Im not exactly sure what Rick is doing and/or what the problem is with his pricing structure.
I have known Rick for 15 years. He is an honorable man who for the most part seems to have spent a large portion of his life helping others.
For the most part it works to the determent of makers to chase aftermarket prices. As eventually they will level off and then drop.
Lorien mentioned Ken Onion and Ernie Emerson, both very successful businessmen. Held their retail prices in check while the aftermarket prices went through the roof. Today those collectors who paid the top level aftermarket prices have knives that they will never get their money out of...perhaps that is not important. Perhaps as Wolfman wrote they wanted the knife, they paid the price.
Ken and Ernie kept their retail prices in check and have never had a problem selling every knife they make.
The majority of the "hot" makers or "up and comers" are generally building relatively few knives...30 or less. Initially they put a huge amount of hours in their knives...and sell them relatively cheap. Wise collectors see the potential, buy them and order several more.
The maker is of course happy to get the orders and agrees to build them. Then, in some cases, the buyer starts to sell the knives at a profit on the Internet...building demand among fellow forumites. The fellow fourmites try to order from the maker, but early adopters placing orders, combined with the maker building very few knives pushes the wait time to a point where the buyer would rather purchase the knife in the aftermarket. Then the frenzy begins...driving the prices in the aftermarket up.
I would think it would be a great temptation for the maker to want to raise their prices. The new maker not understanding how the aftermarket works may not see the pitfalls in this approach and start to raise the prices.
As long as the maker is content with making 20 -30 knives a year it won't be a problem. HOwever, when the knives are selling so well, the thought of Full-Time maker enters the mind. Being a part time maker or hobby maker is completely different from being a full time maker.
Consequently, more knives have to be made, the demand is met a little quicker, the prices start to drop in the aftermarket as the demand gets met. It is almost impossible for the maker to go back on their prices. As you can imagine this does not build good will with his clients.
Rick, if not in reality is in name a full time maker. He has to pay his bills with the money he makes from selling knives. It is a business...a concept foreign to many knife makers. On top of that he will put military, fire and LEOs to the front of the list.
My experience has taught me that those who squeal the loudest are those who want the knife not to use/carry, but to sell for a profit and make some money.
Severed and Roger, thank you for the kind words.
John, Popularity contests are for beauty pageants and politicians. Neither one really contributes anything of substance to society.
