Crazy Good Deals Part 2!!

[Red Leader]

BentoBoxShop currently has their K390 Para3 exclusive on sale for $225 (vs usual $245).

Not a crazy deal or anything but mentioning since there has been some discussion of Golden-production K390 in other threads recently. (PM2 is currently still full $265 price, to save you a click.)

Thanks for this.


I've been a bit tempted by their K390 PM2, but the return policies of the store keep me away. Also the price - its funny to me that as they sit and sit, the prices keep getting raised on them, as they stay unsold. I don't know how many they have left, but the market has decided they are too expensive, except for the rare exception where it is someone's dream knife or a PM2 completionist collector. Just take a look at the recent PM2 Rex-121 at the exact same price, which sold out in a day. I wonder how many they got, and how many they have.

If they did a MAP holiday on them, I'd probably bite.

[StuntZombie]

Guess I'll stick to letting others pay full price and buying on the secondary market.

Unless Spyderco decides to try and crack down on second hand sales too.

[DSH007]

I've long suspected that the purpose of this thread was more about monitoring dealers than helping enthusiasts find good deals. However, I’ve also always genuinely enjoyed hunting for deals and helping others find knives they may be interested in at a discounted price. I've posted many of those good deals up here and I am genuinely sorry if that has led to any dealer being “reprimanded” in any way. I will not be posting any more “crazy deals” here, if there are ever any more to be found..

For whatever little it’s worth, I am of the opinion that once a dealer has purchased product from Spyderco at whatever dealer rate has been negotiated with Spyderco, they should be able to conduct their business without fear of being policed to such a degree. I get MAP in theory as a means of evening the playing field for the smaller dealers, but so long as dealers stick to not advertising below a certain price, they should be given some leeway to do their own thing when it comes to rewards programs, discounts, etc…

Spyderco loves to talk about what “the market will bear,” but now seems to be changing the rules in their favor as the market finds little ways to say “F off with these high prices.” Tough situation all around.. I get that Spyderco needs to look out for their bottom line, but these sort of price-policing practices feel more like a jab at the end user to me. I don’t know what the answer is, but I sure don’t love seeing Spyderco go the way of Benchmade here. Spyderco, please be less like Benchmade.

[Manixguy@1994]

Disappointed , this will lower amount of purchases of new models and will be very selective. I do have a passion for older models which I will increase buying in the future. MG2

[Jefferson444]

Guess I'll stick to letting others pay full price and buying on the secondary market.

Unless Spyderco decides to try and crack down on second hand sales too.

I haven’t done this yet but seeing as how my collecting started just a few years ago, there’s likely quite a few used models that would appeal to me.

[zhyla]

Unless Spyderco decides to try and crack down on second hand sales too.

Let's not get too into the weeds here, that isn't a think Spyderco could or would ever do.

For whatever little it’s worth, I am of the opinion that once a dealer has purchased product from Spyderco at whatever dealer rate has been negotiated with Spyderco, they should be able to conduct their business without fear of being policed to such a degree.

I think that's what all of us consumers want, especially given we don't have economics degrees and don't know how to run a wholesale business. It's obvious to all of us that retails costs will go down; what isn't as obvious is what happens to Spyderco's bottom line. Will the retail network constrict, causing Spyderco to move less inventory, make less money, put out fewer models, etc? I don't know, but I suspect any business will select the business model that makes them most profitable (within the bounds of the law and ethics, of course).

BTW, lots of knife companies have MAP policies. MAP offends me philosophically but it is what it is.

[Catchadroppimgknife]

It’s not like we are forced to buy them. There are alternative things to spend our money on - we’re still sort of a free people. I choose to buy them - or not - and so the price is the price.

[ladybug93]

...but I sure don’t love seeing Spyderco go the way of Benchmade here. Spyderco, please be less like Benchmade.

i've been noticing the same in the last few years. aside from what i consider better design philosophy and quality of spydercos, there are other reasons i don't like benchmade and won't give them my money. i'm pretty sure i made a comment years ago in almost the same words and it wasn't received well among the apologists in this echo chamber. you're not alone though.

[M_J87]

Just for a little perspective, I believe MAP is for keeping smaller businesses competitive with the big guys. The small companies generally can't afford to take the amount of loss per sale that the bigger companies can to move inventory. Same reason Walmart and Amazon can sell for so cheap, driving small business out. That's my interpretation though.

[ladybug93]

Just for a little perspective, I believe MAP is for keeping smaller businesses competitive with the big guys. The small companies generally can't afford to take the amount of loss per sale that the bigger companies can to move inventory. Same reason Walmart and Amazon can sell for so cheap, driving small business out. That's my interpretation though.

i believe that is the case. i also believe it's the case that it hurts the consumer, even though the average consumer probably doesn't want to see mom and pop shops driven out of business.

[blueblur]

I caught wind this was happening shortly before the Black Friday deals. I bought something like 10 Spyderco’s this holiday season, all at reduced prices, correctly assuming price hikes in the new year and heavy MAP enforcement.

I have plenty of knives but still enjoy trying the new models and steels but my salary isn’t increasing at the same rate as most consumer goods and necessities like groceries, so I’ll have to think about and plan my purchases better.

I understand the price of things goes up, it’s just very frustrating when the cost to me goes up more when my pay can’t match “the market increases”. This isn’t directed to Spyderco, but it puts the end line user in a tough spot when they want to make a purchase, but the same purchase costs less yesterday compared to today.

[Fastidiotus]

This thread has parted me from so much of my money that I should be relieved. Still sad though.

[Mage7]

It’s not like we are forced to buy them. There are alternative things to spend our money on - we’re still sort of a free people. I choose to buy them - or not - and so the price is the price.

Yeah, but the point of being vocal about it isn't to bemoan the prices as if we're forced to pay them or complain that we can't afford them, but to discourage people from buying more at such high prices in hope the market will readjust itself.

[JSumm]

I cannot imagine this industry will look the same in five years. There was such a boom during and after the pandemic. So many knife companies popping up that it is almost impossible to keep track of everything that is out there. Heck, I carried a Kershaw or a SOG up until 2019 before I discovered Spyderco (thank you YouTube). Big box retailers were my only exposure. Here comes the pandemic and a lot of extra time and down the rabbit hole I went, and I would expect the same of many others too.

Now you add inflation then tariffs. Just doesn't seem sustainable. I know other hobby industries have already busted or are beginning to bust. Things in this market will change too.

[jdw]

As soon as the logged in deals disappeared at National Knives I assumed something like this happened. My longtime Spyderco fandom takes another blow.

[bearfacedkiller]

Seems like moving forward even the MAP holidays will be heavily enforced with Spyderco dictating how much can be marked down and on what models.

It also seems as though they are letting supply of most models dwindle before they discontinue them to reduce the amount of knives sold at closeout prices.

Looks like moving forward the crazy deals will be as scarce as hens teeth.

I’ll still buy a handful of knives if I like them and can see some value but it seems as though each year that is less and less.

[sovereign]

As soon as the logged in deals disappeared at National Knives I assumed something like this happened. My longtime Spyderco fandom takes another blow.

That change coincided with the posting of this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=98843

[attila]

I just looked at Dack and it looks like all the Spydercos are now gone.

Does this have anything to do with the clamping down of MAP as of recent? Looks like we saw individual retailers getting shut down, and then larger shops like Freedom having to drastically alter their operations. Now Dack? Can anyone confirm?

I was hearing quite a few reports of people who had planned a purchase of a new Spyderco now holding off because of some of these policies trickling down to their favorite retailers.

If so, I'm afraid this thread will be relegated to used and non-official (i.e. personal) sales.

This is a huge bummer, especially since they raised prices last week.

For example, I was looking around for a Rex-121 Sage LW to buy, but the MAP jumped a whopping 37% from $255 to $349. So now, with no way around MAP, I’m basically priced out of nice Spydercos anymore.

I can’t help but wonder, was Spyderco losing money on the Rex-121 knives? Are they trying to maximize profit until their Rex-121 inventory dries up? It just doesn’t make sense…

[Bolster]

...For example, I was looking around for a Rex-121 Sage LW to buy, but the MAP jumped a whopping 37% from $255 to $349. So now, with no way around MAP, I’m basically priced out of nice Spydercos anymore...

For the price of one and a half Rex Sages, you can get a Sig P365. But Sigs are notoriously bad at opening packages.

[JSumm]

As soon as the logged in deals disappeared at National Knives I assumed something like this happened. My longtime Spyderco fandom takes another blow.

That change coincided with the posting of this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=98843

Interesting. I have been buying from Rob for a long time. Hopefully his business has not taken a hit.
I know there are a lot of good reasons, but to say this is dissapointing is an understatement.

I do not think this practice is exclusive to Spyderco. Looks like a lot of American Knife makers use a similar policy. Just looking at other manufacturers, their prices are consistently held at the same price point across multiple dealers with no "sale pricing" that I have seen. I think this just may be industry standard now.

Still have to think we have been in a bubble for several years now. Something somewhere has to give. Hopefully all survive through it. Lots of good businesses and people make up this industry.