Benchmade Pricing - update

Don't know if y'all recall this but Sal's presence here on Bladeforums originated when Spyderco attempted to launch this very same policy. The backlash was instant and HOT HOT HOT. Sal signed on to join the discussion. Check the Spyderco archives. Interesting reading. The policy was quickly dropped, like before it was ever fully employed. Spyderco was trying to do much the same thing, "protect the dealer network" but with the internet being the wild west of commerce it just wasn't doable. BM may have better luck, at least they have Spyderco's history to learn from. ("learning" stuff from Spyderco is nothing new for BM as we all know).

This is sort of like watching a blue-haired old lady parallel park a 56 Buick in New York City. You know she'll never get that boat in there but you stand there in amazement and watch anyway. BM will never pull this off, not with their entire lineup anyway. Look for them to offer the red line to distributors. You'll have to suck it up and buy black, blue and gold from "the man". But even this much will only happen after they fail to get that Buick parked. This could take a while. Let 'em live and learn.
 
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darthsoaker said:
15% off.... full retail MSRP? The retail for a Rukus is $260. :confused::(

Unless the MSRP is decreased....
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I've already given up on brick and mortar stores for Benchmade. I've seen Infidels for $450, the Mini-Rukus for $225, and Grips for $125 or more.
 
So that you don't get too upset, understand that MAP refers to advertised prices, not to selling prices. Just call your favorite dealer and haggle. Or, as an option, go to Ebay where all those B&M stores sell at a discount. It isn't hard to get discounted Benchmade prices - just takes a little more effort.
 
Well, looks like I won't be buying an Benchmades any time soon. This is an incredibly stupid move on their part, with the economy what it currently is.
 
I still think our favorite online dealers will have competitive, so long as its hidden behind the add to cart feature. However, I am all for everyone writing Benchmade and complaining about the policy. I might accelerate some of my buying. Economy is tough.
 
Internet shopping offers great prices but is killing the local stores l will gladly pay an extra 20 bucks to keep this poor economy rolling!!
 
Amazes me that anyone buys into "It's for your own good." crap. Plain and simple BM is trying to gouge us. Buy something else for a while.

This is nothing new. Winchester was trying to control the price Sears set on Winchester rifles a hundred years ago. Didn't work them and there's no reason to let it work now.
 
You guys understand that NGK can get BM to sell them anything. This isnt just a problem thats going to screw local stores. I dont foresee me buying anything BM after Dec 31 ,2009.
 
The sky is falling the sky is falling......:rolleyes:

All this regulates is advertising. Plenty of websites use and will adopt the whole add to cart to see price thing. And not to mention eBay.

It'll be interesting to see how all this works out. But my gut feeling is that we're not going to have any problems purchasing BMs for the same prices we get now.
 
Well, this is a concept that has been supported by conservative economists and judges for some time now. We reap what we sow.
 
tjsulli790 said:
All this regulates is advertising. Plenty of websites use and will adopt the whole add to cart to see price thing.
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Apparent-phucking-ly not. Posted yesterday by a KnifeCenter.:(

KnifeCenter said:
Benchmade has moved to a strict enforcement mode with their minimum advertised pricing. We will no longer be able to hide our prices behind the "add to cart for price" tactic. Everyone that is a certified dealer will have to honor their pricing in order to stay a dealer. You should see the same pricing across the web after the first of the year.
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You know, the day Benchmade prices become too high and stop selling is the day Benchmade will revert their pricing policy. Competition is fierce and there are plenty of good knives at Benchmade's price point. Don't worry, the market has a way to adjust things fairly quickly, specially in an economy like today's.
 
Cisco Kid said:
You know, the day Benchmade prices become too high and stop selling is the day Benchmade will revert their pricing policy. Competition is fierce and there are plenty of good knives at Benchmade's price point. Don't worry, the market has a way to adjust things fairly quickly, specially in an economy like today's.
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+1 I agree.
 
softrockrenegade said:
Internet shopping offers great prices but is killing the local stores l will gladly pay an extra 20 bucks to keep this poor economy rolling!!
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I would also pay an extra $20 to buy at local store, but the problem is the brick and mortar's charge much more than that.

My Mini-Grip cost $60 with shipping. The locals charge $90 plus tax.
My 940 cost about $125 with shipping. The locals charge $195 plux tax.

If it was only $40 more for these 2 knives, I would have gotten them at the local stores, but over $100 difference in price just does not cut it for me.
 
This also has to do with de-valuing a product, and all the guys with the web stores and no overhead are doing just that. BM has spent many years and huge dollars so they could make a product that people would want to own. Part of becoming an owner of a superior product is having to spend more. The B&M stores also have alot invested, and if they want to stay in business, they cannot be expected to lose money so they can keep someone from buying on the web. By working with no margin a store can/will disappear quickly. Selling more at lower margin hardly ever works. A Benchmade is a high quality knife and should be priced as such. If a product continues to be de-valued the manufacturer will often look for ways to help the real dealers, so they can help bring up margins. Bringing up dealer margins is the best way for BM to sell knives. I can just imagine the thread we would see if BM ended up in a position where they had to move ALL their production offshore, just because people wanted to buy their knives for less than they are worth (and have the nerve to bitch about the crap service they got from the internet knife whore they bought from). You CANNOT have it both ways, and expect the manufacturer and it's reputable dealers survive. Over the last few years I have sold a whack of BM's(none on the web, don't have a site) and am now unable to get them due to their new policy (no store either). I am very bummed about this since I and my customers like their products. However, I do understand why they have made the changes and respect the reasons for it. They are not out to gouge anyone(accusing them of that makes no sense), but are trying to nip it in the bud before their knives/name are not worth anything. Short term, everyone will be trashing them, but long term it is the best move since we will still be able to buy a North American made knife for many years to come.
 
And just how is the product being devalued? Did the construction quality suddenly become twice as good as the competition for the same price? Is BM itself taking a loss on sales to distributors/retailers, or have they been making money the entire time?

B&M specialty vs big box vs online sales is similar to production vs mid-tech vs custom. The interaction, service, policies, etc. vary, as does the pricing. There's a place for all of it. You can get mad at internet sellers for taking advantage of technology and efficiency to lower costs & prices to consumers, and you can do the same to BM for taking advantage of production machinery, assembly lines, and distribution networks to sell you a damn fine copy of a handmade Osborne, Blackwood, McHenry & Williams, and more.

The market already exists, and BM has found a place in it (been placed there by competition on all levels). I don't see them moving up without changing the actual product, not just the prices.
 
Slapping a $200 price tag on a $100 knife does not make the product of higher quality. Informed buyers usually want a fair value for price ratio, not pay as much as possible for a brand name.

If Benchmade wants to target the "status buyer" group to whom an inflated price is a sign of desirability, well fine, that's a business strategy in itself. But I can't see it working very well in the long run.
 
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