Your ideas for the future of the seconds sale?

[steelcity16]

I really enjoyed being able to participate in the seconds sale and was able to get in two orders for 4 total knives that I wanted. Sure, things could have gone smoother, but given the extremely limited time they had to throw this together I am shocked it went as well as it did. I have spent my career in technology groups for large organizations and things that seem small and easy can take weeks, months, or years. That's the nature of the beast. I'm honestly impressed with how they pulled this off! In my eyes it was a success and I hope Spyderco feels the same way and is able to ignore the hate. I truly appreciate the work they put in to making this a reality for all of us who could never attend in person. :D

That said, I wonder what is going to happen going forward? Has the plandemic ushered in a "new normal"? Will there be constant restrictions on travel and gatherings? It seems like online may be the way to go moving ahead.

Here are some suggestions I have for going forward. Interested to hear what suggestions the rest of you have as well!

1. Take what is left of the "seconds" inventory and create a "seconds/thirds" section at the SFO and limit it to one (or two or three or whatever depending on the quantity available) per person per day, with each knife priced based on the severity of it's particular flaw. The buyer then knows exactly what they are getting. This will allow visitors to the shop to get in on the action year round. If there is concern about locals coming in daily and buying them all to resell, then implement further monthly quantity limit restrictions as needed.

2. Bifurcate the incoming "flawed" knives from each new run into "seconds" (minor flaws) and "thirds" (serious flaws, but still safe to use).

3. If there are a minimum number (say 25, 50, 100, whatever?) of "seconds" with minor flaws from the run of a single model (one single sku #), place them in a box and label them to hold for the annual online seconds sale. The "thirds" from this run would be priced individually and placed into the "seconds/thirds" section of the SFO for immediate sale. If there are less than the minimum number of minorly flawed "seconds" from a run, then put them all into the "seconds/thirds" section of the SFO for immediate sale, again, priced based on the particular flaw of each knife.

4. Hold an annual "online seconds sale" each year with the batches of 25+ (or 50+ or 100+ or whatever number) minorly flawed "seconds" of each model with a single price for each model like was done this year. This will limit the number of individual model webpages needed to be created, make it easier on packagers/shippers to find the knives to pack, etc.

5. Drop ALL of the models at the same time rather than wait (assuming they can get the server capacity beefed up majorly by next year's sale). From a customer experience, having to wait around checking constantly to see when new ones are released, then having minutes or seconds to try to buy them is a poor way to do it. I missed out on the K390 Endura because I was out living life. I can set aside an hour to be online for a drop, but having to refresh every 5 seconds for three days straight to *maybe* get to buy a model I want is not the way to go. Plus having shipping on multiple orders, etc. Plus people who refreshed all day for two days waiting for a model that never came. Maybe they only had the budget for one and were hoping for a particular model. All poor user experiences. Dropping everything at once with cart protection and bot elimination prior (see below) to adding knives to the cart plus limiting knives to one per model and one order per customer should give a much better experience to all of the real customers out there who want to participate. If they release models in random batches, it frustrates people who have to sit around all day waiting, and it allows people to program their bots efficiently now since they now can see how the sale is being run. They program a bot to wait for model name or number to appear on the website, and it swoops in and buys them all up. Dropping them all at once without showing what the website will be like or giving away the authentication mechanisms should mean that people won't be able to program bots ahead of time.

6. I'm not sure if there is a way to have a "cart hold" of say 1 hour max or something that will prevent an item from selling out once it is in your cart (but will be released back into inventory after an hour if not purchased), but that would eliminate a lot of the issues in my opinion. You would be able to take your time (relatively) and add each model you want to your cart (assuming they haven't all been added to other carts) and get above that FREE shipping threshold and get your one order in without being stressed about the stuff in your cart being sold out. Typically I don't care for this approach on dealer exclusive drops, but I think it is sorely needed in this kind of sale.

7. Limit it to one of each model per person (only allow one of each to be added to the cart assuming cart protection is implemented) and only one order per person for the entirety of the sale. This would allow more people to get in on the sale and help reduce resellers scooping everything up.

8. If they can add an interactive CAPTCHA (puzzle slider CAPTCHA maybe?) that must be completed prior to adding each item (and not let which type of CAPTHA they are using be known prior to the sale to prevent people trying to program bots to defeat this specific type) to the cart, it could potentially eliminate bots from even adding items to carts, let alone being able to purchase the knives.



Can't wait to see what is in store for next year, and I hope to be able to make it out there at some point in my life to see the factory in person!

[vivi]

Seconds for Sale forum where users that have been registered for 6+ months and have made 20+ posts can view listings year round.

[Josh Crutchley]

Seconds for Sale forum where users that have been registered for 6+ months and have made 20+ posts can view listings year round.

That might slow things down the first 6 months but then the forum would explode with new users. I don't know how that would turn out. I think they still need in person sales to sell the crappier seconds. Or are your talking dedicated forum?

[SG89]

I have never been to an in-person seconds sale. I bought 1 second at the online sale. If I am satisfied with the knife I will try to participate in the next online sale. I honestly don't care either way if spyderco wants to continue online seconds sale next year or change back to in-person only.

[vivi]

Seconds for Sale forum where users that have been registered for 6+ months and have made 20+ posts can view listings year round.

That might slow things down the first 6 months but then the forum would explode with new users. I don't know how that would turn out. I think they still need in person sales to sell the crappier seconds. Or are your talking dedicated forum?

Would having more traffic be a bad thing?

I was speaking of a dedicated section of this forum. Like Bladeforums having a for sale section, except this would purely be Spydercos own listings, not listings by members.

[Mushroom]

I'm opposed to the idea trying to change a well established tradition for my own personal gain. I would like to see it stay the way it has been forever - once a year at the factory.

This online sale only became reality because of covid restrictions.

[Josh Crutchley]

I'm opposed to the idea trying to change a well established tradition for my own personal gain. I would like to see it stay the way it has been forever - once a year at the factory.

This online sale only became reality because of covid restrictions.

Yeah that how I would like it. What better than to have a trip to the factory and get some discounted items. I would hate to go all the way there to pay msrp :p jk

[Mushroom]

Seconds for Sale forum where users that have been registered for 6+ months and have made 20+ posts can view listings year round.

That might slow things down the first 6 months but then the forum would explode with new users. I don't know how that would turn out. I think they still need in person sales to sell the crappier seconds. Or are your talking dedicated forum?

This is the biggest reason why I'm against another online seconds sale. Whether or not you do, there are people who make sacrifices to attend the normal sale in Colorado. So now those people are supposed to be left with the "lesser quality" seconds because other people online can't make it in person?

Spyderco went out of their way just to provide a seconds sale at all this year and people immediately expect more from them! :rolleyes:

[Mushroom]

I'm opposed to the idea trying to change a well established tradition for my own personal gain. I would like to see it stay the way it has been forever - once a year at the factory.

This online sale only became reality because of covid restrictions.

Yeah that how I would like it. What better than to have a trip to the factory and get some discounted items. I would hate to go all the way there to pay msrp :p jk

Right! You expect to do nothing and in return have Spyderco grace you with incredible deals every year. :p

[Josh Crutchley]

Right! You expect to do nothing and in return have Spyderco grace you with incredible deals every year. :p

I felt like just getting one pm2 second without having to put on pants :D as a once in a lifetime thing. I do think all future sales should be in person if possible.

[I_like_knives]

I would keep it the way it has been for years (most recent event not included).

The in person sale is an experience, not just another frenzied online drop. We dont really need any more of those.

And no, I am not local. It takes considerable commitment for me to travel to Colorado. Same is true for many of the attendees. I think that is part of what makes the event what it is.

[standy99]

I think it was lucky to get a few in Australia. Two Native 5 maxamets

But seconds are not a business model for Spyderco so happy to let it go back to normal and just be thankful I got a chance.

People complaining about website crashing are just not seeing people in person camped out in years gone by and drove hundreds of miles so these guys done it tuff for a reward. Refreshing in your lounge room is not the same.

[jpm2]

I think it's better business to make it in person only.

[BG-ThatsMe]

I think as Spyderco is elevating their brand, and their pricing, a “seconds sale” is a bit odd.

I don’t fully understand why Spyderco puts all these flawed products out in the world. On one hand, they sell (quite well) their great customer service, but then they fire sale a bunch of reject knives with their name on them that they won’t stand behind.

I get that this event let’s fans buy cheap product while recovering some cost, but there’s a disconnect.

I wouldn’t mind seeing the sale revert to the 2019 format, or go away completely in future years.

[araneae]

I'm not really sure this is something our input is needed for. Spyderco knows if this model worked vs the traditional in person sale.

I prefer in person, it's an event, it's fun, and there's less frustration. You know what you're getting and I don't recall hearing anyone complain.

[nerdlock]

People think like its still 2019.

2020 changed a lot of things and that includes holding mass events and gatherings. I don't know if anyone will want to risk spending money and time going to a live factory seconds sale not knowing if the person next to you in line has the disease or not.

I'm just thankful for Spyderco for allowing international customers to participate. Granted it's way different from the actual sale itself but just to be able to sample the offerings is enough, and I'm hoping that in one form or another, the online format will continue, with improvements.

For people complaining about the online format and the stress and problems it induced, I very well respect your right to your opinion. But you have never heard us international customers whine and complain about our inability to come to an actual Seconds Sale.

For the first time ever, due to COVID, SFO opened what used to be an exclusive event limited to continentals, to the whole world. That's inclusivity and I am grateful for that, even if the move itself was due to COVID.

[cycleguy]

Maybe kick off the seconds sale with a forum member lottery/drawing for first knife pick. This would be for one knife only and you still have to purchase it; it is not a freebie nor a giveaway. Maybe it gets engraved "First Knife 2xxx Seconds Sale" if interested. I'm thinking it could add another step of fun to the mix and provide someone with serious bragging rights .... after all, that is a little of what these forums are about.

CG

[cycleguy]

If online, then maybe sooner in the month so the packages can be shipped prior to the holiday package rush commencing.

CG

[Sharp Guy]

Going to the live seconds sale was on my to do list. Not sure it'll ever happen but, as a Spyderco fan, something I'd really like to do. As much as I appreciate being able to buy a couple seconds this year, I hope it was a one-time thing. Kind of a treat for having to deal with all the BS this year. I think having the seconds sale as a live event at the factory is a tradition that should remain

2020 changed a lot of things and that includes holding mass events and gatherings. I don't know if anyone will want to risk spending money and time going to a live factory seconds sale not knowing if the person next to you in line has the disease or not.

I would have no issue with going to a live seconds sale tomorrow if I lived near Golden. Honestly not any more concerned about getting Covid-19 ("The Disease" lol) as I am about getting Influenza or anything else. While I have been taking precautions similar to how I would during Flu season, I refuse to live in fear

[303_enfield]

Selling them in the sale/closeout section would be a great start.

Me, I want the handle or steel branded with a S for seconds. I've been burned buying "rare or retired" Spydies. Send it in for service an get told no.