Hi Rip,
FYI, At Spyderco, our prices and margins are relatively fixed. We operate with enough margin to maintain our staff and grow steadily. We don't "charge as much as the market will bear". I know that is the conventional method in business, maximize profit, but we feel that to charge as much as the market will bear is biting the hand that feeds you. We don't raise prices because there is more demand, we just try to make more product, when possible. If it's not possible, then our customers have to wait until we can make more. Our vendors all have capacity. We try to keep them working, but we don't want to reduce quality to increase quantity. Just our ways, if you will.
Quality knives are hard to build and a great deal of attention needs to be placed on maintaining a high level of quality, while still doing CQI, offer variety in design and materials and try to please our customers.
sal