Spyderco Consumer Announcement

Lots of really interesting discussion in here. I would like to thank Sal for approaching the feedback and responses with his usual level of dignity and patience.

Sal does bring up an interesting point with regard to the dealer expectations of a high MRSP and a certain percentage off, for their costs. In the realm of healthcare a similar phenomenon exists between insurance companies and hospitals where they require large discounts to be dolled out simply due to the number of claims they pay each year. The problem that arises is that each medical procedure is inflated well above it's actual cost so they they can 'afford' to give these large insurance companies the 'discount' that they demand; thus resulting in an overly inflated price structure for any and every procedure within a hospital (even giving of aspirin $40). As much as the average consumer would like to know the real costs associated with a procedure (so they can shop around), the system and 'norms' are not so easily changed after decades of routine.

Perhaps Sal is referring to the same type of phenomenon with regard to MSRP and dealer pricing, assuming that said dealers don't see a direct price of let's say 60-70% off MSRP, perhaps it will cause problems with the distribution lines and it's much easier to leave things as they are rather than try to change a system. Assuming that this practice is the norm across all knife manufacturers, then Spyderco would deal with significant push-back from trying to change it on their own?

^This is all food for thought and speculation as I have no inside information outside of the healthcare system.

As to my feelings regarding MAP in general.....

I have not bought a Benchmade since they implemented MAP for a number of reasons. The first of which, and the most important to me as a consumer is that none of their new offerings interest me in the slightest. If there was a model I 'had to have', I would buy the damn thing MAP pricing or not. I was also less than impressed with the way they communicated the information almost after the fact. Thus far Spyderco has tried to avoid that mistake by letting us know ahead of time.

The classic Spyderco knives and likely the best sellers such as the Delica, Dragonfly, PM2, Endura and so forth will only go up by a few dollars because of their relatively affordable prices. The knives that will be hit hard are going to be their nicest and most expensive offerings out of Taichung. This will suck for those of us who purchase knives in that price range, but in reality will probably not hinder any of my purchases. My primary interest in the newest and most complex/expensive Spyderco knives, is based on the excellent fit/finish along with amazing designs from the best makers. Unlike other companies, Spyderco does an amazing job of staying true to the original design form.

ZT's implementation of MAP pricing has not dissuaded me in the slightest because I really like/want particular knives they make, and cost is somewhat (although not entirely) secondary. Also, for any new models moving forward, unless I was told it could be purchased for X dollars cheaper, I won't know the difference. We can only compare and contrast the price increase on current models.

Anyhow, if you read my entire post kudos to you for sticking with it. I simply wanted to add somewhat of a different perspective to the conversation. Thankfully I have my Nirvana on pre-order and I have no doubt I'll be picking up the next Carey designed knife (Magnitude?) whenever it becomes available as well. By and large, my interest in a specific knife will trump a few dollar difference. Like many of you, I won't be sitting down to figure out what I could have bought a particular knife for pre-MAP in the months/years to come. I will simply weigh my wants vs. needs vs. price vs. bank account vs. what can I sell vs. something intangible vs. unicorn tears vs.... I have a knife problem. :)

Cheers! :thumbup:
 
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