Benchmade pricing seems to have changed

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Free market capitalism will work whether or not this issue will continue. Vote with your dollars. If the pricing seems unfair, Spyderco or another competitor will be getting more of my $$$$.
 
Benchmade is handing a golden opportunity to Spyderco and others at this point. Before the crackdown on discounts, Benchmade products were almost always "in stock" online. Contrast Benchmade's product availability to Spyderco's. This was with the discounts... does Benchmade really think they are going to sell more knives online without them?

I guess a simple fact of nature has been proven here: Butterflies make mistakes, are caught, and eaten alive by spiders. :D
 
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EDCanAdamas said:
Benchmade is handing a golden opportunity to Spyderco and others at this point. Before the crackdown on discounts, Benchmade products were almost always "in stock" online. Contrast Benchmade's product availability to Spyderco's. This was with the discounts... does Benchmade really think they are going to sell more knives online without them?

I guess a simple fact of nature has been proven here: ButterflIies makes mistakes, are caught, and eaten alive by spiders. :D
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:D Perfect.
 
rajincagin said:
Theory: BM is leveling the playing field to protect the smaller, non online, local, mom&pop dealers. Eliminating the consumer from having to choose between supporting their local shops or getting it cheaper online.

If this is true, as a free market capitalist, I fully support BM's decision. After all, it's their business, they can run it as they choose. Where they messed up is allowing online retailers to discount in the first place.
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Professor said:
I've been waiting for someone to finally hit this nail on the head. MAAP (not MSRP, but Minimum Allowable Advertised Pricing) pricing enforcement is designed to protect all authorized dealers. Some dealers, online and off, had been discounting below MAAP in order to draw you to buy from them above others, and can afford to do so since they buy in such bulk (from what used to be distributors--not sure of their role anymore). Hey, I get it. And I love that I got my BM Bali's for a song (pun intended), but I can fully understand and support a manufacturer's efforts to level the playing field for it's loyal authorized dealers. This has nothing to do with increased profit margins on the part of BM (MSRP has not increased, has it?) and it's by no means the first time a manufacturer, including BM, has moved to enforce MAAP pricing. Someone mentioned CRK in this thread--they've been doing this for as long as I've been buying their fine products, and I'm fine with it. Heck, CRK's MAAP pricing IS MSRP. Enforcing MAAP pricing benefits no one but the authorized dealers, whom it should.

Now, please, put down those pitchforks, step away from your keyboards, and go actually cut some stuff with those BM's that you were lucky enough to buy at less than MAAP pricing. :) BM has likely not responded here since they knew full well that we'd eventually arrive at this conclusion ourselves.

At least the aftermarket value of our stuff has probably increased in this process, and I truly dig that folks are as passionate about their Benchmades as I am.

Prof.
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I don't know I think this is the case.

To date the only interactive and informative discussion being had on the subject is on FB with one of the authorized dealers.

He said from his understanding that the new policy is about them wanting their product to be sold for higher prices, which brings up the value of their brand. That many other premium brand companies have adopted similar strategies with success.

So, if this is understanding of the dealers then in the absence of any clarification from BM I'm inclined to accept it as the best insight so far as to the question of "why".

Of course this is speculation on my part also and could be wrong. Another reason why I'd really like to hear directly from BM on this so I can make an informed decision based on facts, or at least facts as presented by the manufacture.

I'd be more understanding of them wanting to bring up the value of their products with future releases but I don't think doing so overnight with sweeping increases on models already in production and on the shelves is the best way to go about it.

Just my thoughts so far.
 
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I still don't get it... the B&M stores near me that sell decent knives all but one pretty much concentrate on Benchmade already, and sell at or near MSRP. So how is this going to make Benchmade more money again?
 
Professor said:
it's by no means the first time a manufacturer, including BM, has moved to enforce MAAP pricing. Someone mentioned CRK in this thread--they've been doing this for as long as I've been buying their fine products, and I'm fine with it. Heck, CRK's MAAP pricing IS MSRP. Enforcing MAAP pricing benefits no one but the authorized dealers, whom it should.
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Oakley has been this way from the start. The issue isn't so much that they're raising their prices, but they're raising our prices so much without any corresponding increase in quality or value for our money. We pay more for the same product that has a MSRP well above it's actual value, so Benchmades aren't that much of a deal any more. Heck, if Spyderco made more ball bearing lock knives in more interesting designs than their simple leaf blade (a la Manix2 blade), I'd be up for those instead -- and all I own are Benchmades!
 
Perhaps it is because plenty enough brick and mortar only dealers have complained to BM that they simply cannot compete with internet sales and will have to drop the brand altogether since they're inventory isn't moving especially because they cannot price knives under BM's guideline but web dealers are able to.

If this is the case, its like being caught between a rock and a hard place. Maybe they can ease up on their pricing so those brick and mortar stores can compete instead of shutting down web dealers' discounts altogether. Whether anyone likes it or not, web sales isn't going anywhere and will only increase in the future. Overlooking this market will do more harm IMO.
 
Stays Sharp said:
Perhaps it is because plenty enough brick and mortar only dealers have complained to BM that they simply cannot compete with internet sales and will have to drop the brand altogether since they're inventory isn't moving especially because they cannot price knives under BM's guideline but web dealers are able to.
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There has been nothing to stop a B&M-only store from offering a discount as long as it isn't advertised, just the way the stores with internet presence have done. When my oldest son earned his Whittlin' Chip in cub scouts, I took him to the local gun shop to buy a Benchmade he had his eye on (a mini-Ambush). The dealer gave him a 10% discount off the advertised price. Granted, the advertised price was MSRP, but he was able to do it because it wasn't advertised. What has been killing so many B&M-only stores is that they have been advertising them above MAP, at MSRP, and refusing to discount them at the register. When the internet stores sell at MAP and the B&M-only stores keep selling at MSRP, the internet stores will still get the bulk of the business. Nothing will change except the consumer paying more.

If this is the case, its like being caught between a rock and a hard place. Maybe they can ease up on their pricing so those brick and mortar stores can compete instead of shutting down web dealers' discounts altogether. Whether anyone likes it or not, web sales isn't going anywhere and will only increase in the future. Overlooking this market will do more harm IMO.
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But lowering the price is basically the same as admitting that they've been overpriced all along. Who wants that kind of reputation? "Benchmade Knives: Overpriced for Years. More Realistic Now."
 
The problem with brick and mortar stores ( that I've visited ) is that if you ask if they will go under MSRP, they won't, I tell them what I can get it for online and they don't pursue the sale.

None of this is about Spyderco or CRK, they aren't in the least involved in Benchmades changes to customer prices.

I have a couple theories, but I'm going to sit on them for now.
 
I'm just going to wait. I don't need a Contego right now, I just want one. But at $180 in some places? I'll wait.
 
loonybin said:
But lowering the price is basically the same as admitting that they've been overpriced all along. Who wants that kind of reputation? "Benchmade Knives: Overpriced for Years. More Realistic Now."
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True but i still think its all in how you market it.

If they wanted to lower their MAP and keep quality the same they could say its due to increased efficiency or something like that and they wanted to pass the savings on to their customers.

If they want everyone to pay the high MAP price then they should increase the cost to dealers, lets just say 10%, and invest in making a better quality product. Then they could honestly promote it to their customer base in this way and justify the prices and I'd have no problem with it.

I love Benchmade and their axis lock is the best out their IMO, but I can't be the only one who thinks the edges they put on their blades are abysmal. They come fairly sharp but the edge is rough like it was done on concrete, bevels are uneven, and the angles are not only shallow but can be all over the place on the same blade. This makes it hard to maintain the edge, you almost have to reprofile right out of the box which is ridiculous. Spyderco smashes them on this, hell even the Kershaws I have for half the price put the edges Benchmade ship with to shame. If they would improve this I'd pay the higher price without a problem.

One thing is for sure, they could of found a better way to pitch this new minimum resale policy than to just cut all discounts right before the holidays and not say a thing.
 
skyhorse said:
A( free market )capitalist should be against this business practice imho.:thumbdn::)
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No, a free market capitalist does not tell privately run businesses what they should or should not do. The marketplace will let BM know if this is folly. Not all online retailers even carry BM products, they are free to decide whose brands they carry. If a few of the big names previously mentioned decide to drop the BM brand, then maybe that would incentivize BM to rethink its strategy.

Plus, this has nothing to do with "crony capitalism," next you'll be accusing BM of "price gouging," :rolleyes:
 
spydercobenchmadekai said:
ETA: If Mom and Pop shops wanted to be competetive, the could lower their prices. Why not level the playing field by bringing DOWN the prices? Benchmade would make more money, as their (dealer) prices would be the same.
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Wow, seriously? The reason online retailers can offer such discounts is by selling large volumes, that a not an option for mom and pop shops.

Walmart does this, they buy huge volumes of stock and undercut everyone by taking a smaller profit on each item sold. But they can't do it with Apple products and now they can't do it with BM's either.
 
I noticed this too. I like others have said am not going to pay a higher price for the same item for no reason especially when there are many other companies that make knives. Many of which offer more choices in steel, shape, and locking mechanisms.

I can definitely understand that the brick and mortar places are suffering from the Internet, however you don't see them yelling at the Internet to raise their prices. What Benchmade should of done was allow the brick and mortar stores to give sales and discounts on their products to keep up with the Internet stores. Not hand the short end of the stick to the customers and make them pay more. At least have the business strategy to wait until the new models came out and then Institute the new policy on all the new knives while discounting the old knives and styles in both brick and mortar stores and Internet stores to move out all the old product.
 
No matter what Benchmade would say at this point there would be a resounding "AAA HA! We knew it.." As has been mentioned before if you have boughten (new mind you from authorized dealers not eBay etc) Apple products, certain Sony and Samsung products, Chris Reeve, Emerson knives, GEC knives and probably a myriad of others then you have been "duped" or "had" by this process before. Someone has come up with the solution already if you don't like it, talk with your money and move on.
 
Are you guys ready to run out of gas and go down for the count? I'm visualizing a boxer shadow boxing while profusely sweating, huffing and puffing until exhaustion. :)
 
rajincagin said:
BM is a privately held company, there are no stockholders
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Absolutely wrong (unless BM is a limited partnership or LLC) - private corporations have stockholders, and you can probably guess who owns the largest stake in Benchmade.
 
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