Restocking FEE?

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corbon

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Why does every online knife store has a restocking fee for returns? I understand if someone return for more than a specified time, but what about those that return it within a week. I'm not located near a knife store. If I do purchase a knife online and decide I don't like it, I am penalized for returning it. This sucks.
 
That's an easy one.

It costs the company money to ship the knife to you. It costs the company money in labor to pack up and ship your order (much less process your return). It costs the company in packing material and such.

But most important: It costs the company money to charge your card (typically 3% + $0.30) - double that for a return. When you return a knife, you've actually cost the company money in credit card processing, much less shipping.

So, a restocking fee serves to recoup these expenses. Don't view it as being penalized - look at it as your having rented the knife for a short time, and being able to return it. Or as a non-refundable deposit.

Kevin
 
Also most internet sites work on much smaller margins than an actual store or retailer. Go to a mall and purchase a CS Ti-Lite and you will pay $190.00. Shop the internet and you will find the same for $119.00. Even though the overhead for a retail store is much higher than an internet site (I think) there still is not a lot of room for error or returns with the internet margins.

In fact I think you will see a number of knife internet sites starting to raise prices. Business is tough and with short margins, the internet sites depend on volume. If your sales volume starts to decrease, you can't survive on the low margins any longer. It is hard to make it with low margins and a slowing consumer spending.
 
The only knife I've ever returned was to Roger at Bayou La Fourche. He did'nt charge a restocking fee but I did exchange the return for a more expensive knife. Don't know if he charges for a straight return.
 
Restocking fees are illegal in many states.

I don't know what service people use for their credit cards on here. Mine puts back the same amount it takes from a transaction.

In 15 years of business I have never charged a restocking fee.

If you order a knife from me and you decide to return it, you only pay for the shipping.

If your buying knives from a place that is charging you a restocking fee.....find another place to buy your knives.
 
The financial consequences of MY mistake (and I'm the one who selected the knife) should not be borne by dealer.

If the product is defective, that's a different matter. There should be no "restocking" fee. The dealer should send replacement promptly and seek his expenses from the manufacturer who supplied him with the defective product.

If the dealer misrepresented the product, that's a different story. There should be no "restocking" fee. The dealer should make a prompt refund and correct his advertising. In this case, the dealer bears the cost of his own mistake.

If the dealer sent the wrong item, that is also a different story. Again, There should be no "restocking" fee. The dealer should promptly send (Fed Ex and his own expense) a replacement. Again, the dealer bears the cost of his own mistake.

But, if it's simply a case that I decided that I don't like the knife as much as I thought I would and so now I want to return it... well, there's a lot of I's in that sentence. The responsibility for the mistake is mine and I should bear the full cost.

It is the buyers responsbility to carefully consider his selections. If you are in doubt, don't buy. If the pictures or text aren't clear, call and ask.

B&M dealers charge higher prices because they maintain a showroom where you can go and fondle the knives leaving those you don't like behind. 800s and .coms are able to offer lower prices because they don't have that overhead. It is not reasonable of a buyer to expect the 800/.com to ship a veritable showroom-in-a-box so that you can send back those that you don't like.
 
Read the terms before buying. Be familiar with all the possible outlets for the knife your buying and their prices and terms. Make a judgment call. I am not paying a restocking fee, if the knife that arrives is defective. The warranty on a knife should be for when it breaks or becomes defective from use, not defective right out of the box. Online retailers for factory knives, rarely check the condition of the product before shipping it. Takes them too much time. Some will at your request. I like those guys as I am picky. Downside is at times they ship knives with Blades off center, dull, and missing screws in a small percentage of factory blades. I don't think its my job to dick around with the knife company in question if this is the case out of the box. The dealer has a problem with them for sending him bad product and can take it up with them. I will pay for return shipping but no extra fee. The rest is on them. The seller has to deliver a product in good order. If they don't and then want to tag me for a restocking fee, I have heartburn. They should not try and pass the buck to the knife company via me, and wash their hands of it. On the other hand if I just don't like the knife ordered, but its in good order, then maybe that should be on my dime. Read the fine print guys and then shop where the dealer is fair and honest and does not nickel and dime you to death. But then you be fair about it as well. If dealers don't like doing business my way, and another dealer does, well guess which one gets the worm. Most do for the record. I am easy.
 
Charge me a restocking fee and i will never buy from you again............. there is NO customer service these days i can understand if you returned a big item like a special order but a basic knife no way !!! eat it and keep your customers..
 
I do not know what to say about restocking fees. I understand them, but under most circumstances I do not like them. I work for a retail store and we sometimes charge a restocking fee, but this is only done when the item sold does not come back with everything it left with in the same condition that it was when it left the store. This means that if the box is thrown away, the owners manual has coffee stains on it or some other similar thing has happened. The restocking fee is whatever is the replacement cost of whatever was damaged or lost. We do not have a set percentage. If the unit itself is somehow damaged we will not take it back at all and that includes scratches. If something comes back in perfect condition within the time limit that we give for a refund then the customer gets the full amount that was paid. If we have had to ship it out, the only thing the customer will lose is the shipping. We will not refund that.

If I were to buy a knife that cost under $100.00 from a US based online knife store, I had better know that I am going to keep it before I order it. It usually costs $15.00 to $20.00 US to get the knife shipped to me. If I don't like it, the cost of shipping it back will be about $15.00 Canadian. It is already hardly worth sending it back. I will have nothing and it will have cost me $50.00 Canadian. If you add say a 15% restocking fee to that then it becomes absurd to send it back.
 
I work retail, and I understand the restocking fee. Keep in mind that lots of the people dealers deal with are idiots. Someone might send back a knife in new condition, but have damaged the package in some way that makes it unsellable (at least unsellable for the short term). Also transactions by credit cards can cost money and there is some legwork involved in cashing checks, sending refunds, whatever, depending on the scale of the dealer's company. If a dealer can operate with no restocking fee, more power to him, but I have no objection with a dealer charging one. After seeing hundreds of customers who are only alive cause it's illegal to kill them, I try to be the best customer I can be.
 
I have purchased custom knives from Les, AZCK,Bladeart, etc. As far as I know they do not charge a "restocking fee".

I have regretably had to send two knives back both for the same reason. I live on an island in the middle of the pacific and have never handled many of the custom knives available. I get it and if it just does not "do it for me" then I sent it back. Both were from AZCK and both times Jay and Karen were so gracious, its scary! No restocking fee, no hard feelings, customer for life! (along with Les, Bladeart, Nordic Knives, etc.....)

Cost of business is cost of business. You buy a car and you have three days to return it for a full refund. As long as a knife is unused then there should be no "restocking fee", otherwise those "restocked" knives which I am being charged for "renting" should be sold as "used" knives at a discount and I should be advised, up front, when I purchase my "discounted" knife that it has been sent to someone else for inspection then sent back and "restocked". If I buy a "product" and don't like it after I get it home, as long as I have not used it I should be able to return it for a FULL refund.IMHO
 
I agree that restocking charges are a problem and we don't use restocking fees. But we don't refund shipping charges unless the return was the result of an error on our part.

Nevertheless, restocking fees are certainly justifiable as others have explained above. Our approach is to view accepting reasonable returns as good customer service. Sometimes, though, this privilege is abused. We have some customers who order several hundred dollars worth of knives only to return all of them but one. Others return product that is used or incomplete. We don't invite customers like these to do it again. We simply refuse to fill any more orders for them. That doesn't recover our costs in dealing with them but they are a small minority so we're still in business. Most customers are good customers and valuable to us. The few bad apples aren't missed.

William Callahan mentioned the importance of being a good customer. Customer service is important on the dealers part but I think being a good customer and not abusing the dealer is also important. It is important because everybody pays for the abuses of the few. Businesses will charge what is necessary to cover the costs of doing business as Hoss alludes to above. I assume he understands that he and the rest of us pay for what he describes as being right. There is no free ride, at least there hasn't been one in my lifetime.
 
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