ZT LE's to be Consumer Direct only

Status
Not open for further replies.
I think it's a good policy to try out.

Prior LE's were going for double the MSRP from some dealers....On the recent 801CF, I saw even highly regarded dealers (no names shared) charge $450 and up so giving EVERYONE a shot at the same time at MSRP is not a bad experiment at all to try IMO.

If all you can see is ZT "cashing in", well I guess that's true too... I say let them. :rolleyes:
 
Good ,it will save me money......by the time it gets here I may not want it anymore :fatigue:
 
mqqn said:
I do think it is the limited editions only if you are asking about the markups - many of these LEs for ZT and Kershaw stretch the abilities of materials and manufacturing, and often result in very small runs.

best

mqqn
Click to expand...

That is indeed what I was wondering. I was hoping it wasn't for all or most preorders. Thank you
 
I think it is a good thing. Want a LE ZT get it from the source, and no pre orders. Grab it when in stock and pay what the maker wants, which will be less than the secondary market anyway.
 
IMO they could just work with a few vetted dealers, like NGK, BHQ, GPK, and KershawGuy, and maybe one or two more. That way we don't see unscrupulous dealer shenanigans and our best dealers still get to offer the latest stuff at competitive prices.

bigmark408 said:
It's not going to change the amount of knives ZT makes , the lists will fill in minutes, people will have all their family members buying one each...secondary will still be inflated and they will still be sold on the auction site.

I'm not trying to be negative just realistic.

Make no mistake this is all to familiar IMO.
Click to expand...

This.
 
nwmetalbug said:
I think it has less of a monetary reason and more of a concern of a customer satisfaction not having to play games/having better control over how they are distributed
Click to expand...

I'm a knife aficionado newby, but it seems to me that a game is still being played. I don't feel that customer satisfaction is a primary concern. There's still manipulation starting with a pent up demand being created and only a few will get the 0392. LE guarantees that only some will get this knife. To me the chase is only fun when it doesn't constantly become futile. I'm fine with full price. Full price means nothing if you can't get it. This is the part of knife collecting that I find repugnant. Maybe I'm "sour grapeing," because lately it feels like I'm hitting my head against the wall trying to get what I want(and failing). Having said that... I'm still going to try and get the 0392.:) My apologies for the windy rant.
 
Apec said:
IMO they could just work with a few vetted dealers, like NGK, BHQ, GPK, and KershawGuy, and maybe one or two more. That way we don't see unscrupulous dealer shenanigans and our best dealers still get to offer the latest stuff at competitive prices.



This.
Click to expand...

So what do you tell the dealers who don't make the cut? How do you not piss off every dealer outside of the 'vetted' ones.

Perhaps this is the case of a few rotten apples spoiling the whole bunch.
 
I see that a few people want to nay say the move but let's look at the facts.

Let's make it clear that NO MATTER WHAT:

You will never pay more than MSRP for a new knife.

You will never have to worry about your 'pre-order' actually being fulfilled.



Those alone should be cause for celebration.
 
Wow I just posted this idea in the last ZT complaint thread. Good to see KAI doing this.
 
No matter what, there will be people who miss out on LE's. I fully expect a few who do miss out have sour grapes emotions and voice their dislike of this new policy. This is unavoidable...They can give away these LE's for free and people who miss the boat will moan.

I know of a guy who got 4 801CF's and promptly sold them for $600 each. It will be just a little bit harder to do that now. Just a little bit.

I reckon the secondary market prices won't change, people will pay what they pay and ZT knows that. I doubt those second hand prices are what they are concerned about.
 
ZT LE numbers will not increase, they will be as what they deem is enough. So yes the secondary market will exist but will still keep flippers at bay, seeing as buying two will not be as easy enough. This new policy will narrow everyone searching like crazy AND I think is fair to the consumer and all dealers.
 
Scurvy092 said:
So what do you tell the dealers who don't make the cut? How do you not piss off every dealer outside of the 'vetted' ones.

Perhaps this is the case of a few rotten apples spoiling the whole bunch.
Click to expand...

Emerson has a similar system with Prestige dealers who get exclusive access to certain knife models. I don't see what the problem is. Wouldn't it be better if a few dealers got to play, instead of none at all? As long as they're dealers with a good customer service record, it can't go wrong.
 
One thing that will help is if it's just a few at a time with email notification they are going to be gone in minutes so that will help with multiples, downside is with no pre-order unless you live on you computer and are watching for the email and can react immediately they're going to be gone. I suspect this will further inflate the secondary market prices and only increase those trying to flip knives for profit they just won't be buying 4 of them at a time.

If ZT really wants to fix the issue make more of them, that fixes the problem. There's no exotic materials in the 0392, no laminated blades, no carbon fiber, that it could not be a regular production. ZT could do anodized clips and spacers as easily as Hinderer.

Ever used Midway USA email notification? Anything in demand is sold out before you can click on the link even if you catch the email when it first arrives, not even worth the annoyance. . I suspect this will be the same.
 
Last edited:
Apec said:
Emerson has a similar system with Prestige dealers who get exclusive access to certain knife models. I don't see what the problem is. Wouldn't it be better if a few dealers got to play, instead of none at all? As long as they're dealers with a good customer service record, it can't go wrong.
Click to expand...

What about the loyal dealers who DON'T get access? I imagine getting shut out of the best products customers fight over won't sit too well to them. It's all about relationships when it comes to manufacturers-dealers-end users. They are implementing a new strategy and that alone makes it different from Emerson who has done it that way. Historically, dealers have a right to charge over MSRP if they wish and rightfully so...I think the issue they are trying to avoid is that the MSRP they set on these knives is really what they intend for end users to pay. Instead, it ranges from $250 to $1500 for a knife like the 0454 from the various dealers...Yes the free market argument can be cited here but it gets absurd when you see situations like dealers selling the 0560CF S110v for $800 and individuals receiving four 801CF's when that model is EXTREMELY LIMITED due to its production requirements. I commend them for trying something different. There will be challenges, taking care of these orders in-house, it will bring many headaches but it's clear they have concerns over how their LE's are being (mis)handled on the open market.
 
Interesting. It has its pros and cons I suppose.

But it seems to me this might be problematic for ZT. Once the knives go up there is going to be a flood of traffic on their site, and I'd hate to see their servers crash in the midst of all the chaos. The same thing happened to Emerson knives when they sold their limited editions directly. Then you'll have folks who aren't sure if their orders went through, or they'll be others who thought they did go though when they actually didn't.
Of course this isn't a certainty, just a possibility.

I think ZT should offer preorders. Let us put our names and info down now. I don't want to miss out just because I'm away from my computer, only to find they sold out in an hour.
 
No one knows the mechanism in which they will distribute them from the website. I don't know why people are speculating.
 
Scurvy092 said:
No one knows the mechanism in which they will distribute them from the website. I don't know why people are speculating.
Click to expand...
I think they'll use magical elves to manage the site and the orders. Then they'll ship the knives out on magical Pegasus's.....
(what the hell's the difference between a Pegasus and a unicorn?)
 
TotalDbag said:
I think they'll use magical elves to manage the site and the orders. Then they'll ship the knives out on magical Pegasus's.....
(what the hell's the difference between a Pegasus and a unicorn?)
Click to expand...

One has a horn and one has wings...
 
Scurvy092 said:
I see that a few people want to nay say the move but let's look at the facts.

Let's make it clear that NO MATTER WHAT:

You will never pay more than MSRP for a new knife.

You will never have to worry about your 'pre-order' actually being fulfilled.



Those alone should be cause for celebration.
Click to expand...
But there is also a dark side to that..here's why:

When the 0801CF was released the MSRP was $400, well I managed to pick one up at $272 shipped(National Knives)which at that price is a don't even need think about it no brainer..

If ZT's new policy had been effect at that time I would have been forced to pay $400 which I would have had to think about..IMO its a $272 knife all day long..but $400?:grumpy:

The option to find one at a substantially reduced price at at dealer is now gone..
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top