Pause to CK Early Reserves

Though I was only ever able to make use of the reserve system once, I thought it was exceptionally well handled. One of the best things going in the knife business, even though I couldn't ever be fast enough anyway.

Being a retailer has got to be one of the most thankless jobs, and Mike in particular is a very honest fellow. It's a shame people weren't following through- you can bet Mike would have come through for them.
 
knife_fan said:
Mike sent out a separate message on his notification system stating he was stopping the early reserve system for now, due to only 50% of people following through on their Sure reservation for the Lionsteel Beerlow.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the clarification knife_fan, but “sure” still means “sure” no matter what the knife. 😊👍
 
Oh no! this is the only one I am signed up for 😂. Mike has to do what is best for his Business. I will still try to buy from Mike no matter what system he comes up with. 👍
 
tmd_87 said:
I'm one of the 50% that paid for my "sure" commitment on my Beerlow and always has paid on previous commitments. It sucks that other people can't honor it. Mike's system is fair and the best in my opinion.
Click to expand...
You mean one of the "Less than 50%."
 
sf fanatic said:
What ever happen to the concept that my word is my bond? The few times that entered ”sure” on Mikes early reserve I’ve always followed through with a purchase. I am disappointed that he’s stopping this service but I totally understand. Mike, I have a “sure” reservation for one of the Gunstocks and plan on honoring my commitment.
Click to expand...
I am with you on that! BUT, we are a dying breed, especially nowadays. Those character traits are quickly eroding.
 
This is unfortunate but, in the end, Mike has to do what’s best for his family and his business. The ERS that Mike has developed is one of the main reasons that drew me to his business in the first place and the top notch customer service, paired with his active participation here, has further cemented my loyalty as a customer.

It had already become more challenging to acquire knives through his ERS - my success to failure ratio has become tilted in a direction that has been disappointing. The notifications are the same as a “drop” and folks have come to treat it as such. Obviously, this decision and whatever comes after will make it more challenging but I will still buy when and if I can.

A number of years ago, I had hit the perfect storm of unexpected bills, tight funds, and I knew I was going to be receiving an invoice from Mike any day. I communicated that I was going to be unable to fulfill my obligation and that I was deeply sorry. He suspended me and asked that I reach out to him after the fact and he graciously lifted my suspension then. I’ve never missed another since.

Communication is important but even in this case, it wouldn’t overcome a 50% deficit in fulfillment. Folks need to be better - if this was a GEC early reserve, you can bet a lot of money that very few (if any) would be dropping the ball like this. This is just terrible. Be better.

For what it’s worth, my two Beerlows should arrive tomorrow - one in horn and one in Stag. I’m excited.
 
I've only used Mike's early reserve system a pair of times, though thats more a factor of not being fast enough, so take this with a grain of salt. It's possible that if folks do not read the documentation "maybe" they do not understand that "sure" is a commitment to purchase. Its possible that the fulfillment rate could go up if the verbiage is changed to something like "commit to buy" and a portion of the price is charged.
 

GEC HARDCORE​


The problem: We are having a lot of early reservers not honoring their reservations. It typically happens on non-GEC items or GEC items that do not end up being as popular as anticipated. These rush reservations are pushing out loyal customers that then had to find another source. This is not acceptable to us.

Solution: We are implementing a two-pronged approach to GEC Early Reserves going forward. We will have a GHC (GEC Hardcore Club) that is interested in buying one of every variation GEC produces. If they produce 6 different #15’s tomorrow – the club members will purchase all 6. Thus, we will pre-populate the Early Reserves going forward with the GHC members before opening to the public. Our intention is to try and split most reservations so the GHC members get half and the other half will be on the ERS as usual.

If you wish to apply for the GHC membership, you can submit a “Sure” below. Do not submit a “Notify”, it will be discarded. If you get a “Reserved” status, that means you will be placed on the GHC list. This is not a guarantee that we can always provide you a knife, as GEC greatly varies the production count these days. But it means we anticipate you would be filled on most variations. If you get a “Standby” status, it means that you will be placed on the list and if/when others get ejected for not completing a purchase – you will move up. Not to build any false hopes – the “Standby” is essentially a long wait. But you are still always welcome to participate in the public Early Reserves.

Only submit a “Sure” if you are committing to purchase one of every variation.


I committed. It’s still open on the early reserve system.
 
Wharn said:

GEC HARDCORE​


The problem: We are having a lot of early reservers not honoring their reservations. It typically happens on non-GEC items or GEC items that do not end up being as popular as anticipated. These rush reservations are pushing out loyal customers that then had to find another source. This is not acceptable to us.

Solution: We are implementing a two-pronged approach to GEC Early Reserves going forward. We will have a GHC (GEC Hardcore Club) that is interested in buying one of every variation GEC produces. If they produce 6 different #15’s tomorrow – the club members will purchase all 6. Thus, we will pre-populate the Early Reserves going forward with the GHC members before opening to the public. Our intention is to try and split most reservations so the GHC members get half and the other half will be on the ERS as usual.

If you wish to apply for the GHC membership, you can submit a “Sure” below. Do not submit a “Notify”, it will be discarded. If you get a “Reserved” status, that means you will be placed on the GHC list. This is not a guarantee that we can always provide you a knife, as GEC greatly varies the production count these days. But it means we anticipate you would be filled on most variations. If you get a “Standby” status, it means that you will be placed on the list and if/when others get ejected for not completing a purchase – you will move up. Not to build any false hopes – the “Standby” is essentially a long wait. But you are still always welcome to participate in the public Early Reserves.

Only submit a “Sure” if you are committing to purchase one of every variation.


I committed. It’s still open on the early reserve system.
Click to expand...

Dang. Should've been following Wharn earlier.

I'm not an every-variation guy, anyway. I'm more of an every-second-or-third-pattern guy. Since Mike's retail is so low, though, the Hardcore plan might be just as cost-efficient as paying 3x for that every other pattern. Moot point, though, the Hardcore reservation is closed.
 
I'm not a fan of this approach. This is basically doing what most of the small GEC dealers are doing, creating a buddy list. Stuff like this is what prevents a number of GEC fans from even being able to purchase a knife, yet others with connections flaunt the entire run they received.
 
Last edited:
Committing to buy one of every variety of every GEC made would mean committing to 50-60 knives per year based on their current production. I love GEC’s, but I think I only buy about 15-25 GEC per year.
 
Last edited:
Travman said:
Committing to buy one of every variety of every GEC made would mean committing to 50-60 knives per year based on their current production. I love GEC’s, but I think I only buy about 15-25 GEC per year.
Click to expand...
But you and your two brother in law's could cover it easy.😉. You don't have to be a flipper to make this work. 2-3 people could make this work out well.
 
Jiki said:
But you and your two brother in law's could cover it easy.😉. You don't have to be a flipper to make this work. 2-3 people could make this work out well.
Click to expand...
Mike commented that they would be cracking down against things like that. Maybe I'm misunderstanding. One guy on the GECC page said he had joined the Hardcore list so he'd be able to provide knives for those who missed out, and Mike responded that he was removing that member from the list. So, ya pays your money, ya takes your chances. 🤷‍♂️
 
Quiet said:
Mike commented that they would be cracking down against things like that. Maybe I'm misunderstanding. One guy on the GECC page said he had joined the Hardcore list so he'd be able to provide knives for those who missed out, and Mike responded that he was removing that member from the list. So, ya pays your money, ya takes your chances. 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
I did not see that, and I just saw it. Thanks for the info. I guess if I make it up the list I will be buying 1 of every cover.
 
Jiki said:
But you and your two brother in law's could cover it easy.😉. You don't have to be a flipper to make this work. 2-3 people could make this work out well.
Click to expand...
True, I could probably find a home for that many GEC’s, but then it might start to seem like work. Too much of a good thing probably wouldn’t be much fun anymore. I am not “Hardcore”. I’m ”Semi-Hardcore”.
 
It is a shame that we will have even less of a chance to get GEC’s from CK. I used to most of my new GEC’s from CK back in 2015-2017, but with the increased GEC demand over the years I have had less and less success getting on the Early Reserves.
 
Holy smokes. Aptly named new system there. I don’t want anyone’s knives bad enough to buy everything they make.
 
I kinda feel like it promotes flippers. I'm sure there are plenty of collectors that always try and pickup every cover option but its really a flipper dream club. There will be many flippers in the group that are now always highly likely to get every cover option then keep the one they like and flip the rest, or flip them all. I could be way off and maybe Mike has a way to police this but just my opinion.
 
AZCoyote said:
I kinda feel like it promotes flippers. I'm sure there are plenty of collectors that always try and pickup every cover option but its really a flipper dream club. There will be many flippers in the group that are now always highly likely to get every cover option then keep the one they like and flip the rest, or flip them all. I could be way off and maybe Mike has a way to police this but just my opinion.
Click to expand...
I agree but he did say “apply” which makes me think he probably allowed his regular customers in the club. With only half the reserves available now, I think I’m going to check out for a while. I feel for the guys that were into GEC’s in the good ole days. I’ve only been buying them for the past year and within the last six months it’s gotten to be too much. I’ll be back when they do another run of 72’s 😂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top