something goin' on with Benchmade?

[bigbre]

IMO I feel slightly shafted by BM because i have no local knife store to purchase from, my only source is online. but that being said i do like to handle knives and such but as i have limited funds i just cant afford to purchase the knives that i want at the prices that brick and morter charge. looks like i better purchase an orange grip while i can and then forget about BM...

-Alex

 

[lava_lamp]

I like having a local store, too, but the last two times I've been in a store, the prices were sky-high for someone accustomed to the better online retailers. It's tough to pay 100% more.

SWEET, thats good news for the few actual stores out there. Maybe now they can make a little bit of $ and stay in business for a couple more years. It must be fun running a "REAL" store, paying a bunch of bills to keep afloat, spending time assisting customers, all so they can write the model # down and go buy it on-line off some part-time, out of home, wanna be dealer who undercuts everyone since they have no business expenses or problem w/ a .50 cent profit margin Devalues the whole industry when companies just let anyone whore their products out to anyone.

I dont say this too often, props BM!

 

[LowTEC]

Guess how much I paid for my first knife at the brick and mortar store? a mini grip 556, $135 Canadian. Am I suppose to keep helping them to stay in business? lol
A serious business mistake on BM, I guess I won't able to afford them anymore. Well I still have spyderco and kershaw to choose from :thumbup:

 

[Knife Outlet]

SWEET, thats good news for the few actual stores out there. Maybe now they can make a little bit of $ and stay in business for a couple more years. It must be fun running a "REAL" store, paying a bunch of bills to keep afloat, spending time assisting customers, all so they can write the model # down and go buy it on-line off some part-time, out of home, wanna be dealer who undercuts everyone since they have no business expenses or problem w/ a .50 cent profit margin Devalues the whole industry when companies just let anyone whore their products out to anyone.

I dont say this too often, props BM!

How do you feel about Chinese imports undercutting everyone because they have lower overhead? How does providing lower prices to consumers devalue an industry?

 

[spoonrobot]

Devalues the whole industry when companies just let anyone whore their products out to anyone.

So you'd be against the second-hand market as well? Seems odd coming from someone who engages in so much buying and selling on the forums.

 

[Knife Outlet]

IMO I feel slightly shafted by BM because i have no local knife store to purchase from, my only source is online. but that being said i do like to handle knives and such but as i have limited funds i just cant afford to purchase the knives that i want at the prices that brick and morter charge. looks like i better purchase an orange grip while i can and then forget about BM...

-Alex

Don't worry, you can find the Benchmade knives discounted on Ebay being sold by those same retail dealers whose prices are being "protected." Or, of course, you can call a dealer and negotiate a price. There are all kinds of internet only Benchmade dealers that will sell at street margins. Bricks and mortar apparently apply only to some, not to all. Nothing meaningful has changed that I can see. I'm not a consumer for Benchmade knives but, if I were, I don't think I'd have much of a problem finding them at street prices.

Markets drive sales, not policies.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

If you don't mind slightly used knives, go for the Exchange. Lots of Benchmades on there, last I checked. A lot cheaper than retail, whether online or B&M, too.

 

[midnight flyer]

I think that Benchmade has the right to run its business as it deems fit.

And the other side of that coin is: as a customer, I can choose whether or not I'll buy its products.

I like that. As a business owner, I want to retain the right to run my business as I want. I won't run it by committee, or at the direction of those that don't pay any of my bills or assume my responsibilities.

OTOH, if I am too independent, too out of touch with the market, and inflexible, I won't be in business long.

In the long run, I don't think their selling scheme will hurt BM at all. We have ONE store (not a knife store!) here that has a small BM display, in a city of 1.3 million people with our metro area. I contend that if they sold well here, they would have a large display.

In the end it could be a good strategy. BM could generate more retained earnings as could their dealers if they cut off the "Mom and Pop" shops (don't you hate those small guys?) that sell for less. As the price goes up due to lack of competition, and if they protect their brand they will be a bit harder to acquire. If they keep the quality up and the price continues to rise they will develop that all important fan boy base that will launch them into a more rarified and elitist status. This of course, will cause the price of the knives to go up, and then the whole scheme will be self perpetuating.

It will be fun stay on the sidelines and watch.

Robert

 

[JNewell]

I hate to pay more than I need to, but sometimes there is no substitute for hands-on pre-purchase evaluation. I've bought several knives at local B&Ms this year for that reason.

Another benefit of the local B&M store is that you can often find hidden, discontinued gems. Last week I bought a Spyderco Ti Salso for $65 from a local dealer. Try to match that on evilBay.

Hmmm - I bought two new BMs in previous years - one from evil-bay. This year, my local Ma/Pa B&M BM pusher sold me eight more - one being this year's 760BKLTi. If I hadn't been able to fondle them, I'd likely have more money now - and certainly still just those two original BMs. Yeah, their new policy really affected me!

Seriously, a few cents/dollars more locally - and you can check it out before you buy. A local store purchase has it's merits. Actually, my local B&M store has some old stock to select from - at great prices - my reason for many purchases. Admittedly, a ninth purchase was via evil-bay - a hard to find now NIB 630 Skirmish - the secondary market has some value too.

Stainz

 

[Bucksstophere]

Does anyone remember all those horror expectations people had when this was about to happen? And how nothing changed for the buyer at the end, when it actually did happen?

same story over and over and we still do it. What was that Mark Twain quote? "I had ten thousand problems in my life but 9,999 of them never happened."

Something like that-it's way off though.