Fixed pricing....

Status
Not open for further replies.
My first BM I bought back in 2005. I then got into Spydies and other knives. About a year ago I came back to BM just for a change. Before the price increase I bought a 950, 940, Mini Ritter Grip, and two 943's.

I currently have about $300 to drop on some new knives. I will not be buying Benchmade due to the price fixing. Had they not done this....I would be buying at least 2 BM's. Not anymore. It doesn't hurt the dealers, in my opinion because I will use my money to buy Spyderco, GEC, ESEE, Mcusta, etc. Goodbye Benchmade.
 
I have 7 BM folders, and had plans to buy a few more this year, but the price jump has really disappointed me. I will be looking elsewhere now.
Never say never, I may buy another BM some day, but whereas I used to feel the prices I paid were fair for what I got, I no longer do.
 
I pulled the trigger on a 707 Sequel and a 581 Barrage from an Internet retailer before the price increase, but I also paid close to full price (I guess a 15% discount off MSRP is allowed by BM) for a 300-1 Flipper. The Flipper was a first production that I was willing to pay a bit extra for. I don't think I would have purchased the other two, at least not yet, after the price increase. I've been wanting both of those for a while and the pending price increase caused me to move on them. My hunch is that the new price rules will hold for 6-9 months and then be quietly lifted once the slowdown in sales is felt by BM. In the meantime, I've been paying a bit more attention to Spyderco's folders, but the only ones I am interested in are from Taiwan and I've been focusing on U.S. made knives.
 
David Lowry said:
My first BM I bought back in 2005. I then got into Spydies and other knives. About a year ago I came back to BM just for a change. Before the price increase I bought a 950, 940, Mini Ritter Grip, and two 943's.

I currently have about $300 to drop on some new knives. I will not be buying Benchmade due to the price fixing. Had they not done this....I would be buying at least 2 BM's. Not anymore. It doesn't hurt the dealers, in my opinion because I will use my money to buy Spyderco, GEC, ESEE, Mcusta, etc. Goodbye Benchmade.
Click to expand...

I know people will read this and say, Well that's only $300... That is true, but it is a bunch of $300's that can really start to add up.
True, many will still buy from their favorite dealer, as long as the dealer offers other brands people like, if they chose not to buy a BM...

So if the dealer sells another brand knife in place of what would have been a BM sale, they really haven't lost much, if anything. In the end it will only affect Benchmade and us the consumers.
It could be a positive thing for other manufacturers though. In my mind, giving business to a competitor, isn't a practice that makes sense...

I don't know if the QC had deteriorated at BM or not. Some say it has, but that doesn't show a long term pattern. If it is true, declining QC and a 33% price increase can be enough for even the most loyal Benchmade fan to question their loyalty.

They have spent years offering a great product, at what I thought were fair prices, and they have been known to have outstanding customer service.
It doesn't take long fo rthis reputation to be tarnished, and can take many years to rebuild, if it can be rebuilt.

I'm not saying they don't know how to run their business. They know more about it than I do, but when you see changes like this being made, you have to wonder what the reasoning is for the changes. I want Benchmade to continue offering great products, with the QC we have come to expect over the years, and do it at a reasonable price...
 
AllTheViews said:
I pulled the trigger on a 707 Sequel and a 581 Barrage from an Internet retailer before the price increase, but I also paid close to full price (I guess a 15% discount off MSRP is allowed by BM) for a 300-1 Flipper. The Flipper was a first production that I was willing to pay a bit extra for. I don't think I would have purchased the other two, at least not yet, after the price increase. I've been wanting both of those for a while and the pending price increase caused me to move on them. My hunch is that the new price rules will hold for 6-9 months and then be quietly lifted once the slowdown in sales is felt by BM. In the meantime, I've been paying a bit more attention to Spyderco's folders, but the only ones I am interested in are from Taiwan and I've been focusing on U.S. made knives.
Click to expand...

I know you aren't the first to mention another manufacturers name in this thread, but I really don't want to bring other manufacturers names into the discussion, because this is in Benchmade's sub-forum. There are plenty of other manufacturers to choose from, and we all know who they are, but out of respect to Benchmade, I don't think there is anything to be gained by actually mentioning the names... Usually when other manufacturers names are brought into discussion, things start getting off track.

Perhaps I should have opened this thread in "General", but I had hopes of someone from Benchmade reading it, and this is the area that Benchmade fans come to.
Your point is taken though, and that is a big part of what this discussion is about. It shows that customers have started looking elsewhere, and the reason they are doing that.
 
Last edited:
One other thing to consider, from the collector's POV, is that by raising prices (or in this case limiting discounts), Benchmade just raised the value of all of our existing pieces ;)
 
Jastab said:
I will continue to support benchmade and their products, even tho I don't agree or like the new pricing policy. I bought a m390 contego with zero hesitation because I know the product will be made to great standards. I'm noy happy about it, but ill still support an American made product and company.
Click to expand...

The discount codes would not have helped you save any money on the limited edition models anyway, they never really have. I agree with supporting an American company, but that is not really what this whole thing is about. Again, there was no official statement, at all even now. We know there was a corporate restructuring that someone posted a link to (some some kind of new management think tank move).

Next thing you know, just before Christmas shopping commenced the coupon codes were cancelled across the board. Had Benchmade announced on their Facebook page or website a plan for this, it would have likely gone over much more smoothly than it ended up. It was a poor business decision, poorly executed. Sometimes good businesses get run by bad businessmen, or good businessmen make some God awful decisions, and the absolute worst times.

For example, saying something to the effect,"Starting January 1, 2014 coupon codes will be unavailable for our products. Our intention with this decision is to (fill in the blank with whatever rose colored glasses ideal you need to here). Thank you for your support." Customers got nothing at all, and the dealers got less money from those products this year for the busiest holiday shopping time of the year. If anything, the coupon codes should have been reworked a little and allowing brick and mortar stores to use them as well. Now it looks like sales may slow to a crawl across the board, rather than their implied reasoning to help smaller retailers become competitive.

Hell, I'll buy an occasional Limited Run or a preowned hard to find piece in good shape. But overall, unless I see something new that isn't a reimagined version of the same old patterns, my money is going elsewhere. For Heaven's sake, quit discontinuing the good models (Ruckus, AFCK, TSEK, Stryker, Skirmish). Again, just my opinions.
 
Last edited:
I agree Charlie. They should have given people some warning. I know I was surprised when I figured out what happened... I still think that they could have done the changes in stages too. Not a 33% hit all at once. In all honesty, I like many others, think it would have been better for everyone to leave things as they were
 
Well, here is something interesting.... I just went to two dealer websites to check availability of a couple models I had been wanting. These are two dealers I looked at late last night, and things have changed.

Both dealers list MSRP or Suggested Retail prices below each model as they did,, but now below that price in red numbers, is their actual price :cool:
 
Raising prices just to raise prices is a bad move. I've seen it happen to watch brands, in a move to go more up-market. Five years ago, I bought an Omega Seamaster watch with discount for 1.400 euros. Basically that same watch these days starts at around 3.000. As a result, what was once a bargain is now too expensive. And another result: my local jewellers all stopped carrying Omega because the brand priced itself right out of that particular segment.

Same thing with BM. I'm in Europe, where we get shafted regardless of what's going on. But I still shop around for the best price. Perhaps now I'll actually contact sellers like Heinnie, Lamnia, etc. and ask if they can get me a better then advertised price. If they can't? I might not buy a knife from them. And if enough people voted with their wallets like that, BM will definitely start to notice.
 
Yeah this price fixing thing will have the exact opposite effect on the perception of the Benchmade brand which is obviously why they did this. It reminds me of so many stupid things the Postal Service top management did during my decades working there. I remember when my Postmaster flew to D.C. for the official unveiling ceremony of the new ( Ramadan ) postage stamp which was interrupted by an airliner flying into the Pentagon. Imho, Benchmade has lost touch with reality.
 
RevDevil said:
The discount codes would not have helped you save any money on the limited edition models anyway, they never really have. I agree with supporting an American company, but that is not really what this whole thing is about. Again, there was no official statement, at all even now. We know there was a corporate restructuring that someone posted a link to (some some kind of new management think tank move).

Next thing you know, just before Christmas shopping commenced the coupon codes were cancelled across the board. Had Benchmade announced on their Facebook page or website a plan for this, it would have likely gone over much more smoothly than it ended up. It was a poor business decision, poorly executed. Sometimes good businesses get run by bad businessmen, or good businessmen make some God awful decisions, and the absolute worst times.

For example, saying something to the effect,"Starting January 1, 2014 coupon codes will be unavailable for our products. Our intention with this decision is to (fill in the blank with whatever rose colored glasses ideal you need to here). Thank you for your support." Customers got nothing at all, and the dealers got less money from those products this year for the busiest holiday shopping time of the year. If anything, the coupon codes should have been reworked a little and allowing brick and mortar stores to use them as well. Now it looks like sales may slow to a crawl across the board, rather than their implied reasoning to help smaller retailers become competitive.

Hell, I'll buy an occasional Limited Run or a preowned hard to find piece in good shape. But overall, unless I see something new that isn't a reimagined version of the same old patterns, my money is going elsewhere. For Heaven's sake, quit discontinuing the good models (Ruckus, AFCK, TSEK, Stryker, Skirmish). Again, just my opinions.
Click to expand...

When did I say anything about a discount code? I could care less is my point and I would buy the 810 if it were 250$ with zero hesitation...
 
RevDevil said:
The discount codes would not have helped you save any money on the limited edition models anyway, they never really have. I agree with supporting an American company, but that is not really what this whole thing is about. Again, there was no official statement, at all even now. We know there was a corporate restructuring that someone posted a link to (some some kind of new management think tank move).

Next thing you know, just before Christmas shopping commenced the coupon codes were cancelled across the board. Had Benchmade announced on their Facebook page or website a plan for this, it would have likely gone over much more smoothly than it ended up. It was a poor business decision, poorly executed. Sometimes good businesses get run by bad businessmen, or good businessmen make some God awful decisions, and the absolute worst times.

For example, saying something to the effect,"Starting January 1, 2014 coupon codes will be unavailable for our products. Our intention with this decision is to (fill in the blank with whatever rose colored glasses ideal you need to here). Thank you for your support." Customers got nothing at all, and the dealers got less money from those products this year for the busiest holiday shopping time of the year. If anything, the coupon codes should have been reworked a little and allowing brick and mortar stores to use them as well. Now it looks like sales may slow to a crawl across the board, rather than their implied reasoning to help smaller retailers become competitive.

Hell, I'll buy an occasional Limited Run or a preowned hard to find piece in good shape. But overall, unless I see something new that isn't a reimagined version of the same old patterns, my money is going elsewhere. For Heaven's sake, quit discontinuing the good models (Ruckus, AFCK, TSEK, Stryker, Skirmish). Again, just my opinions.
Click to expand...
That about sums it up and is very accurate.I agree 100%....
 
FordFan said:
Right now the only Benchmade on my radar is an Axis lock AFCK. Honestly have not looked at any of the new BMs since the pricing policy change.
Click to expand...

AFCK is the only way I'd end my personal boycott on purchasing a new BM. Seconday market only for me unless they change back or make AFCK's.
 
Cost to benefit is not there for me and I can find what I need elsewhere for lower cost. Sadly I think this has happened to other companies before. A good product becomes popular because educated consumers feel it is worthy of the price tag. Then the less educated consumers jump on board and buy it because of its reputation. After the price increases the product will lose a lot of the original educated consumer fan base but others will keep buying no matter what the price if it is still cool to do so. Not to say all buyers now are uneducated. Everyone has there own line in the sand. Personally I compare the price to design, materials and customer service. Benchmade no longer does it for me. The same thing happened to my opinion of quality cold steel products a while back. Eventually it seems like hype out ways the the tool. But just my .02. Luckily opinions vary.
 
I like Benchmade knives, and their customer service is first rate. But I don't plan on buying any more of their products. The new pricing scheme, if I understand it correctly, forces internet vendors (many of whom survive on high volume at low margins) to charge the same price as a bricks-and-mortar stores with all of the overhead that entails. This screws the consumer, and I say no thanks to getting screwed.
 
powernoodle said:
I like Benchmade knives, and their customer service is first rate. But I don't plan on buying any more of their products. The new pricing scheme, if I understand it correctly, forces internet vendors (many of whom survive on high volume at low margins) to charge the same price as a bricks-and-mortar stores with all of the overhead that entails. This screws the consumer, and I say no thanks to getting screwed.
Click to expand...
I concur. :thumbup: :)
 
RevDevil said:
Hell, I'll buy an occasional Limited Run or a preowned hard to find piece in good shape. But overall, unless I see something new that isn't a reimagined version of the same old patterns, my money is going elsewhere. For Heaven's sake, quit discontinuing the good models (Ruckus, AFCK, TSEK, Stryker, Skirmish). Again, just my opinions.
Click to expand...

Well said, this is also my stance on the fiasco.

Once I heard about the pricing issue I ordered a 581 that I had been eyeing for a little while. Of the 6 benchmades that I own, I had an 860 bedlam come in horribly off center and rubbing the liner. I called customer service (which has been fantastic for me) and sent it in. It came back still off center, but no longer rubbing the liner. They were kind enough to sharpen it as well, but totally butchered the nice clean bevel that was on there before I sent it in. Therefore I have had good and not so great experiences with Benchmade thus far.

Their new policy was poorly conceived and even worse than poor in implementation.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top