hosting an exchange. It is a careful line we must walk to not overstep our bounds however.

[Evil D]

Chris, many of us have developed a rapport and there are certainly dealings going on through PM. I myself have helped a few members out and vice versa. This is however very different than Spyderco hosting an exchange. It is a careful line we must walk to not overstep our bounds however.

I've always assumed most of the "what's it worth" threads are just fishing for a buyer that usually comes through PM.

[Sharp Guy]

I've always assumed most of the "what's it worth" threads are just fishing for a buyer that usually comes through PM.

Yep! I'm sure that's generally the intent. I'm a moderator on a large forum dedicated to rimfire firearms and we have a Trading Post section but still get a lot of fishing threads in the discussion sections even though buying and selling isn't allowed in those areas. I've been a big proponent of disallowing "what's it worth threads" altogether because it's pretty easy to see what's going on, especially when I start seeing "pm sent" pop up. Thankfully we're allowed to delete any threads where we suspect someone's fishing for offers. Otherwise the site would be like an online garage sale.

[holeshot]

I think Darby is correct about the uniqueness of this forum. Pretty much self-moderating. A few years back I was invited to help moderate a gun forum. I was one of six official moderators. It was a lot of work and sometimes depressing. I would certainly vote to keep this forum as it is.

Ditto me on that. this forum is layed back and let's keep it that way. :)