Why doesn't Spyderco help us avoid fakes?

[DavidC]

I can't understand why the only help that I can find on this issue isn't coming from the company? I appreciate those on this forum and the tube, but I have yet to see real close-up pics of parts of a genuine knife that could help us plain identify a fake from the real deal? I am not knowledgeable enough to know a "good" fake from the real deal without having both in front of me to scrutinize. Many of us can't afford to always pay full retail so we look for pre-owned.
Since there is usually a return policy or auction site guarantee of sorts, if there was an official, detailed walk through on a particular knife model comparing it to a faked knife, I would have a chance to reject the fake. This has to be costing companies like Spyderco and MKC sales, and certainly costs them when folks without the knowledge to spot these fakes, often sold at non-fake pre-owned prices, think poorly of their knives.

It almost seems like they just don't care?

Is there anything from Spyderco I might have missed beyond the standard buy from a known and official retailer?

[TazKristi]

Hi, DavidC:
Welcome to our forum. I think there's a lot that we do that you're not aware of. I'm sure our members will jump in, but to briefly answer your question.

We have testified before Congress about the issue with counterfeits. We have an entire section of this forum devoted to counterfeits (monitored by us and our legal team). We rarely post about what we do to those selling counterfeits, but rest assured, we take action.

To your idea of an official, detailed walk-through on our knives - that would only provide a detailed blueprint of our knives to the counterfeiters, making it even harder to distinguish authentic product from counterfeits.

Participating on our forum will go a long way to educating you and others about counterfeits. We hope you enjoy your time with us.

Kristi

[Danke]

Why? Because all those pictures are feedback for the counterfeiters on what they're doing wrong.

Coaching them on how to improve wouldn't be prudent.

They provide you with a wide range of authorized dealers. Don't search for deals on Amazon or eBay and stick to the ADs.

But there's the old adage, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. Some people will stubbornly keep the fakers in business.

[Evil D]

Buy from a reputable dealer. Case closed.

[Synov]

Spyderco gives us high definition pictures of all their knives. I'm not sure what else you could reasonably expect. No knife manufacturer purchases fakes of their hundreds of models and does comparison videos. Which would then become obsolete when new fakes come out. To then imply they don't care about fakes when the very forum you are on proves otherwise from the founder's own mouth is pretty rude. Take a moment before posting and try to edit yourself.

[CDEP]

Two words explain this:

Caveat Emptor

Ultimately, it is the buyer's responsibility, and yes, the best way to avoid it is to buy from reputable retailers.

It is impossible to police this kind of online fraud when the auction sites, like eBay, have no material interest in doing so. It becomes whack-a-mole, at best. I've reported a couple of dozen cases on eBay and only one was ever taken down. That site was back up a week later, lying about shipping from Los Angeles instead of Azerbaijan, which was the reality, and a subsequent report was rejected.

If the sites that facilitate these sales were interested in curbing them I'm sure Spyderco would put in the effort. But as it stands, only the most egregious cases are worth targeting, and rest assured, Kristi is on it.

[RustyIron]

Is there anything from Spyderco I might have missed beyond the standard buy from a known and official retailer?

You could always ask, "Hey! Spyderco! How much do you spend on lawyers to fight trademark infringement?" But that would be rude. Regardless, it's safe to assume the company throws down a stack of cash to stop the crooks, cash that could be better spent on plenty of other things. .

Aside from that, what else can Spyderco do other than listing approved retailers? That's a pretty surefire way of ensuring you get a good product. People who insist on buying knives from shifty retailers in third world countries need to straighten up and fly right. They get what they deserve.

[Danke]

Is there anything from Spyderco I might have missed beyond the standard buy from a known and official retailer?

You could always ask, "Hey! Spyderco! How much do you spend on lawyers to fight trademark infringement?" But that would be rude. Regardless, it's safe to assume the company throws down a stack of cash to stop the crooks, cash that could be better spent on plenty of other things. .

Aside from that, what else can Spyderco do other than listing approved retailers? That's a pretty surefire way of ensuring you get a good product. People who insist on buying knives from shifty retailers in third world countries need to straighten up and fly right. They get what they deserve.

Methinks now is a good time to dust off my "SpyderBus" proposal where they send a group of goons around resetting peoples clocks that are selling fakes. Obviously they'll be on a Spydie themed bus; think Weinermobile but a knife. Windows would all be round holes, really hit all the high notes.

[Naperville]

Please read the thread regarding CHINA, who steals $300 to $600 billion in intellectual property (IP) from the USA every year. China and many other countries do not believe in IP, unless you are infringing on one of their patents.

This is a serious issue for all businesses in the USA, UK, Ireland, EU, and Scandinavian countries that I know of.

Stick around and help!

[JBoone]

Buy from a reputable dealer. Case closed.

It is as simple as this. I buy only new from an authorized dealer and the thought of receiving a fake never crosses my mind,

If you purchase used you will need to do your due diligence but you can cut down on potential issues by staying away from certain websites. A good place to source would be popular knife forums (such as blade forums) making sure that the knife in question is coming from a long standing member.

[Snacktime]

Reputable dealer till you know enough, I have been scammed 2-3 times buying vintage Spyderco's off eBay.

[Red Leader]

First of all, welcome! Thanks for your interest in Spyderco. We all have something we appreciate about the brand, or multiple things. We were all new once, also.

Me, I got started a little over just one year ago. In that time, I've hung around here and learned a lot. I'm not perfect, but I probably have gotten a lot better at being able to spot a fake. If you hang around here, you can probably learn quite a bit. Also, if you find a knife that you are considering buying, you can make a post in the 'Counterfeit' section asking for more experienced members to chime in with there thoughts, if you are able to provide some pictures of the knife in question. No guarantees, but it would be great insurance until your knowledge set grows.

Hope you stick around!

[sal]

Hi DavidC,

Welcome to our forum.

As Kristi said, the situation is a lot more complicated than it might appear. Buying from a reputable dealer works well for you but doesn't solve what is a big problem in most industries. It's almost like it's it own industry. Many US manufacturers are no loner manufacturing because the less expensive "Knock offs put them out of business.

It's probably a good discussion, but we've been fighting this fight for decades.

sal

[Wartstein]

I can't understand why the only help that I can find on this issue isn't coming from the company? I appreciate those on this forum and the tube, but I have yet to see real close-up pics of parts of a genuine knife that could help us plain identify a fake from the real deal? I am not knowledgeable enough to know a "good" fake from the real deal without having both in front of me to scrutinize. ......

Welcome to the forum, and yes, I do understand your frustration.
But as has been said already: Imo you should not direct it against Spyderco, but solely against the scammers out there.

I can´t see anything Spyderco could do about the situation beyond what they are already doing - "a detailed walk-through" would really be kind of shooting themselves in the foot as others have pointed out already.
Perhaps sometimes in the future they can come up with kind of a "finger print" that really can only be done in a certain factory where real Spydercos are made - but right now I can´t even really think of how such a thing could be achieved.

Should you not be aware: There is a subforum here dedicated to make aware of counterfeits or asking questions concerning that matter: viewforum.php?f=8

[Michal O]

Well, you need to buy only at authorized dealers or learn a lot to spot clones. Just yesterday I've helped one guy to realize he bought cheap clone Civilian for full price. Seler lied to him that knife looks different because it's old production.

[Mushroom]

It’s not Spyderco’s responsibility to do your homework for you.

[TkoK83Spy]

You also need to consider the price you're paying. If you're looking at a knife on websites and it's say, $250 and then you go and find one of the same, or in "like new" condition but it's selling for $50, that should set of some red flags. I'm not sure if that's the case here, but with knives it's the old saying "If it's too good to be true, then it probably is"

[Mrj]

I was told Benchmade has around 300 employees actively chasing down fakes. But a simple Reddit search and fakes are a preferred option to some. They rave about them. It’s really tough to stop from a manufacturers side. It takes us and other knife folks to buy from reputable shops. If you are speaking on the fake exclusives on eBay and such, then that’s like gambling. Either learn the clues that help you spot fakes or don’t buy.

[zhyla]

This is all assuming you can visually distinguish a counterfeit. The only reason that's still the case is the people producing them aren't trying that hard. It's entirely possible to produce visually identical knives.

Manufacturers could etch some little QR codes onto the blade that the website can authenticate. Would add cost though.

The best thing we can probably do is pressure the used knife marketplaces to not allow counterfeits to be sold. I see people selling fakes on the knife_swap reddit and just shake my head -- there are SO MANY wonderful $50 knives out there, why would you want a $50 fake PM2?

[BornIn1500]

I was told Benchmade has around 300 employees actively chasing down fakes.

Their LinkedIn page says they have "400+" employees total. No way they hire 300 for chasing fakes.