Seconds & used sale - a perspective

[sal]

FYI, We began the seconds sale in the early 80's, in front of our store in Golden. It was our way of supporting the comminity and giving some an opportunity to try some of our sharpening products. As time went on, the sale grew. We eventually added knives and little by little over the next 30+ years, it became what is is today.

Pricing is generally lower than our cost, so we lose money on every sale. It's good for cash flow, but not worth doing to make profit.

We're proud of the crew for having pulled this off. It really was a monumental task, especially with such short notice. We thought we could do it in person until the rules changed. We got special permission from all involved. Kudos to Kelly, Kristi, Chappy and everyone else involved in doing this. They all really worked their butts off to being you this.

Will we do it again if there is no COVID? I don't know. We let the staff make the decision, which we'll do again. The In-Person sale is much more than just a sale. People camp out on our lawn, some for days. Ed Schempp flew in from Washington and cooked BBQ for the gang, signed knives and communicated with the attendees. We put out portolets.

We also do a seconds sale for "Save and Serve" professionals. (Law enforcement, military, fire fighters, first responders, etc).

sal

[Rp5]

Thank you to the staff for putting it on, it's greatly appreciated.

[Dnwrghtsr]

Thank you for all your effort it is much appreciated.

[Frozenspyder]

They went so far above and beyond in an incredibly short time frame just to have a sale that keeps their customers happy. I hope they see all the positive feedback and not just the negative.

[The Meat man]

Yes huge thank-you to all those who made this happen. It must have been an incredible amount of work and hassle, just to give us a special treat. Thank YOU!!!

[Wartstein]

I did not participate in this years seconds sale myself, but it sure made me happy to follow the excitement and joy of all the folks here who got knives via this event! :)

So a big thank you to Spyderco for making this happen - it must have been real hard work for you, but was certainly worth it!!

[sal]

Hi Dnwrghsr,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[ladybug93]

i didn't buy anything, but i really appreciated that it was available to all of us this year. it's thought watching everyone post stuff year after year and never having a chance to be involved. i would love to do it in person at golden, but many of us just can't make it there.
i know there's been a lot of griping on the forum about it, but i think you guys did a wonderful job and it was handled about as fairly as possible. sure, the website was slow and it was a little frustrating. i even lost out on knives i had added to my cart. but, at the end of the day, i didn't have those knives before the sale, i can always get them new (for those that are readily available as firsts, anyway), and without you all being willing to do this, i would've never even had a chance at them regardless. i just really don't understand what anyone has to complain about.
thanks again, sal and team. i hope you all will seriously consider doing it again in the future, covid or not. the only request i have is that you hold the sale a little earlier in the year when it is more acceptable for us to be buying gifts for ourselves rather than others. :)

[cycleguy]

I have not participated in a seconds sale: on-line or in person; and not likely something important to me.

Do want to say, "It is another one of those things that sets Spyderco apart from the others".

Glad they do it,

CG

[Pokey]

I enjoy going to the in-person sales, but I think it’s only fair to let others all around the planet have a shot at purchasing the 2nds, too.

I was talking to Chappy up until the time of the sale. I imagine he’s got a few more gray hairs, first by trying to come up with a workable plan for an in-person sale, then jumping to plan B.

Good job by all the employees.

[GarageBoy]

I just hate the entitlement of people - look at the twitter and instagram comments

Really thought about sending pizza and beer to the crew, and there were a few Instagram commenters who wanted to chip in as well, but couldn't figure out how to organize it (100+ employees), of it was going to be ok with you

I hope everyone has a good holiday after that craziness

[RustyIron]

We're proud of the crew for having pulled this off. It really was a monumental task, especially with such short notice. We thought we could do it in person until the rules changed. We got special permission from all involved. Kudos to Kelly, Kristi, Chappy and everyone else involved in doing this. They all really worked their butts off to being you this.

Glad it worked out satisfactorily. You guys do some unusual stuff, from "sprints" to "seconds sales" to "fancy metals." That's what keeps me enthused as a customer.

[Mushroom]

Sal, I appreciate everything Spyderco does for us customers. I can only imagine how hard the entire crew worked to bring this sale online! Thank you for posting this update and providing some perspective from Spydercos side of things.

I agree, the normal sale has become much more than just a sale. It's an unforgettable experience now!

I've traveled to the Golden for the past four sales (five including this year ) and last year was the pinnacle of them all for me so far. I'm one of the "crazy people" that likes to camp on the lawn in anticipation. Getting to hang out with so many other Spyderco enthusiasts for a few days leading up to the sale is the best part. I was honored to speak with Mr. Schempp for a while and even had the blade of my Schempp Bowie engraved.

I genuinely look forward to the next sale in Golden! :spyder:

[Fireman]

I think I speak for many saying that you guys went above and beyond to support your fans and customer base. It is things like this that make people chose one company over another and why I have owned so many Spyderco knives over the years.

[SG89]

I had a good time waiting in line *online* this year, chatting on the forum and refreshing the seconds sale page over and over... Scored a very nice knife, had fun- "the thrill of the chase" . One of the highlights of my year actually.

[Sequimite]

Sal, I love you and your company. I've really enjoyed meeting you, Eric and Ed on several occasions. Resale prices on ebay show that most of the seconds are sold at below market prices.

However, as a CPA I must point out that your second paragraph is wrong. Spoilage is part of the cost of every retail knife you sell. The spoiled knives are sitting there, unable to be sold through normal channels. Rather than have them destroyed you sell them as seconds at good prices, for which I am very grateful. You could put them on ebay and make more money. But selling them does not create a loss. Sales price on seconds minus all the hours to prep, sell and ship plus shipping materials, gifts and some freight is a profit. Most non-accountants use the term "cost" incorrectly. I write this because you are at pains to be accurate in all your statements.

[samdasnake]

I really appreciate the opportunity to get in on the seconds sale this year. I walked away with a beautiful Yojimbo for an amazing price. I was a bit frustrated on the first day but all ended well and I want to thank your team for all their hard work!

[archangel]

Dear Sal,

It was good that you did it online this year (one experience more that you made), and I appreciate all the hard but great work that was put in. THANK YOU SPYDERCO!

Given the fact that it means so much to your gang to have it in person, it being hard work but at the same time super special and rewarding, plus for 1-2 other reasons, I'd suggest that you go back to hosting it as an in-person event only in 2021 again (if that will be possible, for which we should all pray, being an indicator of normality). Even if it means that I can never ever again be a part of it. You :spyder: guys deserve the reward of a positively only feedbacked annual special event.

[brj]

I think it was a massive endeavor, Spyderco employees rock for willingly putting that amount of work into something that was, I guess, a lot less rewarding for them than getting to interact with the end users in person. The time zone did not work too well for me so I didn't even plan to buy something, but I would love one day to attend in person.

I'll gladly chip in for a 'pizza and beer' thank-you to the employees if it comes to happen, even now, post-factum.

[Henry_P]

Thank you Sal and all Spyderco employees! I appreciate the effort that was put into getting the sale online with so little time.