how safe is Amazon to buy from

[paladin]

Spyderco Authorized dealers are best...

Jim Howe is my personal go-to-guy for top drawer service!

Howe's no longer carries Spyderco

wow...bummer...thanks for the headsup

[palonej]

I've dealt with a great shop on eBay.....White Mountain Knives....Justin is the proprietor and he is a gem!!
Excellent communication and super fast shipping!
Had one little hiccup and he straightened it out immediately in my favor.

[HarleyXJGuy]

Amazon is ok - they mean well. I have heard about issues with folks keeping the real knife and returning a fake. The small shops are more conscientious and know better:

BentoBox http://www.bentoboxshop.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Blade HQ http://www.bladehq.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
National Knives http://www.nationalknives.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Knife Center http://www.knifecenter.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Oh So Grande Knives http://www.osograndeknives.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Cutlery Shoppe http://www.cutleryshoppe.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Knife Works http://www.knifeworks.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Kershaw Guy http://kershawguy.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Blade Play http://www.bladeplay.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Classic Edge http://www.theclassicedge.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Bud K http://www.budk.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Kellam Knives http://kellamknives.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Knives Ship Free http://www.knivesshipfree.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Collectors Knives http://www.collectorknives.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nice job with the list matey.

[Evil D]

My experience with Amazon is that there are a LOT of counterfeit items being sold there, not just knives. It really depends on the seller that is selling to you through Amazon. I once bought my gal this high end professional hair straightener, and was going to buy through Amazon but the feedback was pretty unanimous that they were selling fakes. I've also seen a lot of fake watches on there. I'd personally pay a few bucks more to buy from a reputable dealer.

[dubya3]

Hi there ,

I want to buy online , Ebay shows to be a risky place to buy , any advise ?

I was thinking amazon.com , assuming there would be no fakes being sold there

kind regards

Ralph in Korea

I absolutely won't buy from Amazon (I've had multiple issues buying gun parts in the past), eBay is a bit better if you buy from a reputable seller but if my local shop doesn't have what I want (he matches Bladehq prices for me so I try to buy locally if possible), I buy from one of the big retailers like Bladehq, Knife Center, BentoBox and Sooner. Shipping will probably be the big downside for you.

Cory in Minnesnowta

[TomAiello]

I've bought from almost everyone on Dread Pirate's list with good results. I'd also add Omaha Knife, where I've been able to find some sprints at reasonable prices after other dealers had sold out.

My personal favorites are Knife Works and Cutlery Shoppe (and Howes...bummer).

[spyderg]

I've dealt with a great shop on eBay.....White Mountain Knives....Justin is the proprietor and he is a gem!!
Excellent communication and super fast shipping!
Had one little hiccup and he straightened it out immediately in my favor.

Same here, ordered a few. One small shipping cost error, more than compensated for it!

[bpahk]

If you are ordering internationally, you really shouldn't use Amazon. I ordered a chaparral last year and received a cat that Amazon had barcoded as a chaparral. I easily got it replaced by them, but that may be incredibly difficult if shipping and returning internationally.

[TazKristi]

We've posted before, but with the revival of this thread I thought to post again.

Although Amazon does purchase directly from us they also purchase from other sources. Due to this practice, as well as their shared inventory with 3rd party marketplace retailers, we cannot guarantee that a "Spyderco" purchased from Amazon will always be legitimate. It's unfortunate, but we feel it's important to be honest with all of you.

Kristi

[vivi]

I've had zero issues ordering anything from Amazon, knives included.

However every knife I bought from Amazon was fulfilled by amazon themselves, it was not purchased through a third party advertising on amazon. Security with those sellers will vary on an individual basis. I've had no issues buying other, cheaper items from third party sellers on amazon though.

One other thing worth mentioning is on a lot of their listings it won't specify which generation you are getting, and pictures / descriptions can sometimes not match up. So you might see the image for a Para 1, the description of a Para 2, and receive the latter when you order. I've never been affected by this but if I were I doubt I'd have any issues returning the item. They're good about returns.

Bought my Perrin Street Bowie there since New Graham and other dedicated knife shops were out of stock. It's been serving me great the past year and a half. Definitely the real deal.

[RadioactiveSpyder]

I agree with the others, Amazon is mostly safe but you do run the risk if you're trusting one of their more unknown 3rd party vendors. Like eBay though, several highly reputable outfits sell Spydies through Amazon (like United Outdoors and Reds Gear, both whom I've bought many from). If they don't have near 100% positive feedback and many thousands of satisfied customers already per their reviews, definitely stay away from any of those vendors! I typically buy through NGK or Knifeworks, but sometimes you have to spend those Amazon gift cards

[FlyingTurtleVF17]

We've posted before, but with the revival of this thread I thought to post again.

Although Amazon does purchase directly from us they also purchase from other sources. Due to this practice, as well as their shared inventory with 3rd party marketplace retailers, we cannot guarantee that a "Spyderco" purchased from Amazon will always be legitimate. It's unfortunate, but we feel it's important to be honest with all of you.

Kristi

Is this still the case? And does buying a product sold directly by Amazon, and not a 3rd party decrease the risk?

[anagarika]

Reading Kristi's response means that Amazon might ship an item from stock that doesn't differentiate which seller it comes from (inter mingling). I have bought 3 FRN Endura 4 though that are all genuine.

If it was not, then international return shipping will be a problem.

In addition, their Customer Service response is scripted and when they response, they don't read the whole history of our email exchanges (on same order#, not knives but books). So it's quite frustrating to get them over their scripted response. Having said that, they are usually willing to resolve the issue to customer's satisfaction.

[SG89]

We've posted before, but with the revival of this thread I thought to post again.

Although Amazon does purchase directly from us they also purchase from other sources. Due to this practice, as well as their shared inventory with 3rd party marketplace retailers, we cannot guarantee that a "Spyderco" purchased from Amazon will always be legitimate. It's unfortunate, but we feel it's important to be honest with all of you.

Kristi

Is this still the case? And does buying a product sold directly by Amazon, and not a 3rd party decrease the risk?

Yes this will always be the case. No it does not reduce the risk.

[The Deacon]

Is this still the case? And does buying a product sold directly by Amazon, and not a 3rd party decrease the risk?

I severely doubt Amazon has changed its policies in the past 14 months. I'm fairly certain they still buy from the cheapest source even when it should be obvious to anyone with half a brain that the only way a wholesaler could undercut a manufacturer on a current production item is by selling counterfeit goods. I'm also fairly certain they still co-mingle their own stock and that of "fulfillment by Amazon" 3rd party vendors and have no way of determining the authenticity of that vendor's stock. So, the way I see it, there are still the same two ways counterfeits can enter the Amazon mix.

Given that, with Spyderco's switch to MAP pricing, almost all dealer prices are the same, the incentive to purchase from Amazon, rather than from a reputable online knife dealer is not as strong as it was in the past. Heck, their current price for the "blurple" S110V PM2 is $7 higher than New Graham's, Knife Center's, Blade Headquarters', and most other dealers.

[Robbob]

I've purchased a few Spydercos from Amazon and they all appear to be genuine. I ensure each is fulfilled by Amazon to have greater recourse in the event of receiving a counterfeit.

Lately, though, I've been ordering from Cutlery Shoppe. The prices there are easily on par with Amazon and other retailers. In fact, I ordered a Victorinox that was cheaper than Amazon and Cutlery Shoppe offers free shipping in the US.

[palonej]

Every single time someone joins here to post.......is this a real Spydie.......the knife was bought on Amazon or eBay.
Buy from a reputable dealer........don't think for a second you can get a PM2 for $19.99.
Joe

[Robbob]

Every single time someone joins here to post.......is this a real Spydie.......the knife was bought on Amazon or eBay.
Buy from a reputable dealer........don't think for a second you can get a PM2 for $19.99.
Joe

I've seen some scales on Etsy for around $80.00, and a PM2 is included in the deal. So many of the reviewers mention they received a fake knife. All I can do is shake my head.