Please remove MAP pricing forever!

[Dodge]

Remove MAP pricing and all the smaller dealers disappear and all the bigger dealers put prices up after the smaller dealers are gone.

Removing MAP can also have brands devalued if their products are sold below their worth.

Look at Apple it’s pretty much MAP world wide.

There are benefits of MAP….

Also if it was removed…Amazon could wipe out nearly every knife dealer by selling at a loss until it had market dominance.Where are your dealer exclusives then !?

Someone gets the big picture here!

[JRinFL]

Several Sprints have been sold at below MAP pricing. So, first chance to sell below MAP and some dealers jump on it. I like to believe that some dealers think the current MAP is too aggressive, but what do I know.

[Soulrack]

I voted to keep MAP but having the MAP Holiday yesterday lead to me buying 3 Spydies I would not have purchased otherwise. Hopefully prices don't go up across the board again next year. Talking about how **** expensive every thing is is getting a little boorish. In short, MAP pricing is great for small businesses but having a MAP holiday at the end of the year lets those same businesses move a lot of inventory and make the most loyal fans happy to spend $$$ to get a deal.

[Eli Chaps]

If only this subject got thoroughly thrashed a couple times a year across the internet.

The Glessers seem to know what works for their business and for those businesses that support them.

[MileHiKnifeGuy]

As a retailer, the MAP Price creates a level playing field for everyone to compete. MAP pricing forces sellers to provide the best possible experience for customers because the price is the same for everyone. The last thing anyone wants is what I call the eBay effect where some sellers are willing to charge a dollar over wholesale and hope to make up the profit on volume. This drives the selling opportunities on that product to near zero. No one is going to sell a product if the incentives have been removed. They also diminish the perceived value of the items they sell as well. If you can buy an item at a discount whenever you want, that is what that item is worth and its new value. Spyderco cannot survive when its products are constantly being discounted and the perceived value of its products is constantly reduced. The only thing I ask as a retailer is that Spyderco enforce their MAP pricing to eliminate the bad guys that would harm their reputation.
If you are looking for great bargains then look to stores like eBay where you can get used or slightly used items at a discount.

[anycal]

MAP = regulation. Plain and simple.

I have no problem with regulation, generally. And, I have no problem with MAP. It allows Spyderco to do what they do.

If I ‘want’ something, I’ll buy it. If I can’t afford it, I don’t. Not everyone is entitled to everything they want.

I don’t get this annual complaining ritual.

[Mini2white]

Keep MAP. I want the variety of dealers to stay and removing it will put some at risk. It can also put the brand at risk by big box discounters. If I am unhappy with a price released I just don't buy it.

[Netherend]

I am just glad for this MAP-less holiday. I hope that they do more of these in the future.

[RamZar]

Another MAP holiday next year and I'd get the SpyOpera Sprint Run Damasteel with real CF made by LionSteel in Italy. It has not been released yet and currently the MAP price is a whopping $406.00 (MSRP: $580.00). A street price of $300 would be a lot more appealing.

[StuntZombie]

Some people seem to be forgetting that MAP pricing only affects the advertised price. Dealers are free to charge as little as they want. Those of you who follow the "crazy deals" thread know that certain dealers frequently offer additional discounts.

I think this is something that people keep missing. Dealers can sell for less than MAP if they want to. Some require you to add the item to your cart before you see the price, while others may require you to create an account on their site in order to see the lower price.

[Mushroom]

Remove MAP pricing and all the smaller dealers disappear and all the bigger dealers put prices up after the smaller dealers are gone.

Removing MAP can also have brands devalued if their products are sold below their worth.

Look at Apple it’s pretty much MAP world wide.

There are benefits of MAP….

Also if it was removed…Amazon could wipe out nearly every knife dealer by selling at a loss until it had market dominance.Where are your dealer exclusives then !?

Someone gets the big picture here!

There were still a bunch of dealer exclusives before MAP was implemented. Even some of the smaller retailers such as Bento Box Shop had exclusives before MAP.

I get it though, Amazon has the means to dominate literally any market they want. The benefits of MAP seem to be limited to retailers competitiveness with Amazon and the manufacturers reputation.

I see little consumer benefit from a MAP policy, which is what the vast majority of us here are. So I don’t feel bad about asking for it to be changed or adjusted. To play my own devils advocate though, I fully understand how lower prices at all times can devalue the brand and change the public perception for the worse. It also generates more money, which is likely the largest driving force behind a MAP policy.

In theory MAP doesn’t prevent discounts from being offered regularly but in practice it does! A measly 5% or 10% off once a year from a retailer is hardly even mentionable. Almost insulting when compared to the prices they’re offering “without MAP.” Obviously retailers should have no desire to offer larger discounts and more deals when they can use MAP as an excuse not to.

MAP wouldn’t be so bad if retailers didn’t act like it was some strict rule that must be obeyed at all times always. They can still offer discounts at their own discretion but they just simply don’t. They basically could have been matching the discounts they offered during this “no MAP holiday” but that’s never happened. Why is it only when Spyderco says “no MAP holiday” that they decide to actually offer some worthwhile discounts? There was nothing stopping them before hand other than the excuse of it being a MAP violation. Maybe it’s not so much about Spyderco getting rid of or changing MAP and more about customers pressuring their favorite retailers to start offering some appreciable deals more often?

I certainly appreciate that Spyderco did this “No MAP Holiday” in the first place but if I’m being honest I’d prefer to see these type of discounts become a common occurrence again opposed to a once a year holiday event. I guess beggars can’t be choosers.



tl;dr - I think MAP could be adjusted and retailers should offer appreciable discounts more often.

[apollo]

Remove MAP pricing and all the smaller dealers disappear and all the bigger dealers put prices up after the smaller dealers are gone.

Removing MAP can also have brands devalued if their products are sold below their worth.

Look at Apple it’s pretty much MAP world wide.

There are benefits of MAP….

Also if it was removed…Amazon could wipe out nearly every knife dealer by selling at a loss until it had market dominance.Where are your dealer exclusives then !?

Someone gets the big picture here!

There were still a bunch of dealer exclusives before MAP was implemented. Even some of the smaller retailers such as Bento Box Shop had exclusives before MAP.

I get it though, Amazon has the means to dominate literally any market they want. The benefits of MAP seem to be limited to retailers competitiveness with Amazon and the manufacturers reputation.

I see little consumer benefit from a MAP policy, which is what the vast majority of us here are. So I don’t feel bad about asking for it to be changed or adjusted. To play my own devils advocate though, I fully understand how lower prices at all times can devalue the brand and change the public perception for the worse. It also generates more money, which is likely the largest driving force behind a MAP policy.

In theory MAP doesn’t prevent discounts from being offered regularly but in practice it does! A measly 5% or 10% off once a year from a retailer is hardly even mentionable. Almost insulting when compared to the prices they’re offering “without MAP.” Obviously retailers should have no desire to offer larger discounts and more deals when they can use MAP as an excuse not to.

MAP wouldn’t be so bad if retailers didn’t act like it was some strict rule that must be obeyed at all times always. They can still offer discounts at their own discretion but they just simply don’t. They basically could have been matching the discounts they offered during this “no MAP holiday” but that’s never happened. Why is it only when Spyderco says “no MAP holiday” that they decide to actually offer some worthwhile discounts? There was nothing stopping them before hand other than the excuse of it being a MAP violation. Maybe it’s not so much about Spyderco getting rid of or changing MAP and more about customers pressuring their favorite retailers to start offering some appreciable deals more often?

I certainly appreciate that Spyderco did this “No MAP Holiday” in the first place but if I’m being honest I’d prefer to see these type of discounts become a common occurrence again opposed to a once a year holiday event. I guess beggars can’t be choosers.



tl;dr - I think MAP could be adjusted and retailers should offer appreciable discounts more often.

The map holiday seemed nice for you guys. Anyone perhaps know if this was only a national ( US ) event or if it was international? Because here around me i havent seen anything flattering in price discounts.
A handful of models nobody has bought in 5 years got a miner 10€ off maybe 4 models per webshop or something like that but for the rest everything stayed exactly the same as every other day.

[Doc Dan]

MAP wouldn’t be so bad if retailers didn’t act like it was some strict rule that must be obeyed at all times always. They can still offer discounts at their own discretion but they just simply don’t. They basically could have been matching the discounts they offered during this “no MAP holiday” but that’s never happened. Why is it only when Spyderco says “no MAP holiday” that they decide to actually offer some worthwhile discounts? There was nothing stopping them before hand other than the excuse of it being a MAP violation. Maybe it’s not so much about Spyderco getting rid of or changing MAP and more about customers pressuring their favorite retailers to start offering some appreciable deals more often?


[/quote]

This is it, right here. MAP is not really the issue, it is how the retailers make use of it. Perhaps incentives could be offered from time to time to encourage retailers to offer occasional deals passed on to the customer? I don't know.

[JRinFL]

I’d like to point out that at least two dealers have offered discounts on some Spydercos throughout the year. White Mountain Knives, usually through a coupon code. National Knives, usually through their sales section and you need to be logged to see best price. At National being logged in will reveal some discounts in the normal Spyderco section as well.

Not all dealers are equal in regards to MAP.


One more place that occasionally has steep discounts is MidwayUSA. Not a dealer, but they stock Spyderco.

[ZrowsN1s]

Devils advocate here.

It is a great feeling when you find a great bargin. I just bought 3 enduras for 39$ each. I was really stoked.

You know what one of the worst feelings in collecting is? Feeling like you paid too much when you could have got it for cheaper.

The Swayback is on sale for 189$ right now. Imagine how I would feel if I paid $300 for it knowing I could have had it for near half that. I'd feel a little cheated. And I wish I could afford to get one now at $189, but I have too many other knife purchases on my plate. Know why I really want to buy one now? Because there is NO WAY I will ever spend $300 on a Swayback, when I now know I COULD have had it for 189$. It would make me feel like I over paid.

MAP lets people buy knowing they are getting the best deal. Though I guess not anymore with MAP holidays?

I guess the smart thing to do as a consumer would be to only buy sprints and exclusives during the year, and only buy production knives on Black Friday/Cyber Monday or other MAP Holidays.

[Monty]

Devils advocate here.

It is a great feeling when you find a great bargin. I just bought 3 enduras for 39$ each. I was really stoked.

You know what one of the worst feelings in collecting is? Feeling like you paid too much when you could have got it for cheaper.

The Swayback is on sale for 189$ right now. Imagine how I would feel if I paid $300 for it knowing I could have had it for near half that. I'd feel a little cheated. And I wish I could afford to get one now at $189, but I have too many other knife purchases on my plate. Know why I really want to buy one now? Because there is NO WAY I will ever spend $300 on a Swayback, when I now know I COULD have had it for 189$. It would make me feel like I over paid.

MAP lets people buy knowing they are getting the best deal. Though I guess not anymore with MAP holidays?

I guess the smart thing to do as a consumer would be to only buy sprints and exclusives during the year, and only buy production knives on Black Friday/Cyber Monday or other MAP Holidays.

I bought a Spyderco during the covid lockdown that was basically out of stock forever, really thought it was going to be discontinued. Recently put it up for sale (not trying to sell it here and I'm not saying the model). After this weekend I'm going to have to knock the asking price way down lol.

[Buddafucco]

I’d like to point out that at least two dealers have offered discounts on some Spydercos throughout the year. White Mountain Knives, usually through a coupon code. National Knives, usually through their sales section and you need to be logged to see best price. At National being logged in will reveal some discounts in the normal Spyderco section as well.

Not all dealers are equal in regards to MAP.


One more place that occasionally has steep discounts is MidwayUSA. Not a dealer, but they stock Spyderco.

Just throwing it out there... Midway USA is on the Dealer Locator List. White Mountain is not. Though I suspect they may be an authorized dealer. G&R Tactical is another dealer that's had a constant active discount code for a while now.

[RustyIron]

To me, MAP seems almost like price-fixing and anti-capitalistic.
Or maybe... it's like price-fixing and hyper-capitalistic.
But the Supreme Court decided it's not at all like price-fixing, and isn't a violation of Sherman.

I could argue how MAP is better for retailers... worse for retailers... better for manufacturers... worse for manufacturers. The fact of the matter is that all these arguments are hypothetical, and since it's all legal, it's up to Spyderco to decide how they're going to conduct marketing.

[Mrj]

How about 4 times a year we do a map holiday? Or every holiday sale?

[JRinFL]

I’d like to point out that at least two dealers have offered discounts on some Spydercos throughout the year. White Mountain Knives, usually through a coupon code. National Knives, usually through their sales section and you need to be logged to see best price. At National being logged in will reveal some discounts in the normal Spyderco section as well.

Not all dealers are equal in regards to MAP.


One more place that occasionally has steep discounts is MidwayUSA. Not a dealer, but they stock Spyderco.

Just throwing it out there... Midway USA is on the Dealer Locator List. White Mountain is not. Though I suspect they may be an authorized dealer. G&R Tactical is another dealer that's had a constant active discount code for a while now.

Oops, I’d did not know MidwayUSA was a dealer. My mistake.