NGK and Benchmade

A whole bunch of makers have this kind of policy, off the top of my head

CRK (As mentioned)
Leatherman
Knives of Alaska
TOPS

Its hardly unique to BM and while I feel bad for NGK, that was part of the contract. You know, we all bitch about cheap crap from China and industry moving off shore, but if people are not prepared to pony up what the manufacturer thinks is a fair retail price then they (retailers) cant afford to pay salaries and overhead.

ebay has hurt so many businesses its not funny, yeah you are getting what you think is a deal, but sooner or later its going to bite us in the ass when the people that buy our products and services either cant afford to pay our asking price or are unwilling to.
 
This has been an interesting thread to read. There are obviously some strong opinions.

I do have a question maybe someone here can clarify: It seems much of this argument is over Benchmade's MAP (minimum ADVERTISED price) policy. It's my understanding that these policies only restrict ad prices, not sale prices. If that's the case then Benchmade isn't trying to "fix prices" as NGK or any other dealer can sell Benchmade's for any price they want, they just can't advertise them for any price. Is that accurate or am I missing something?
 
As I understand it, there are MAP's that govern advertising prices, and those that cover what you can sell their product at. I could be wrong about that, though. Far as paying a fair price, well the RETAIL price of something has no effect on a company who WHOLESALES their knives.

If a dealer pays a company for product, it then becomes a whole new transaction between the retailer and the customer. What happens when you're forced to stick to higher prices on product, then they are stuck with product they can't move. Its dead merchandise (stuff you can't sell) that causes more in overhead and causes you to have trouble paying your bills. In my mind, if a retailer wants to cut their profit on an individual item to make more profits by volume sales, then who cares? That, to me, is something between the retailer and their customers. People want to save money on quality goods. A retailer can either become competetive in thier sales strategy or they will be left behind. I hate to break it to you all, but Bluefield West Virginia isn't exactly a bustling metropolis. Its a VERY beautiful place, but its not like you're going to get a lot of foot traffic as opposed to being in Fenuil (sp?) Hall in downtown Boston. When B&M stores are forced to compete with Internet operations run out of a basement, they HAVE to price themselves competitively.

That aside, I don't see it as a terrible loss, or even a great benefit to be an authorized dealer for the BM gold line. I'm not paying $300 for a 635. That, my friends, would NEVER happen.

ETA: Before we get too far down this line of reasoning, we don't know if there was a contract between BM and NGK OR what it might/might not have said. That, and as I said before this to me isn't really an issue of BM vs. NGK so much as it is about what I feel about oppressive manufacturer/dealer policies.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
I don't believe it's a dead subject. It's obviously of tremendous interest to this community when major factors in our area of interest conflict.
Click to expand...

I must agree. Up until reading this post, I had no idea why it seemed like I could never get a good deal on Benchmade knives. The price fixing(at least at the level they set) prevented me from buying their products for a long time. NGK sold me my first BM (a model 42) and later one (model 555) for my girlfriend.

If Benchmade fixed their prices lower, I would be one of the many who would be more eager to purchase their products. I think someone cited the Griptilian model as an example. This just gives me one more reason to keep my BM purchases squarely in the secondary market, which not only circumvents the price fixing, but also adds nothing to Benchmade's pockets.

I would have a Gravitator right now, if it wasn't priced out of my reach. As a side note, I probably would have ordered it at my local brick and mortar, but he will not get my money in this case. I now understand why his Benchmade prices seemed unreasonable in comparison to his other stock.
 
eojk said:
This just gives me one more reason to keep my BM purchases squarely in the secondary market, ...
Click to expand...
Excellent idea. I've bought or traded for most of my knives over the past few years from our sales forums. You will find yourself dealing with a great class of supplier :) The knives will have been checked out, maybe used, but cleaned up and in verified fine operating condition. The variety available is amazing, including knives just released. And the price is right -- or you wait for the next one!
 
I think I'll move my BMade purchases to the secondary market, based on the issues raised in this thread.

This has been a great thread and really good discussion.

Andy
 
Haven't read it written better in a while. I hate that it negatively impacts NGK all the same, since those guys are great all around, no doubt about it.

Professor.
 
If it makes NGK feel better, I can tell you I stopped selling Benchmade of my own accord and have seen no measurable difference in overall sales since I did it a few months ago. My Spyderco sales, on the other hand, have increased substantially. My assumption about that is the customers come to the site and buy something. Some of them sub a Spyderco purchase since they can't find BM on the site. I think that's good for Spyderco and bad for Benchmade.

Benchmade has been making it difficult for on-line dealers (and wholesale distributors) since I got into the business 8 years ago and way before that. I finally got tired of it and just stopped. I was worried about impacting the business. I no longer have any worry. So, NGK, don't fret. I doubt it will make much difference to your business either. There are plenty of great knives out there to sell and it is obvious you have a loyal customer base.
 
Dear, you should've changed your password. ***********

Love,
Esther Kim

P.S.
I HATE YOUR **** GUTS!!!

I hate it when that happens. :D (edited for lauguage)
 
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