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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
So what do you look for from your knife dealer?
- Thread starter whitty
- Start date
arizonaranchman
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2012
- Messages
- 4,390
Good price and ship it to me promptly.
- Price (Item price and shipping)
- Vendor Reputation
- Customer Service
- Independent vs Big Corporate (Sure, big A is cheaper, but do I want them to become the only place I can find stuff)
- Local vs Online
Those are all things I take into consideration. Price usually comes first, but I'm willing to pay a bit more for a local or independent dealer, versus the giant online retailer in the jungle. Of course, if they don't want what I have, then I'll move on down the line (or if the price is nowhere near competitive, a local store, for example, sells the BK2 for $100). Finally, there's just the "do I like them" factor: is the website well designed, do they highlight and promote American made materials, do they come across as a place that treats their people well, have they given me free stuff with my order, etc.
- Vendor Reputation
- Customer Service
- Independent vs Big Corporate (Sure, big A is cheaper, but do I want them to become the only place I can find stuff)
- Local vs Online
Those are all things I take into consideration. Price usually comes first, but I'm willing to pay a bit more for a local or independent dealer, versus the giant online retailer in the jungle. Of course, if they don't want what I have, then I'll move on down the line (or if the price is nowhere near competitive, a local store, for example, sells the BK2 for $100). Finally, there's just the "do I like them" factor: is the website well designed, do they highlight and promote American made materials, do they come across as a place that treats their people well, have they given me free stuff with my order, etc.
Most dealers will price match so it isn't a huge concern.
The big thing I look for is shipping costs/speed. $6.99 for shipping AND I have to wait a week plus to get it, no thank you. No reason for things to be be sent any slower than priority 2-3 day shipping these days.
After that, reputation is another factor. Are you a dealer that over promises and under delivers on a regular basis? Do you have a history of disgruntled customers? Do you take 100% pre-payment on pre-orders? Do you have a history of price gouging? Those are some things that will cross a dealer off my list.
The big thing I look for is shipping costs/speed. $6.99 for shipping AND I have to wait a week plus to get it, no thank you. No reason for things to be be sent any slower than priority 2-3 day shipping these days.
After that, reputation is another factor. Are you a dealer that over promises and under delivers on a regular basis? Do you have a history of disgruntled customers? Do you take 100% pre-payment on pre-orders? Do you have a history of price gouging? Those are some things that will cross a dealer off my list.
Price is certainly a biggy.
Clear and simple website layout with large detailed original photos of your products. Please don't use the stock manufacturer's image.
Checkout with Paypal is nice.
Possibly a video overview (imbedded youtube link) of the product and a quick rundown of the specs. (Like what Going Gear does)
Dealer exclusives with production companies is really great in my opinion.
A strong forum presence goes a long way, but you've got that one covered I'd say.
Clear and simple website layout with large detailed original photos of your products. Please don't use the stock manufacturer's image.
Checkout with Paypal is nice.
Possibly a video overview (imbedded youtube link) of the product and a quick rundown of the specs. (Like what Going Gear does)
Dealer exclusives with production companies is really great in my opinion.
A strong forum presence goes a long way, but you've got that one covered I'd say.
Extremely Important:
Pice/Shipping
Customer Service
Not So Important:
You have what I want (if you don't have what I want I just won't order that particular item from you, no big deal)
Don't care about name recognition as long as you're trustworthy.
Price (including shipping/tax) are what draws me to a particular place to make a purchase unless I can buy local and actually handle the knife in person and be picky about which one I get in which case I pay a premium. Otherwise online it's the cheaper price that draws my attention first followed by if they are reputable and have good customer service as I don't want to deal with someone on the phone for 40+ min to return a defective knife. I will admit though a large website with their hassle free returns/exchanges which are automated and free 2 day shipping if your a premium member gets a lot of my business due to hassle free customer service and usually the best (or very competitive) prices. Fortunately for the smaller knife dealers they don't have as wide of a selection of quality knives as I like.
I agree with Moxy on the original photos. I just bought a Case Folding Hunter, all of the sites I looked at had the stock image (it had never even occurred to me) and then I ran across a site that uses their own images. The scales finish had a marked difference between the stock image and the "real" image, I still bought the knife, but I knew what to expect and really appreciated it.
With the internet, shopping has become commoditized. In other words it is too easy to search for the best price. So what are the other factors that will trigger a purchase.
For a typical consumer it will be (top 3)
Price
Price
Price and customer service
For people like us it will be
Inventory (do you have what we want) combined with price and throw in some customer service then...
Price
Price
For a typical consumer it will be (top 3)
Price
Price
Price and customer service
For people like us it will be
Inventory (do you have what we want) combined with price and throw in some customer service then...
Price
Price
One thing I wish more sites had was an actual "In Stock" notice. A lot of places will not state that an item is in stock or out of stock, so if they don't say and another site does have that feature I will go for the other site without question.
I just hate filling out all the info and crap and then 3 days later receiving an email from the site that the item is out of stock so I have to go do it all over again. I would rather pay a little bit more for a place that knows whether or not a knife is in stock.
Other than that, fast shipping and good CS is always a plus for me, a few places I order from because I email them late at night/early in the morning and know I will receive a response before 9am the next morning. HKS I have emailed at 12am PST and received a response in 15 minutes which surprised me but won my support for as long as they still sell knives. I like being able to know I can contact a company and they will repsond.
I just hate filling out all the info and crap and then 3 days later receiving an email from the site that the item is out of stock so I have to go do it all over again. I would rather pay a little bit more for a place that knows whether or not a knife is in stock.
Other than that, fast shipping and good CS is always a plus for me, a few places I order from because I email them late at night/early in the morning and know I will receive a response before 9am the next morning. HKS I have emailed at 12am PST and received a response in 15 minutes which surprised me but won my support for as long as they still sell knives. I like being able to know I can contact a company and they will repsond.
Whitty (USAMadeblade)'s webpage is nice, it's a little... thrown together compared to some other websites.
I ordered a Fox 479 from ExtremAddiction and it was shipped priority 3-day, not to mention, they had a price $30 cheaper than most other retailers.
Here in the Chicago suburbs there are only a few brick and mortar stores, only one with decent stock and I know from speaking to them that they don't do well with their knives (it's a gun store/range) and I never see newer product there so I'll proceed to talk about online dealers which I use the most.
1. Site design - many blades can be found on many sites, id like to be able to find things with ease, to be categorized well and displayed nicely, decent thumbnails so on and so forth.
2. Selection
3. Price
1. Site design - many blades can be found on many sites, id like to be able to find things with ease, to be categorized well and displayed nicely, decent thumbnails so on and so forth.
2. Selection
3. Price
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 5,610
1) Reliability. Shipped when stated, mistakes rare but dealt with quickly and with no drama.
2) Availability. No matter how charming someone is on the phone, or how good the website is if you don't have the knives I want when I want them I'm going somewhere else. That includes Spyderco sprints.
3) If I have 200 orders over the last 8 years and I call to tell you I want to get on the pre order list for a sprint, don't say "I don't have that one in the system and haven't heard about it call back when you see the pre order sign up". Instead start the list with me as the first in line customer on the list for the pre order when it does come in. I usually know before the stores do because they don't get the info from the forum as fast as I do. The companies I tend to deal with will do this for me. I'll go back even if I pay more when treated with the personal touch. Likewise laugh at me and there will never be another order. Ever! I wouldn't even take free knives from you.
4)Keep up to date on the upcoming releases that seem to interest your customers. You do know who your average customers are , right?
5) Don't tell me you will check a feature of the knife before shipping unless you really mean to. If you don't have time, tell me. I'll understand.
6) lastly is price. Important, but definitely not the most important issue.
Joe
2) Availability. No matter how charming someone is on the phone, or how good the website is if you don't have the knives I want when I want them I'm going somewhere else. That includes Spyderco sprints.
3) If I have 200 orders over the last 8 years and I call to tell you I want to get on the pre order list for a sprint, don't say "I don't have that one in the system and haven't heard about it call back when you see the pre order sign up". Instead start the list with me as the first in line customer on the list for the pre order when it does come in. I usually know before the stores do because they don't get the info from the forum as fast as I do. The companies I tend to deal with will do this for me. I'll go back even if I pay more when treated with the personal touch. Likewise laugh at me and there will never be another order. Ever! I wouldn't even take free knives from you.
4)Keep up to date on the upcoming releases that seem to interest your customers. You do know who your average customers are , right?
5) Don't tell me you will check a feature of the knife before shipping unless you really mean to. If you don't have time, tell me. I'll understand.
6) lastly is price. Important, but definitely not the most important issue.
Joe
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2013
- Messages
- 3,544
1. Price, and a beat the price or at the very least, meet the price.
2. Shipping costs, and the manner of shipping...this is where many a knife dealer gets on my F List. First, a knife should not be shipped in some flimsy "padded" paper envelope. Second, most folders and many fixies will fit in the small USPS Priority Mail Box, which affords the added protection of the contents that an envelope never will. For those knives that are shipped in a huge box (some Spyderco's and many Beckers) give the customer the option of having the knife shipped out of its box with the box itself folded to fit in the Priority Mail box. Priority Mail with applicable insurance should be $5.80 with $50.00 insurance, and slightly more with insurance coverage for more expensive knives. Now, this is all well and good if a dealer offers Priority Mail (which BTW services my area much better and much quicker than UPS or FedEx), but when a dealer charges significantly more for a small Priority Mail small box shipment, that dealer makes my permanent F List. Charge more then it actually costs me to ship, then it's off to the F List parade.
3. Customer service, physical address, and telephone access, here's another area of concern I have that gets a dealer on my F List...no physical address, no phone, and just a email address for customer questions, then no business from me; many e-Bay and Amazon vendors operate like this, and I look elsewhere.
4. Lastly, a web site that updates continuously stock on hand. Nothing is more annoying than finding your web order has been accepted, your credit card gets charged, and 24 hours later, one gets a notice the item is not in stock. Knifeworks, on occasion has had this issue, but they immediately, and within minutes of your order, will text or call you that the item you ordered is not in stock...they're on my A List.
While price is a major deal maker, it's really all about how transparent a dealer is on the other issues I've mentioned. I have purchased from one particular dealer numerous times knives at a slightly higher price because of their ethical and upfront business philosophy, and because they ship my stuff USPS Priority Mail in the box the same day it's ordered, and like clockwork, gets to my door in three days or less.
One more thing, I don't fall prey to that "Free Shipping" gimmick unless the vendor will ship my knife via USPS Priority Mail in the box.
Soooooo, by way of China, while price gets my attention, it's the shipping practices of a dealer that will either get my business, or relegate them to that F Bomb Heaven.
2. Shipping costs, and the manner of shipping...this is where many a knife dealer gets on my F List. First, a knife should not be shipped in some flimsy "padded" paper envelope. Second, most folders and many fixies will fit in the small USPS Priority Mail Box, which affords the added protection of the contents that an envelope never will. For those knives that are shipped in a huge box (some Spyderco's and many Beckers) give the customer the option of having the knife shipped out of its box with the box itself folded to fit in the Priority Mail box. Priority Mail with applicable insurance should be $5.80 with $50.00 insurance, and slightly more with insurance coverage for more expensive knives. Now, this is all well and good if a dealer offers Priority Mail (which BTW services my area much better and much quicker than UPS or FedEx), but when a dealer charges significantly more for a small Priority Mail small box shipment, that dealer makes my permanent F List. Charge more then it actually costs me to ship, then it's off to the F List parade.
3. Customer service, physical address, and telephone access, here's another area of concern I have that gets a dealer on my F List...no physical address, no phone, and just a email address for customer questions, then no business from me; many e-Bay and Amazon vendors operate like this, and I look elsewhere.
4. Lastly, a web site that updates continuously stock on hand. Nothing is more annoying than finding your web order has been accepted, your credit card gets charged, and 24 hours later, one gets a notice the item is not in stock. Knifeworks, on occasion has had this issue, but they immediately, and within minutes of your order, will text or call you that the item you ordered is not in stock...they're on my A List.
While price is a major deal maker, it's really all about how transparent a dealer is on the other issues I've mentioned. I have purchased from one particular dealer numerous times knives at a slightly higher price because of their ethical and upfront business philosophy, and because they ship my stuff USPS Priority Mail in the box the same day it's ordered, and like clockwork, gets to my door in three days or less.
One more thing, I don't fall prey to that "Free Shipping" gimmick unless the vendor will ship my knife via USPS Priority Mail in the box.
Soooooo, by way of China, while price gets my attention, it's the shipping practices of a dealer that will either get my business, or relegate them to that F Bomb Heaven.
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2005
- Messages
- 2,757
A couple of things, USPS first class and priority are handled the exact same way, same speed , tracking and all. I usually ship same day and most my customers will report Ninja speed and I almost exclusively use first class and this because it is cheaper and I can then provide a crush proof box that is far superior to a priority flat rate flimsy box. Most people think that first class is second rate, but I can assure you it is not. To sum it up, I can ship for about one third the cost and provide safer shipping on items under 13 ounces by using USPS first class. Also a lot of us offer free shipping, it isn't a gimmick, it is a service we offer to you , our customer.
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2012
- Messages
- 167
3) If I have 200 orders over the last 8 years and I call to tell you I want to get on the pre order list for a sprint, don't say "I don't have that one in the system and haven't heard about it call back when you see the pre order sign up". Instead start the list with me as the first in line customer on the list for the pre order when it does come in. I usually know before the stores do because they don't get the info from the forum as fast as I do. The companies I tend to deal with will do this for me. I'll go back even if I pay more when treated with the personal touch. Likewise laugh at me and there will never be another order. Ever! I wouldn't even take free knives from you.
Joe
What about a dealer that does not take pre-orders?
I am genuinely curious.
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2013
- Messages
- 3,544
I don't own nor desire a Kershaw knife, and your shipping practices may very well be the exception, but in over 50+ years of buying, owning, trading, and selling knives, I have never found any one vendor who offers free shipping, package a knife in a "crush proof" box and get it to me via 1st class mail in three days or less; it's just never happened. Should I ever, and I emphasize ever, decide I want to own a Kershaw knife, then I'll look you up.
- Joined
- May 7, 2013
- Messages
- 2,072
Post #13 (The Mastiff) is very, very close to how I feel as well.
Customer service and the personal touch are far and away the most important aspects of a great dealer.
Availability is next. It is very, very hard to develop that great customer/dealer relationship with someone if they never have what you want in stock.
Price is important, but if the price is reasonable I'll reward that dealer who has helped me along the way with a purchase through him rather than saving a few $$$ by buying elsewhere.
Shipping is really a non-issue. All of the folks that I deal with have reasonable shipping policies. It seems that those folks who have poor shipping policies do not meet my needs in other areas as well. Folks with great customer service typically ship in a quick and reliable fashion. I'll say this - I absolutely hate when people ship knives in an envelope (even a well padded one) as I keep all of my boxes and the condition of them is important to me. If shipped in an envelope, they are almost always crushed or creased upon arrival. Non-knife purchases are not an issue.
JMO.
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I know you asked The Mastiff, but I'll give you another data point - I'll do business with someone who does not offer pre-orders but not much and not often. Typically only when they have something that I cannot get elsewhere. Being able to pre-order means a lot to me and again, developing that customer/dealer relationship requires being able to buy from them. A pre-order process helps that happen. FWIW.