Shirogorov pricing

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Scrim

Scrim

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I own several Shirogorovs and love them all. The quality is legendary. But I've also noticed that, over the past 6-12 months (roughly) the U.S. secondary market prices seem to be easing. I know the next thing I'm about to mention elicits screams of horror & fury, both figuratively and literally. But my theory (#1) is that the (evil, ugly, horrible) homages/clones/copies are getting so close to the performance of the original that inspired this disgusting theft or complimentary homage, call them what you will, they HAVE to be eating into the market for the real thing. And I DO feel for the Shirogorov Co. due to this...piracy?...and the devastating loss they recently experienced. I did want to mention that. I'm not a heartless bas@%rd, just curious about what I believe I see happening in the marketplace. -- My second theory (also known as "theory #2") is that there are now so many well made and relatively inexpensive production knives on the market (ZT's etc), the U.S. market for these beautifully made but pricey mid techs (from a far away land) is simply refining. Wondering if there's another reason that I'm missing or other theories from those that love Shiros and other "nice knives ;)" from ALL over the planet, including places that lo mein & soy sauce originated from:D. (One just can't use too many emoticons, can one?) -- So...just curious if you, my fellow knife nuts and nuttesses (a new word? I'm copywriting that one!), are noticing what I am and if your theories on why this is happening are similar to or far better, wiser or wackier than mine. Is it just a seasonal thing or are tastes and lower priced options changing the landscape...or...is it something else? I gotta know! Chime in, please! :cool:
 
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A little of both theories probably. On the other hand -- it is what it is. [emoji106]
 
There's a #3 you've left out I think. The fact that there are many other mid-techs and full customs that are of equal quality that come in at a much lower price.

I'd bet it's a combination of all 3 things.
 
Economics. A year or so ago no one had heard of them and they were harder than hens teeth to get. Now they've flooded the market and they are sitting unsold at various dealers, plus flooding the secondary market as people flip. Flood the market, and the price will drop. They're overpriced as they are, (the price in Russia was significantly less than dealers were marking up for, but that's because they had to move through so many hands to get here), so the market is adjusting and normalizing.

It's no different than Hinderer. 3 or so years ago you couldn't touch an XM-18 for less than $600-700. Now they are starting to hit table price in the secondary market.

It doesn't help much that we're in a slump. It's a buyers market right now.
 
People forget that 2 years ago you could get a Shirogorov for like $400 bucks. Then a supplier locked up exclusive rights and prices went through the roof. Now they are available from more than one person and more readily available so the price is correcting itself to where THEY SHOULD BE VALUED...
 
Good thing for newcomers and collectors, terrible news for flippers. That said I'm sure some of the rarer configurations will still command a high price.
 
Personally, I'm quite glad prices are coming down. I've wanted one for a while now, but always felt they were overpriced. Not by a lot, but $1k seems a bit much. I'm a lot more comfortable with them in the 500-750 range.
 
Supply and demand, I suppose. I have really noted a similar price drop in XM-18's...They used to go for $700+ here...but not any more...
 
At the end of the day, they're mass produced production knives that have had their 15 minutes of fame and hype. Not only are they no longer the hot thing anymore, they are increasingly available to purchase direct. Further, nothing intrinsic to the knives themselves, whether quality or exclusivity, was enough to keep them at those artificially inflated prices.

Same thing happened with Hinderers.
 
Honestly we are seeing shifts in prices of many knives. IMHO there is no set formula of why it happens. I simply feel when something first hits a few lucky people get in on the originals at good prices. Then demand rises. Then prices. Then when the next big thing comes along people move on to that and the reality starts to set in for the true market value. Right now I think we are seeing shiros settling. Not to mention it seems that shiros will not only be available through a single north american dealer. That kinda allowed prices to be set by a single individual who shot for a moon.
 
Maybe they weren't all that in the first place.

Besides, the economy is tanking. People are out of credit.
 
Im just glad im not one of the people who spent 1200.00 on a 95t when ive seen em for 750 now,thats a huge loss, and once carried and slightly used, the loss would be another 50-80.00. I bought one at 400.00 3 years ago, for that price its worth it, but the crazy prices they were fetching after that were insane,it would be like paying 1100.00 for a plain sebenza 21.I thought it would get to a point where all the big spenders got their fix, and now theres no one left who will shell out the big money they were going for.And all the fakes that are out for 65.00 isn't helping them at all, that's for sure....
 
People pay for what they want.

If people are buying clones to a degree that it affects the primary market, then market forces have spoken and the premium is too high.

I don't know if it's clones, though. It could easily just be lack of interest. Remember when Begg blew up? Begattis were going for 2k+, and now I rarely see them for more than 1.2k. Fads come and go. Someone will be mentioned in every thread for months and then suddenly hardly spoken of.

My roommate's Shiro clone has ceramic bearings and is super nice. Probably in the top 3 flippers I have ever handled. I don't fill my boxers out of excitement over pivot action, though, so I'm not going to drop $700+ on a knife just because it opens nicely - nor will I spend $60 on a knife with no warranty just because it's very similar to a $700 knife.

I value warranties over just plain value once a knife gets above the $40 range. Everyone has their spending priorities.
 
Supply finally caught up to demand, that's how the market works.
 
Scurvy092 said:
People forget that 2 years ago you could get a Shirogorov for like $400 bucks. Then a supplier locked up exclusive rights and prices went through the roof. Now they are available from more than one person and more readily available so the price is correcting itself to where THEY SHOULD BE VALUED...
Click to expand...

My humble opinion is this.............

And I'm glad because I want one!!!

I'm a shellfish bastard. :)
 
Isn't True North Knives no longer the exclusive dealer for Shirogorovs in the US? I remember reading something about that on the instagram page of Recon 1 Knives (but can't find it). If that's the case, and True North Knives is no longer able to gouge people with ridiculous prices, then that has got to be the biggest factor in the secondary market price drop. It would be nice to hear more from someone who knows about that situation.
 
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I think it's just an economic inevitability of sorts, as the rare, exotic appeal becomes something familiar. I also think it's great news :thumbup: . For 750$, IMO, there's nothing out there that comes close to matching a Mod95.

I don't give a shit what knife you think blows it out of the water; I've tried a few others in the price range, and to me, none of them were worth the money. There's obviously far more I didn't try, but nothing that interests me as much (with the exception of Rockstead and Direware). At 750$, the 95T is worth every cent.

Not your thing? Meh.

At 1495$ -- the price some delusional mofo is trying to sell a used 95T on Arizona Custom :highly_amused: -- it's twice what it should be... if that dude's looking to get back what he paid for it, he waited a little too long. :rolleyes:

As others have said, supply is finally catching up, so it's no longer just collectors pushing prices higher as they fight to snap up what few models make it to N. America. More knives are making it to the domestic market, hype is abating, and the pricetags are settling right around where most feel it's worth. But there's always a couple guys shaking their heads, saying 'Shirogorov suck', and then talking up the next trendy knife they're about to help overprice...
 
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Law of supply and demand. People who are willing to pay $1200 or whatever price premium they were selling for have already bought at least one. Their demand has been satisfied. The only people who are left who would consider buying a SHIROGOROV aren't people who are willing to pay the price premium but possibly will at a lower price.

Given a lower level of demand or a higher level of supply, the equilibrium price has to go down. Plain economics. If you want the price to go higher, you'll need to move demand higher or decrease supply which is what happened when it went to a single distributorship in the US.
 
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