Country Knives?

I don't like them. I placed an order for some of the Spyderco Calypso JR with the ZDP steel about a year ago. When I placed the order they were at $125/each. The next day I received the following email from them....

Thanks for ordering from Country Knives!
The Spyderco C52PBRG Calypso is in stock but there has been an error
with yesterday' data upload. Due to phenomenal demand and to avoid fueling
the rampant E-Bay speculation on these knives, the price is now $200.00 per
knife with a 2 knife limit per customer. We are very sorry that this change
was not reflected in today's update and for any inconvenience this has
caused you. if you wish to continue with your order, please contact us at
your earliest convenience.

Needless to say, I cancelled the order. I can understand their desire to maximize profit on a hot item, but thought it was insincere on their part that they justified the price increase as a means of curtailing "rampant speculation". That's quite funny when you think about it.

I just browsed their site and see that they are still selling that same knife for $200. I suspect they don't sell many at that price. They appear to be seriously over priced on many of the Spydercos. As an example, they are selling the Spyderco Caly 3 for $155. You can find that knife for $90 to $100 just about anywhere else.
 
Slatts said:
I don't like them. I placed an order for some of the Spyderco Calypso JR with the ZDP steel about a year ago. When I placed the order they were at $125/each. The next day I received the following email from them....

Thanks for ordering from Country Knives!
The Spyderco C52PBRG Calypso is in stock but there has been an error
with yesterday' data upload. Due to phenomenal demand and to avoid fueling
the rampant E-Bay speculation on these knives, the price is now $200.00 per
knife with a 2 knife limit per customer. We are very sorry that this change
was not reflected in today's update and for any inconvenience this has
caused you. if you wish to continue with your order, please contact us at
your earliest convenience.

Needless to say, I cancelled the order. I can understand their desire to maximize profit on a hot item, but thought it was insincere on their part that they justified the price increase as a means of curtailing "rampant speculation". That's quite funny when you think about it.
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Hey Slatts, it's funny that you mention that example...I purchased a couple of burgundy calys at their original price of $125/each. I placed the order by phone and ended up talking with one of their workers about the rampant prices of the zdp caly on ebay (at the time I think some were selling for >$250). I was told that I was lucky because they were just about to raise the price of the caly by a considerable amount. I don't recall if they stated that the increase was due to wanting to capitalize on the fevered market or if they just wanted to curtail the "rampant speculation" on eBay. Either way, a few minutes later I checked their website and the price was raised to $200/each. It seems unfair that your order was canceled due to the reasons that you stated. I could understand a 2 per customer limit but not a price increase to curtail rampant speculation on Ebay :rolleyes:

tyr_shadowblade: Country Knives has some very high prices (often at MSRP) but they do have a treasure trove of knives, especially some rare discontinued Spydies. They provided me with excellent customer service and I wouldn't hesitate to deal with them again if they had a rare knife that I wanted to obtain.
 
I've been to the store once...they've got alot to choose from, many older items that are no longer being made (older Blackjacks mostly). Some of their prices where a bit high, but nice people who knew their merchandise.

Patrick
 
I stopped at their store once and placed an internet order with them once. They were nice folks to deal with and had a superb selection of knives, but as others have pointed out, they normally sell at or near full MSRP.
 
tyr_shadowblade said:
Rather than deal with their computer, I'll just call them up and confirm that the knives I'm interested in are, indeed, in stock -- at the prices posted -- before giving them my credit card data.
Click to expand...

I think that's a good approach. I would likely have had a better outcome with them if I had picked up the phone.

They really do have an outstanding collection of discontinued knives. At the prices they charge, it makes sense why that is the case. If a guy just had to have a complete collection of old Benchmades or Spydercos and had money to burn, this would be the place to go.

To me though they are a better museum than store.
 
Let me first say I bought from them twice, with no problems on my end. Both times were walk ins. They are about an hour from me, and if it wasn't for their insanely high prices, I would be in there every month. I have never ordered online from them, but they do have a lot discontinued items in stock. They are very knowledgeable about knives, and the industry itself. They will definitely try to make a sale, but I think they truly want you to have the best knife for you.

This was evidenced by the last time I went there. I picked up a discontinued Becker BK7, and was going to get a discontinued Benchmade AFCK. The only thing holding me back was the combo edge. The owners wife told me he could reprofile the blade. I discussed it with him, and he told me it was not the best idea, best to just look for a plain edge version. Since it was a discontinued item, he didn't have any plain edge models in stock, just what was out on the display floor.

Their prices are extremely high, and it is not a matter of paying for good service IMHO. They run the business out of their home, but it is not a fly by night operation. Very beautiful sales floor, old and rustic. I personally am not expecting internet prices at any brick and mortar store, but I was not expecting their high prices. Like I said, great staff, great selection, pretty much everything about them is great, except for their prices. Thats what it comes down to, huh? Anyway, unless you are looking for a discontinued item, of which they have many in stock, you are going to pay. I am very conflicted with their store, and have told them as such. Their explanation is lost to me right now, I don't want to put words in their mouths, something along the lines of "we can afford to charge these prices because we are a brick and mortar store".
 
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