Is CS going to start some form of "MAP" price control ?!? ?

Mike Sastre said:
I don't see MAP happening with Cold Steel. They have been pretty comfortable with the way the have structured their pricing for years and still remain the best "bang for the buck" in the knife business.
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Best bang for the buck is right. Cold Steel leads the game there and has been leading it for quite some time.
 
does Daniel have inside information or is he speculating?
 
Daniel has read several retailers comments regarding Cold Steel having MAP pricing on several models and strictly enforcing it now.

No speculation.

Prove me wrong or do you have some inside information?
 
For some of their higher end items such as a production AD10 might have MAP or it might be enforced more on those type of items.
 
Daniel said:
Daniel has read several retailers comments regarding Cold Steel having MAP pricing on several models and strictly enforcing it now.

No speculation.

Prove me wrong or do you have some inside information?
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nope. that's why i asked. dont need to prove you wrong as I'm only trying to figure out what is or may happen. thanks for clarifying what ya know.
 
Daniel said:
Daniel has read several retailers comments regarding Cold Steel having MAP pricing on several models and strictly enforcing it now.

No speculation.
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Which retailers and where did you read it?
 
A quick Google search for "cold steel map pricing" found a PDF letter with Cold Steel logo saying they are implementing MAP as of April 1 2019...but could it be fake, or an April Fools joke?
 
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I checked their prices on several models and they are at 25% off the suggested retail prices, so they are following the MAP policy.

However, it is not across the entire line at this time. I am wondering if it only controls pricing on orders received after April 1st? It also would not control pricing on discontinued product.
 
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At Knifecenter the AD-10 and AD-15 are 25% off. Same with the plastic bali and Bush Ranger. And maybe others. Almost everything else is around 40% off. Like you said, maybe it's being phased in.
 
Remaining non map is one of the competitive advantages Cold Steel has over Benchmade, Spyderco, and Zero Tolerance. Giving up xhp cts its as their standard premium steel was a slight step backward. But Cold Steel is now the unquestioned value leader among quality knife brands. That would be a nice place to stay.
 
Wow, this is quite a disappointing turn! I have only one thing to say to Cold Steel regarding this policy (and I say the same to all the knife companies that have instituted MAP policies in the last couple of years):

Good luck.

If anyone thinks that mandating a minimum consumer price will raise overall profits, he surely doesn't understand the concept of supply and demand. I certainly will not have a purchase price dictated to me, I can assure you of that. The secondary market will see ALL of my purchases instead of only a portion.

I only hope that the free market crushes this foolishness sooner rather than later. I also hope that Cold Steel sees the error of its ways while it's still solvent.

-Steve
 
I just now asked the CS Mod to respond . I'd like an official answer before freaking out and going on a rant and rave . o_O
 
Going to MAP at 25% off means a big price jump for the consumer. I'd expect a huge hit to their sales. Personally I think at MAP their knives are much less compelling.
 
AF said:
https://www.coldsteel.com/MAP_policy.pdf
Ouch, looks ominous. It says effective April 1 and yet BHQ and Knifecenter prices don't reflect the policy. I only checked those two.
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Unfortunately , that document appears legit . It's on CS's secure website and there nothing funny about it . :(

I'm not about to swear off CS , but NOT paying their MAP either !

Just have to see how this shakes out in real life . Dealers can still set a lower price , but only to be viewed in cart . Sales and closeouts will still exist .

Lots of CS customers are really value buyers , so I expect some push back / resistance to this move .
 
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Wow,really shocking news. I know that some dealers had wild swings in pricing
 
I was searching for an old price AD-10 and one web site said you can email for lower price.
Haven’t heard back so not sure what it is.

This does kind of suck but even with MAP CS is best bang for buck knife company for me.
 
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