Change in price of Spydercos in 2020?

[captnvegtble]

Are the price of Spyderco knives expected to increase across the models with the change of the year? Either due to an annual MSRP increase, or a change in MAP?

[araneae]

I think I heard they were

[curlyhairedboy]

Yeah I hear map is gonna be 30% off

[phaust]

Sal popped in this BF thread on the topic

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/202 ... s.1698317/

[vivi]

Spyderco is holding 99% of our prices for 2020, despite increases to us.

Seems pretty cut and dry.

[VooDooChild]

Well thats really awesome of Spyderco. Especially considering I have several knives I am going to get next year. I usually buy a few at a time and part of that is waiting on new models or waiting for them to be in stock at the same time.

However I probably will buy the most expensive one on my to get list this week just in case its in the 1%.

[kennethsime]

Sal popped in this BF thread on the topic

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/202 ... s.1698317/

Reading through just some of that thread, I can't believe the number of people saying "I love Spyderco, fully support the brand and it's the best, but I won't support it the prices keep going up."

Reality is that most Spydercos are a steal for the value they provide. How are you going to espouse your loyalty or love of a product, service, or company, and then decry them for charging a fair market rate? Some even threatened to withdraw their support if prices keep rising. What exactly did you want Spyderco to cheap out on in order to preserve last year's price? Materials, Q/A, or paying their employees a living wage? Because every one of these costs has likely increased for Spyderco this year.

I work for a gym, and we go through this about once/year when prices go up to reflect our increase in costs. It's funny how similar all the comments are.

[vivi]

The more prices go up, the less I'll buy, but there are still many high value models in the line-up. They're a far cry from reaching the breaking point for me. $100 for a Street Beat or Police LW is a high value purchase in my eyes. These are lean, well executed, evolved designs in high quality materials, designed to last decades.

If prices were what they used to be (e.g. $125 Millies, $100 Manix XL's, $40 S30V Natives), I'd buy higher volume, but I'm fine with the way things are these days. Prices are high enough to make me be a little more selective, but not so high I ever think twice about buying any Spyderco under $200.

[captnvegtble]

The more prices go up, the less I'll buy, but there are still many high value models in the line-up. They're a far cry from reaching the breaking point for me. $100 for a Street Beat or Police LW is a high value purchase in my eyes. These are lean, well executed, evolved designs in high quality materials, designed to last decades.

If prices were what they used to be (e.g. $125 Millies, $100 Manix XL's, $40 S30V Natives), I'd buy higher volume, but I'm fine with the way things are these days. Prices are high enough to make me be a little more selective, but not so high I ever think twice about buying any Spyderco under $200.

Yes, I agree with you and have a similar perspective. I understand Spyderco needing to adjust and increase prices, especially as costs rise. I was asking the question about pricing because I've heard/read a number of rumors and was simply looking for clarification. There are a couple Spydercos I was wondering whether I should buy if prices were going to increase.

[The Deacon]

Reading through just some of that thread, I can't believe the number of people saying "I love Spyderco, fully support the brand and it's the best, but I won't support it the prices keep going up."

Reality is that most Spydercos are a steal for the value they provide. How are you going to espouse your loyalty or love of a product, service, or company, and then decry them for charging a fair market rate? Some even threatened to withdraw their support if prices keep rising. What exactly did you want Spyderco to cheap out on in order to preserve last year's price? Materials, Q/A, or paying their employees a living wage? Because every one of these costs has likely increased for Spyderco this year.

I work for a gym, and we go through this about once/year when prices go up to reflect our increase in costs. It's funny how similar all the comments are.

I think a lot of it comes down to the difference between things we need, and things we merely want. There are rare exceptions, but the price of almost everything goes up from year to year. We can't really avoid it when our rent and renter's insurance, or our property taxes and homeowner's insurance, go up. We may be able to cut out some luxury items, but most increases in the cost of food and other household products are unavoidable. We may be able to cut down on pleasure driving, but fuel price increases are unavoidable for those who commute by car. On the other hand, things like gym memberships and the purchase of "grown up toys" like knives, guns, and watches are a lot easier to cut back on.

[prndltech]

Reading through just some of that thread, I can't believe the number of people saying "I love Spyderco, fully support the brand and it's the best, but I won't support it the prices keep going up."

Reality is that most Spydercos are a steal for the value they provide. How are you going to espouse your loyalty or love of a product, service, or company, and then decry them for charging a fair market rate? Some even threatened to withdraw their support if prices keep rising. What exactly did you want Spyderco to cheap out on in order to preserve last year's price? Materials, Q/A, or paying their employees a living wage? Because every one of these costs has likely increased for Spyderco this year.

I work for a gym, and we go through this about once/year when prices go up to reflect our increase in costs. It's funny how similar all the comments are.

I think a lot of it comes down to the difference between things we need, and things we merely want. There are rare exceptions, but the price of almost everything goes up from year to year. We can't really avoid it when our rent and renter's insurance, or our property taxes and homeowner's insurance, go up. We may be able to cut out some luxury items, but most increases in the cost of food and other household products are unavoidable. We may be able to cut down on pleasure driving, but fuel price increases are unavoidable for those who commute by car. On the other hand, things like gym memberships and the purchase of "grown up toys" like knives, guns, and watches are a lot easier to cut back on.

Exactly. I’ll still buy them... but I’ll have to buy less of them. Not by choice.

[VooDooChild]

I really wouldnt mind if in a few years spyderco did a "back to basics" year, discoed like 1/3 or 1/4 of thier catalog, and passed those savings along to us.

The problem is I think people would complain about that even more. Because all the experimenting, and diversity, and steels, and quality, and multiple options of the popular models is what draws people to spyderco to begin with.

But I do have to wonder if price goes up across the board to support some models that were never going to do well. I also wonder how many other versions of the same knife drive up the cost of the base model.

What if every once in a while spyderco hit the reset button and passed the savings along?

[Evil D]

I hate that we have to see this convo every year. It's inflation and it'll never stop. The only thing that stays the same price is cans of Arizona tea.

[Spydergirl88]

I really wouldnt mind if in a few years spyderco did a "back to basics" year, discoed like 1/3 or 1/4 of thier catalog, and passed those savings along to us.

The problem is I think people would complain about that even more. Because all the experimenting, and diversity, and steels, and quality, and multiple options of the popular models is what draws people to spyderco to begin with.

But I do have to wonder if price goes up across the board to support some models that were never going to do well. I also wonder how many other versions of the same knife drive up the cost of the base model.

What if every once in a while spyderco hit the reset button and passed the savings along?

That's kind of what the discontinued list is for but obviously that is only 10ish knives a year not 1/4 of the lineup. But you can't have Spyderco without the massive selection

[bouhunter]

I've been liquidating many the past year, getting down to a few EDC's. The more prices go up, the more I'll get for mine on eBay.

[BornIn1500]

That's kind of what the discontinued list is for but obviously that is only 10ish knives a year not 1/4 of the lineup. But you can't have Spyderco without the massive selection

Those discontinued models are really just making room for new models that are taking their place, though. So it's a wash and the catalog doesn't get smaller. It sounds like he means a more permanent reduction in models.

[Sumdumguy]

It may slow me down a bit, but it won't run me off.

[captnvegtble]

I hate that we have to see this convo every year.

Just to be clear... the purpose of my starting this thread wasn't to re-hash this conversation, nor do I want to re-hash the conversation. Different people have different opinions on this matter, and that's fine. I was simply looking to get some confirmation about how we can expect Spyderco pricing to change next year so I (and others) can plan accordingly with our disposable income purchases.

[VooDooChild]

That's kind of what the discontinued list is for but obviously that is only 10ish knives a year not 1/4 of the lineup. But you can't have Spyderco without the massive selection

Those discontinued models are really just making room for new models that are taking their place, though. So it's a wash and the catalog doesn't get smaller. It sounds like he means a more permanent reduction in models.

Not necessarily permanent. I was throwing around the idea that once the catalog gets "oversaturated", you could reset it in a manner of speaking, and then build it back up over time. You could maybe even repeat the process if needed. But like I said, then people would just get upset over that.

[araneae]

If Spyderco is holding prices 99% but dealers are making a 10% bump in MAP the consumers are losing by the highest margin. At least that's how I see it. I'm guessing I'm not the only one who won't soon be making 10% more than they were this last year.

I hate that MAP has really altered competition among knife retailers, I used to buy pretty heavily from 1 site (it was Cutlery Shoppe), now I'm looking at a good 6 or 8 sites to see who has it in stock when I want it. If they don't have it, I'm shopping at less known sites who I never would have bought from before. I'm paying the same price everywhere, so I gamble on service just to get the knife when I want it. I actually can't remember the last time I bought from CS, they seem to get new items later than many other sites now. I'd prefer to support a dealer I know had treated me well (with price and service) in the past and reward them with loyalty. I'm failing to see how MAP deserves a bump again. It's out of line with inflation and the Amazon argument isn't an argument anymore if Spyderco isn't dealing to them directly. Amazon now probably sells Spydercos based on delivery speed and ease of shopping rather than price.

I also feel like Chinese competition is only strengthened by this move. I've bought a few really well made Chinese knives this year that were easy decisions based on price, materials and quantity.

Spydies were more based on planning ahead for models I really had a strong interest in as users, and some were exclusive runs I may or may not have actually been able to buy due to Sprint run frenzy. I'd say the exclusive run mania and subsequent flipping of the past couple years has been a source of frustration and a net negative for me. Limited runs seem to be extra limited these days and that's just not fun for a lot of us. I can't always be available at 11:00 Central time and lucky enough to get on before the site crashes, I have a job that takes priority.

I may end up getting knives here and there at the seconds sale when I can make it and dwindling my online Spydie purchases to just a couple per year. All in all, I own way more Spyderco knives than any person needs, but I'm buying fewer and fewer each year. This all seems really negative and I've wandered a bit and I apologize, but it's my view from here.