It's a self-amplifying loop, and not likely to change:
- the maker (via limited sprint runs), and the distributor (via limited exclusives) both benefit from the hype/marketing created. As long as their manufacturing pipelines and waiting lists are full, they don't loose money.
- obviously, part of the hobby for some is the excitement when waiting for sprint or exclusive, and succeeding in buying it. It's an addiction (same as gambling).
I'm confident that much of the flipping is people having bought a knife, getting bored fast, selling it within a few days, and going off to the next challenge. Not really people buying the knife to rip you off and make a living of it. Think about it:
- say, somebody bought the z-wear Shaman for ~$200, and "flips" it a few days later for ~$300.
- The waiting and purchase, the selling, shipping, etc., in terms of working time (if it was me) is certainly worth more than the $100 difference.
That being said, if you really want a knife, say the Shaman with original price of ~200, and now you can get it for ~300, on ebay, "flipped" on the BF exchange, or in some stores, I suggest to buy it - your time is worth just as much or more than the "flipper's" time. Welcome to capitalism, where other buyers determine price. Note that significant up-pricing is frequent here on the exchange, it's basically common practice. Just search for Demko AD-20. I've never sold a knife, but if I would, I'd also sell it for the current market value, maybe minus a discount for BF and selling convenience.
In a nutshell, it is what it is, part of the hobby. Not interesting to me, just like some knives are not, which other people love. But it's part this community's large umbrella.
Say you like cars, you love a good sports or classic muscle car. But not all cars are interesting: Prius Hybrids are definitely boring, you don't understand them, they annoy you on the freeway when they cut you off. I know of fanatic Prius owner clubs. And of course it's not my thing, but they exist. Do I care ? No.
Roland.
