Can we talk about Amazon?

[Jared]

Just my opinion:

I don’t hate Amazon and I do order things from them. However, I don’t buy cutlery related stuff nor do I buy my shooting/hunting gear from them.

There are too many other smallish vendors out there that have good e-commerce sites and good CS for me to deny them business. I don’t hate Bezos, but he’s got plenty of money. When it comes to my hobbies, I’ll spend that money with shops that probably need the money more than Bezos.

I also realize that a lot of small shops use Amazon to reach a larger audience. That’s awesome for them, but if they have a website and a good reputation, I’ll likely find them without Amazon.

That’s my opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it.

[Josh1973]

I have never had a fake anything on Amazon. But I also research the vendors on Amazon. And you can't beat their return policy.

The return policy! Thats the flaw! It works if you get a fake. No worries, return it. Money back every time and most of the time the return is free shipping. Now to where that becomes a problem. People buy authentic products from Amazon and their reputable sellers, they also buy clones for pennies on the dollar. They take the authentic knife out and return the clone. Next guy comes along and orders the knife and it shows up with a clone in the box. I have not had this happen personally with a spyderco product on Amazon, but I have many other products there! Parts missing, and things clearly bought, returned and resold that weren't the real deal. This isn't an Amazon bashing post. I've been a prime member for as long as I remember. Bottom line is they have your back. Buy in confidence but I certainly recommend just taking an extra look and compare a tiny bit more than you would buying from a well known online knife dealer or the mothership.

Dammitman, I hate to admit it but you are very correct on the switching a genuine for a cheap counterfeit product scam for a refund. I forgot all about that. Thanks for reminding me.
Well I eat my prior words and take back my confidence and recommending Amazon for knives.

[Rinzler]

$50 for the sharpmaker https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/204mf

Or 75 whatever at Amazon.

Buy it cheaper elsewhere and use your gift card on some other Amazon crap.

[phaust]

Amazon is fine. I would suggest anyone nervous to try finding a direct report of someone getting a fake. These threads never actually have anyone who has gotten one. Instead it's people who don't like Amazon and people ultimately trying to be helpful but just repeating stories they read online, which were just stories that they read online, and so on and so on.

The thing about swapping and returning is a myth as well. Your return doesn't go back to an Amazon distribution warehouse and back in line to go to the next customer. Here's an interesting article https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marketpl ... -1.5753714 and another (less interesting IMO) https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ ... rs/580363/

[Doc Dan]

I like Amazon itself. I have to separate it from the idiot that owns it. The products and services are top notch and I publish books there regularly. I have no issues, at all. It is true that some have gotten fakes, but that is, as I understand it, the result of someone having bought a genuine knife and then returned a fake for a refund. As a rule, it is okay to shop there.

[SSD_777]

5 years ago I purchased a Yojimbo 2 from a 3rd party seller, it was shipped by Amazon, and I received a counterfeit. The maker did a pretty good job stealing the design, I didn't realize it was fake until I disassembled it and noticed the tang didn't have the date laser etched, there were more abnormalities the closer I looked. Amazon accepted my return and pulled the seller from the list of purchase options. I opted to get a replacement and it was legit. That was the last time I purchased a knife from Amazon. Price was $115.

[Josh1973]

Amazon is fine. I would suggest anyone nervous to try finding a direct report of someone getting a fake. These threads never actually have anyone who has gotten one. Instead it's people who don't like Amazon and people ultimately trying to be helpful but just repeating stories they read online, which were just stories that they read online, and so on and so on.

The thing about swapping and returning is a myth as well. Your return doesn't go back to an Amazon distribution warehouse and back in line to go to the next customer. Here's an interesting article https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marketpl ... -1.5753714 and another (less interesting IMO) https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ ... rs/580363/

I buy knives from Amazon sometimes. And have not yet had a fake. But that does not mean fake knives on Amazon as you say are a myth either. I have seen complaints backed with purchases and proof of their knife being a fake. Right on Blade Forums. And yes the switch a fake for the real thing happens.

Not all reviews are lies, old wives tales, Or people who hate Amazon. Even companies such as ESEE try to deter people from buying their products on Amazon and EBAY. There is reason for that. And I tend to trust ESEE over some hipster hotshot wannabe journalist writing an article for Amazon trying to gain brownie points.

Well hotshot. You coming in here basically calling all the forum members and legit reviewers who have provided proof. Liars and myth story tellers who have experienced being ripped off kinda ticks me off a bit. And you earned a spot on my Foes/ignore list.

[Oloung1]

The thing about swapping and returning is a myth as well. Your return doesn't go back to an Amazon distribution warehouse and back in line to go to the next customer.

This is absolutely 100% false, I have personally received 2 Amazon returns. One clearly with the "Amazon Returns" shipping label with the previous customer's information still on the shipping box sent to my address this month.

[Woodpuppy]

Amazon is dead to me. I was already uneasy with them, they got too big and too influential. Bezos is a jerk, but many CEO types are. Goes with the territory. Then they started jumping on the censorship wagon, so I’m out. I could really bust out my soapbox here and go to town, LEND ME YOUR EARS! But this isn’t the place. Suffice to say IMO Amazon has decided to become part of the problem.

It was hard to quit at first, but after a couple months it’s no trouble at all. As SG88 said, all corporations lobby. Your dollars support their efforts. Think about what you want to support.

You’ve been given a gift card so the horse is already out of the barn. I would not be afraid of buying a Sharpmaker on Amazon if you buy from Amazon rather than third party, or if you buy from a reputable third party. Don’t rely on the reviews alone, false reviews are absolutely rampant.

[zhyla]

Dammitman, I hate to admit it but you are very correct on the switching a genuine for a cheap counterfeit product scam for a refund. I forgot all about that. Thanks for reminding me.
Well I eat my prior words and take back my confidence and recommending Amazon for knives.

This is true of all retailers. Including brick and mortar. Has nothing to do with Amazon.

[phaust]

Good to see direct experiences. I stand corrected

[soc_monki]

Amazon is dead to me. I was already uneasy with them, they got too big and too influential. Bezos is a jerk, but many CEO types are. Goes with the territory. Then they started jumping on the censorship wagon, so I’m out. I could really bust out my soapbox here and go to town, LEND ME YOUR EARS! But this isn’t the place. Suffice to say IMO Amazon has decided to become part of the problem.

It was hard to quit at first, but after a couple months it’s no trouble at all. As SG88 said, all corporations lobby. Your dollars support their efforts. Think about what you want to support.

You’ve been given a gift card so the horse is already out of the barn. I would not be afraid of buying a Sharpmaker on Amazon if you buy from Amazon rather than third party, or if you buy from a reputable third party. Don’t rely on the reviews alone, false reviews are absolutely rampant.

Private companies can terminate services to anyone who violates their terms of service, the first amendment has no authority in that realm. As for buying from them, I do, quite a lot. Knives and such, not really, but the ones I have bought were fine (like my Tenacious).

They don't always have the best prices, so I always search to see if someone has it for cheaper. Sometimes I go with Amazon anyway because the other place seems a bit shady, or I can't find anyone who has actually used them. $10 is worth my piece of mind.

So, buy with confidence, and if you have a problem return it. They're great with returns, or to send you another if the one you ordered never shows up (happened with a pair of work boots once).

[Peter1960]

Maybe I can offer some clarity. Onkata is an authorized Spyderco dealer on Amazon. Purchasing from Onkata is safe.

We did update the safety rods for the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker - they are now aluminum (silver). It looks like there are still some older images in use. I've shared this with our Sales Team and we'll work to get those updated.

I hope this helps.

Kristi

Hello Kristi, I think it would be a good thing if Spyderco would inform about constant quality improvements on their webpage. This would avoid speculations from end line customers if there is something wrong with the product or even if it is a conterfeit or not.

Just an idea in our digital world ...

[Woodpuppy]

Private companies can terminate services to anyone who violates their terms of service, the first amendment has no authority in that realm.

You are absolutely correct, though how terms were/are violated at this point is a moving target with such groups. Fact checkers are nothing more than agenda reinforcers. Because Amazon’s apparent values are in conflict with my own, I decided to terminate any business dealings I have with them. As is my right.

[JacksonKnives]

I'm kind of repeating what other have already said, but it's important to note, the bad experiences with Amazon have little to do with Amazon's policies in particular.

You're more likely to get a swapped or otherwise returned product from Amazon than a smaller seller, but that's just because of the sheer number of units they're shipping and receiving. That's also why prices are better and shipping is quicker and you may already have gift cards/credit with them.

We've seen reports on this forum of problems with return-re-shipping from otherwise very respectable small vendors. Anyone with a no-cost-no-fault return policy is opening up that door unless they're very carefully training employees about how to inspect and handle returns.

The report I'm thinking of involved a request for an exchange on a knife that slipped through QC, and the retailer sent back the exact same knife despite clear instructions in the return/purchase order. It's a mistake, mistakes happen in every business and every type of transaction.

If you buy from a retailer that doesn't take back returned knives, you're taking a chance that you won't be able to return a defective knife. There's no way to remove 100% of the risk as a consumer, but shopping from places with consumer-friendly return policies at least improves your chances of getting satisfaction in the end.

[anycal]

The way I see it, there are probably three things going on here,

- People parroting other peoples claims, which makes the problem seem bigger than it is.
- People reporting 'potentially' a fake product, which may or may not be confirmed. Just because something is off doesn't always make it fake. Could be a defect in a real product, or the person just doesn't know.
- Someone actually getting a fake product, which happens in retail in general.

As for the company. It is a behemoth with some bad reputation. But it does a lot of things well. I have been a member for a decade, my company uses their cloud computing, and I am a fan of space exploration.

[Bolster]

Not all reviews are lies, old wives tales, Or people who hate Amazon. Even companies such as ESEE try to deter people from buying their products on Amazon and EBAY. There is reason for that. And I tend to trust ESEE over some hipster hotshot wannabe journalist writing an article for Amazon trying to gain brownie points.

Yeah!! Hear the man!!

[zhyla]

I was thinking about the is and it’s really not so much the retailer but the existence of fakes. Spyderco sells their products at 3x - 20x what the fakes cost. That’s a huge amount of profit for a counterfeiter. Therefore there will always be fakes.

I think what Spyderco should do is etch a special code on the blade that can be decoded with their mobile app or website to verify authenticity. A tiny QR code etc.

Or maybe it just doesn’t matter that much. Most of us don’t encounter fakes (or don’t know).

[kodai78]

There is a Spyderco Amazon store. If you search for Spyderco Sharpmaker there’s a link in the sponsored result. It’s in blue text.
https://smile.amazon.com/stores/Spyderc ... f_=ast_bln
Price is $75, you could use your Amazon card and get the genuine item. I buy knives online from reputable places like Knife Works and New Graham knives. Truthfully I prefer to handle the knife first so I try to wait till I’m in Golden. Last 4 knives it’s an even split between on line and in person though. I guess that shows how patient I am.

[Bill1170]

Off topic: the aluminum safety rods on newer Sharpmakers are news to me, glad I learned of them. (Does this make my SM 204 with brass rods collectible?)

I also buy my knives from trusted knife dealers.