Why so cheap?

J

jason_jt1010

Joined
Jul 28, 2002
Messages
20
I'm curious how bestknives.com can sell there knives so under retail cost. I have ordered many knives from them in the past and they have all been right on. Sometimes 30 to 40 dollars under retail. Does anyone have any insight regarding this? I like this company and I would recommend them to anyone. :D
 
Retail in most cases is the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price. This does not mean that the dealer pays taht price for the knife, and then turns around and sells it to you for half of that for example. Dealers get a price that is normally much lower depending on the manufacturer.

It is kind of like what a car dealership will do with a car. There is invoice, and then there is the price on the sticker.

I would wager because some of these internet retailers handle a lot of business, they might get a better price too.
 
I imagine many net dealers run their business out of their homes. That virtually eliminates the sometimes huge overhead of maintaining a brick and mortar store front. Hence you are able to sell at a sometimes FAR lower price than the typical B&M cutlery store and still generate a decent profit margin.
 
One thing I have noticed lately is that one can run into big service problems ordering from the internet dealers with the absolute lowest prices. Those guys advertise knives they don't have in stock, so your order might take several weeks to arrive.
 
Thanks for the reply guys. It is just so much cheaper then buying at the local knife shop and since I have not had a problem buying online and of course saved a lot of money that's how do It. thanks again.
 
What a lot of guys are doing nowadays is going to the local retail knife store, feeling the knives, seeing how they like them, and then going home and buying knives off the internet at the cheaper prices. If this keeps up, we will soon see the knife store disappear, and then everyone will be moaning and groaning because there is no place to check out the knives.
 
In fact sometimes stores can have lower prices than one finds on the internet. Walmart tends to have rock bottom prices on the knives they carry, for example. Recently I saw I Chuck Buck ATS-34 knife at a sporting goods store in Atlanta for $30 less than the price I had seen a couple of internet dealers charging.

Sometimes you might be better off paying a bit more to buy a knife in a store. Awhile back I was collecting a few Case slipjoints, strictly for their looks. In that situation it is much better to go to a store and pick the one you like best, instead of taking whatever a dealer decides to send you.
 
I believe you gotta give your local knife store some business so that they stay in business.

I look at it this way - if the salesperson (usually the owner or the owner's wife) stands there and hands me some 20-30 knives to look at, each one in turn, polishes them and puts them away, answers my questions and generally makes the experience fun and enlightening, they deserve to make some money.

Sure, sometimes a knife might be a few dollars more, but how many folks went and bought on internet and found out the knife was different that they expected?

You also get instant gratification, walking away with the new knife you wanted. If you pay cash, maybe the tax is waived, making up the difference, especially when you factor in the shipping cost (If I order online, I always go for a fast shipping method, that drives up the overall cost). You could optionally bring in an internet printed sheet showing a cheaper price and get them to bend a little.

One other thing - These stores almost always have on hand some discontinued models that some folks would go nuts over. I once saw a black finished Spyderco Worker that I had no interest in, but someone on the forum was developing the ultimate Worker collection and they were able to take advantage. If the store was out of business - there'd be no Black Worker for this fortunate individual.

Try to give your local knife stores some of your business.
 
I agree with Malazo. While I do order off the internet for the most part, I did start buying from two local B&M stores in the area. I wanted to feel the Sypderco Military and payed about $35 more than I could have gotten it off the internet. I also went back and bought a BM Griptilian for my son. The guys at this local store are always pleasant and helpful even though their prices are a bit higher than I would like to pay. Of course, if I have a problem, I have somewhere to go to seek help. I also ordered and received a Victorinox One Handed Trailmaster from another local store, they are also high in comparison to the internet but again, I believe you need to keep these guys in business. How else will we get hands on evaluations of knives we think we want.
 
Eventhough I always pay more, I found a B&M here in NH that has a pretty decent selection of knives and I have bought a few from them. Their prices certainly cannot compete with the Net, but now when I buy a knife, I get to hold it, check it out closely and have found a great savings in not buying knives sight unseen that I end up trading or selling here for a loss.

On the other hand, I ordered a knife from a Distrib who advertises on-line. His prices are outstanding but the way he does it is to take the order and bust his butt hunting it down at his best price. Many times I get an E-mail that there will be a "delay" in getting the item, or there has been an increase in price.

Gotta spend a few bucks to keep the B&M guys going!!!!
 
Boink has made some good points, especially about instant gratification. One can spend a long time waiting on a knife from an internet dealer - especially those with rock bottom prices. However, there are some internet dealers who show whether or not a particular knife is in stock.

I think both knife stores and the internet dealers have their place. One of my problems has been that there is no large knife store near where I live. The closest one is seventeen miles away in a neighboring town, and while that guy has alot of knives, he does not carry anywhere near all of the brands I have been interested in. In my case, at least, it is alot easier to log onto my PC and find any knife I could possibly want. I could spend days driving from store to store around metro-Atlanta and still not find what I want.

There is one other option no one has mentioned yet - gun shows. The ones I have attended around Atlanta always have at least two or three discount knife dealers present. That is the one way you can see and handle knives, and pay low prices.
 
OK, first, i have seen internet dealers with even better prices than BestKnives.

Next, while i do appreciate the importance of keeping knife shops in business, i have only one knife dealer near me, and the knives he sells have been in display cases for a long time, lugged to shows, etc., aside from the real cheapies, they put all of their knives out, and few if any of the salespeople make an effort to not hit the knives against the cases when taking them out, or they hit them into other knives, and every single knife there has been damaged in some way. Sure, id pay more if they had the model im looking for NEW IN BOX, but they dont, and so, ill order from the net, get a truly new in box knife, and save money to boot. Its a shame, because these guys have a LOT of knives, and they have a case with some extremely fine, read expensive, customs, every single one is damaged. We're talking knives which are worth thousands each. The other alternative is to go to a big show, often you can find guys with knives new in box.
 
OK, first, i have seen internet dealers with even better prices than BestKnives.
Click to expand...

Beware of the dealers with the absolute lowest prices! In my experience, these guys' level of service is even lower than their prices.
 
then again there is always the brick and mortor store that sell online too :) best of both worlds, the knives are generally in stock in the store so no waiting and you get little more of a trusting feeling ordering from a store thats a real store and has been in buisness for 75 years or so, instead of some guy selling out of his basement.






New Graham Knives-WWW.NEWGRAHAM.COM
 
I just spoke to Mike today in regards to a knife I ordered yesterday and he e-mailed the next day to tell me they didn't have it and took care of my account. I have ordered many knives from Bestknives.com and agrussell.com and both have been great with customer support and their fast delivery.. Thanks for all your input happy shopping. :)
 
I've made purchased online and in knife stores here in NH. Problem is, the only store I like to patronize (read:owners are intelligent, helpful, and respectful) is an hours drive away. Yes the internet will most always be cheaper, even after shipping. And you can find practically ANY knife you want if you know where to look.

So as long as everyone is plugging here, try http://www.1sks.com or mjs knives.
 
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