"New In Box" Spydercos

Diamondback · #41

blackwell wrote:In response to people saying the seller checks for fit and finish, why isn't QC spydercos job?

When ordering online they have a stock photo of the product anyway (unless your buying from ebay) so you can it. In person I understand you would want to handle the knife though.

Because Spyderco knives are production pieces they will all fall within "tolerances". That is to say, some minor variations are to be expected.....a blade just a hair off center, one rivet perhaps a bit flatter than the rest. Consider as well that even the very best inspectors will from time to time fail to catch a defect. Sometimes we forget that Spyderco are not custom pieces....and not Oreos....yet we all want the most perfect example that rolls off the production line with no variation. YMMV, but I appreciate the seller giving my purchase the "once over" before he/she ships. I don't consider my purchases museum pieces. As long as the seller hasn't taken the knife out on an "extended test-run" in the Amazon, and has photos which accurately describe the condition, I'm cool. My philosophy : buy from reputable vendors or sellers with very good feedback and all will be well. Business folks and sellers who want repeat trade have no incentive to hide the truth...their reputations and ultimately their ability to remain in business depends upon honesty. The better vendors guard their reputations and feedback evaluations zealously! You can't stay in business for long if every Tom, Dick, and Harry is badmouthing you on the internet, or if one has personally amassed a slew of negative sales performances and trades on Bladeforums and eBay.

Blerv · #42

pmbspyder wrote:Would you really feel more comfortable buying a spydie on eBay going on just a picture of a sealed box? I can appreciate the rant, but it just doesn't make any sense to me...

To each his/her own but I would rather have stock photos than vender ones with the knowledge they haven't played with my knife. I can't believe every one of those is the actual product you are receiving.

The few eBay sellers I have used have been exceptional (Poor_Fish ).

razorsharp · #43

Sealing boxes would stop a lot of sales imo

bh49 · #44

I do not like this for few reasons. Also few years ago Spyderco started to do this and than in a little while stopped. Must have a good reason as well.

MachSchnell · #45

I look at it like buying shoes, gotta try it before you buy it. Who knows how many people have tried them on and looked at them prior to purchase, and stores don't advertise them as used just because they've been removed from the packaging.

sir_mike · #46

razorsharp wrote:Sealing boxes would stop a lot of sales imo

I know I wouldnt have so many knives it they sealed them because I dont have a Spydie store in town where I can go and check out all the models and handle the ones I might want to get. I buy them, inspect them, hold them, maybe see how it looks clipped in my pocket, how it opens/closes, etc.

I am sure this idea was dropped quickly as it made it harder to send back or like I have had, actually not sealed when I got it so the company could get it back and would have to inspect it and reseal it before it could resell it.

defenestrate · #47

I agree to leaving things as-is - not only would a sealed box prevent reasonable inspection but it goes against the spirit of good faith transactions.

I think that :spyder: QC is about as good as is possible at this production quantity and price point, often going above and beyond to take care of issues. Allowing scrupulous dealers and owners to double check the QC adds a further layer of assurance potentially.

Clam/blister packs have been done in the past with some models, and are still done for various Byrd models and IIRC (at least when I bought one a decade ago) the SM-204. Cool for collections of some models but I would still like to be able to touch and check models for action, fit and finish. If I leave use or handling marks on a knife and sell it as NIB that is really on me. As I like to use every one I get my hands on, this is mostly a non-issue but if I had a little more disposable income I would have more spydies that have seen no real use (only my Ti/M4 mili currently fits the bill and that is likely to change).

Onionman · #48

I would never want a sealed box. I would want the dealer to inspect it before it goes out. Just like other collectables, touching it does not make it used. Opening it and closing it to make sure it works does not make it used either. This is true with most collectables (if you even consider a knife a collectable, but that's for a different thread). Those comic books or baseball cards sealed in plastic are considered new and mint condition, but they did not come that way from the factory. Someone had to touch them and put them in there. Does that affect their value? Not at all. I have no problem buying from an ebay seller that lists a knife as new when taken out of the box and played with a bit. So long as there is no noticeable wear on the knife, its all good.

blackwell · #49

Onionman wrote:I would never want a sealed box. I would want the dealer to inspect it before it goes out. Just like other collectables, touching it does not make it used. Opening it and closing it to make sure it works does not make it used either. This is true with most collectables (if you even consider a knife a collectable, but that's for a different thread). Those comic books or baseball cards sealed in plastic are considered new and mint condition, but they did not come that way from the factory. Someone had to touch them and put them in there. Does that affect their value? Not at all. I have no problem buying from an ebay seller that lists a knife as new when taken out of the box and played with a bit. So long as there is no noticeable wear on the knife, its all good.

So by that logic, you would buy a floor model LED LCD TV or laptop with the box, and that is NIB to you and you would pay full price?

Onionman · #50

blackwell wrote:So by that logic, you would buy a floor model LED LCD TV or laptop with the box, and that is NIB to you and you would pay full price?

First of all, electronics are completely different from mechanical items like a knife or other tool. When I went to the SFO and bought my mule M390, I got the last one and they sold me the one in the case. It was covered in finger prints, but they wiped it down and put it in the box. Never thought it was used. But even using your example, a floor model that has been on every day for months is like buying a knife that has been used and carried for months, and I would agree with you that would be used and should be listed as used. Now if I got a new TV and before I bought it I saw someone take it out of the box and turn it on and off and flip the channels and then put it back in the box, I would still consider it new.

Benny90 · #51

Would be kind of nice to have seals on the boxes at least for Online retailers and the like. A complete over simplification would be that usually a store knife dealer has approximately one type of each knife for sale on display or open box to be handled so it wouldn't matter much since they usually sell the display at a discount anyway. Having a "sticker" type seal wouldn't affect this.

A super EASY way to do it would be by making the sticker on the side of the box with name, model number, and bar code be a bit wider, enough extend to cover just enough of the top and bottom of the sleeve to seal it would be PERFECT.

I have to agree that it is VERY annoying purchasing an item listed as BNIB that has obviously been used and this would make them fess up and list it as used. It would also be very assuring for the customer to KNOW for a fact that he is receiving a brand new knife no matter where one purchases it. Obviously this wouldn't be 100%, just like anything and consumer knowledge is always number one of all, but would be in my eyes a super simple modification that would make people feel better about their purchase and a lot of people like knowing they are the first ones to touch their new item since it left the factory.

Benny90 · #52

I didn't think this discussion would be so appropriate. So I just decided to purchase a "Brand New In Box", quote "Unused and contents in perfect condition". Hmm, well we will certainly see if that is the case. I am unfortunately super picky about the items I purchase and normally wouldn't have purchased a so called BNIB, but seeing as I can't find the Black bladed PM2 at any of the places I shop, besides this one, I decided to take a chance.

Luckily the place I purchased from has an amazing return policy so I not going out on an entirely long limb and I got a pretty excellent price to boot. I guess we shall see. Won't be long either, should be here on Thursday.

The Deacon · #53

blackwell wrote:So by that logic, you would buy a floor model LED LCD TV or laptop with the box, and that is NIB to you and you would pay full price?

Generally no, but I've purchased plenty of "new" clothing I had no way of knowing if others had handled or tried on. As Onionman stated, there's some things where floor models are less acceptable than others. If you think your butt was the first backside ever to caress the seats of your "brand new" car, you're living in a dream world. Even with electronics, if the "full price" is significantly lower than any of the competitions, I might consider a floor model acceptable.

Benny90 wrote:I didn't think this discussion would be so appropriate. So I just decided to purchase a "Brand New In Box", quote "Unused and contents in perfect condition". Hmm, well we will certainly see if that is the case. I am unfortunately super picky about the items I purchase and normally wouldn't have purchased a so called BNIB, but seeing as I can't find the Black bladed PM2 at any of the places I shop, besides this one, I decided to take a chance.

Luckily the place I purchased from has an amazing return policy so I not going out on an entirely long limb and I got a pretty excellent price to boot. I guess we shall see. Won't be long either, should be here on Thursday.

Despite eBay's boilerplate description of what "New" means, in reality, even a NIB Spyderco purchased there is still subject to the same risk of imperfections which the folks in Golden consider acceptable and genuine warranty problems that slipped past QC as any knife purchased from any online dealer.

Benny90 · #54

Figured I would go ahead and update my last comment. Got my BNIB PM2 today and am 100% happy to say that it was in fact exactly as described! No scratching on the G10, blade perfect with no fingerprints, clip in original position. Great action and centered blade as well. Oh, I LOVE the compression lock!

The Deacon wrote: Despite eBay's boilerplate description of what "New" means, in reality, even a NIB Spyderco purchased there is still subject to the same risk of imperfections which the folks in Golden consider acceptable and genuine warranty problems that slipped past QC as any knife purchased from any online dealer.

Believe it or not it was actually from Amazon. I've noticed that the past few years they have more and more of an eBay style to their listings. Great place to buy just about anything imaginable, and their knives usually have a great price and the free 2 day and $4 1 day shipping insures as close to instant gratification as possible online.