306uf Eta?

redback · #1

Sal, when is this product shipping to retailers? Nobody has stock.

redback · #2

*bump*

Blackhair · #3

http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=271 :cool:

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store ... ?s=SP306UF

jah · #4

On the 20th Sal posted they were waiting on the leather case:
http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showpost ... stcount=27
Hopefully with Knifecenter showing "in stock", they are shipping. Anybody get one yet?
Jerry

redback · #5

Still no stock on eBay or in any online store I use. They tell me they are backordered.

redback · #6

So has anyone got one of these yet?

And what's the point of this company-run forum if questions asked of the company receive no answers from company reps?

Blackhair · #7

1. Sal and the Gang are busy, they don't just surf the forum all day looking for questions to answer

2. If they're waiting on the leather sheaths (which are probably from a third party), then they may very well have no idea when they're shipping (in which case there would be no point in posting an answer).

and 3. When they posted the release date of the 2008 catalog, it caused a great amount of duress when the date passed and there was no catalog. Posting a release date can be a dangerous thing to do, because if something goes wrong (even something that's not their fault), then people will blame them, or think that they're liars.

Just be patient. If it helps, think of the fact that many of our favorite knives get discussed up to two years in advance. Now that's a killer wait! :eek:

jah · #8

Blackhair wrote: http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store ... ?s=SP306UF

I went ahead and ordered from knifecenter since I did not see it on NGK. I had never ordered from them, so wasn't real sure how accurate the "in stock" status was for the online ordering. Glad to report I got it today!!!

#9

redback wrote:So has anyone got one of these yet?

And what's the point of this company-run forum if questions asked of the company receive no answers from company reps?

redback,
The 306UF is in stock and is shipping from us.

As for the reply time, we were at SHOT Show when you started this thread, so I'm sorry we didn't see it. I think you'll find overall, we're extremely active on this forum (as well as others). Sorry we didn't meet your expectations.

Kristi

Michael Cook · #10

redback wrote: And what's the point of this company-run forum if questions asked of the company receive no answers from company reps?

:spyder: Spend some more time here before badmouthing the forum, these are very good people. :spyder:

Jay_Ev · #11

In redback's defense, if you look at the date he joined the forum (October 2006) it is possible that he has spent time on the forum. Just because one has a low post count (such as myself) does not mean they don't spend time here. A common mistake made by many people in bulletin-board type message forums is to judge the forum member based on their post count. In fact, there are message boards of which I am a member and have zero posts. Take care,

-Jay

Will V. · #12

TazKristi wrote:Sorry we didn't meet your expectations.

If it's any consolation, Spyderco already exceeded *my* expectations just by hosting this forum at all, let alone handling it the way you do, which I like very much. You're not too hands-on, and not too hands-off. Just right, I think.

araneae · #13

redback wrote:So has anyone got one of these yet?

And what's the point of this company-run forum if questions asked of the company receive no answers from company reps?

Patience is a virtue.

If you want a more direct answer you can always email customer service.

Sal, Kristi and Co. have a fair amount of interaction with the forum. Not many other companies offer direct interaction with their staff/president. We are very lucky that Spyderco lets us have this forum as a place to interact with each other.

redback · #14

@jah, I cannot use knifecenter because they do not accept Paypal and charge a lot for international shipping (I'm in Australia at the moment, but a US citizen btw). Glad to see they have stock though.

@TazKristi, see above. I doubt Spyderco price it at $80-85, take PayPal and ship USPS First Class International.

@Will V. and araneae , companies generate a lot of sales thorough forums like this. It is not just a service to knife enthusiasts, but also (and chiefly) a marketing strategy. I know, because I have built such forums for several clients.

Anyway, I still do not know why the usual retailers I use cannot get stock, and when (more or less) that situation will change.....

Will V. · #15

redback wrote: @Will V. and araneae , companies generate a lot of sales thorough forums like this. It is not just a service to knife enthusiasts, but also (and chiefly) a marketing strategy. I know, because I have built such forums for several clients.

With all due respect, I am well aware of the marketing strategy involved. But there is also the way Spyderco staff (Sal and Kristi, to be precise) so graciously handle criticism of Spyderco on this forum, and how they very much try to discourage "fanboy" style bashing of competing brands here, and elsewhere. I have explored many different brand-sponsored fora, but there aren't too many out there handled as well as this one, IMO.

I have also built such forums for clients, by the way.

In any case, as you can see on the online Spyderco catalog, you can order the 306UF directly from Spyderco, it appears to be in stock and shipping, as Kristi stated. When your "usual retailers" can get stock is between them and Spyderco, in my opinion.

redback · #16

Will V., I am not paying $50 more than street by buying through this website, so yes, my "usual retailers" will have to suffice, and they are ALL out of stock with NO ETA, so I think the issue is with Spyderco, not them.

Blackhair · #17

redback wrote:my "usual retailers" will have to suffice, and they are ALL out of stock with NO ETA, so I think the issue is with Spyderco, not them.

I beg to differ, redback.

It wouldn't be logical for Spyderco to hold out on their marketers; they're just losing sales. The entire reason that the website prices are so high compared to other websites is because Spyderco doesn't want to compete with their own retailers.

I could maybe, maybe believe that it was something having to do with Spyderco if nobody else had any in stock.

It's a very specialized item, and my bet is that most retailers aren't willing to make the gamble that they'll be able to unload them. The fact of the matter is that you can't always get specialized items through normal channels in normal ways, at least not at first. That's the way the retail world works.

redback · #18

Whatever, dude. My usual retailers sell lots of Spyderco stuff and two of them have had these stones on order for over a month, and tell me they do not know when they'll have them. They told me at first it would take until the end of January, and now they just don't know.

Will V. · #19

It is now about two weeks past the end of January, that is not a long time, by almost any measure. As was indicated in the second response to your original post, Knifecenter indicates these are in stock, at, or very close to, your target price. If you must have the 306UF right now, and you are unwilling to pay full MSRP, it seems Knifecenter is one option.

Anyway, I still think the issue is between your retailers and Spyderco. There is nothing you can do by posting here to nudge the process along, whatever the reason for the delay. Ask your retailers to call Spyderco and check on their order status, that is the most you can do.

araneae · #20

If knifecenter.com has them and is shipping I don't see how its Spyderco's problem if other dealers don't have them in stock yet. If other dealers have them on order they should be getting them soon. Its only a matter of time. Spyderco is not making money by holding on to product in their warehouse, if they have it, I'm sure its shipping like Kristi said.