Mystery Box

[Dnwrghtsr]

My $400 box has four knives that don’t even add up $250. Not one “premium” knife.

https://postimg.cc/RJVsb3xt

If that's what you got in a $400 box you should call spyderco. Theyll probably make it right.

I agree I bet someone didn’t fill it right. I almost guarantee they would make it right. Last online sale they shorted me a $150 mystery box and they made it right. If you call the store at Golden someone very nice will help you.

[WilliamMunny]

Hello,

I respectfully disagree.

For the $250 boxes, there could be debate, though I think the contents value should definititely at least match the price of the box (and a bit more) excluding stickers and the likes.

For the $400, I remember reading about a premium knife which everyone understood as a top of the range Taichung or an exclusive/sprint in an expensive steel. It seems those expectations were not met.

What I am saying is, the rules should be clarified. If Spyderco went for something like:
- Everybody gets a $250 box containing roughly $250 of knives, so that they can clear their inventories.
- But for those who wants to pay $500 for that, they would enter a draw. A few lucky ones get a trio of Taichung like a Paysan, a Stovepipe and a Drunken and a dinner with Sal.
Most people lose out, a few get very lucky and a lot of people start saving cash to enter the next draw.

Now for the part around people not willing to travel, I sincerely cant believe that Spyderco thinking is :"Let's send the knives our real customers did not want at the factory sales, to those who cant be bothered to travel"

The previous online sale was not the smoothest, but there was a lot of knives to be chosen from without trying your luck with the boxes.

Again, not trying to upset anyone, and I can see some people happy about their boxes. It surely can be an exciting way to get knives. i think it is just a matter of Spyderco calibrating expectations.

Best,

I do agree that their description differentiating the two boxes could have been better. One box was not $250 and the other $400 of similar knives. The descriptions were different giving the impression that the $400 would contain extra premium knives that would not be included in the $250 box. From what I have seen this is not the case. But again the descriptions left a lot of room for interpretation.

I do have to say I have seen some really nice knives included in these boxes which is always a good thing.

[aimark42]

What I am saying is, the rules should be clarified. If Spyderco went for something like:
- Everybody gets a $250 box containing roughly $250 of knives, so that they can clear their inventories.
- But for those who wants to pay $500 for that, they would enter a draw. A few lucky ones get a trio of Taichung like a Paysan, a Stovepipe and a Drunken and a dinner with Sal.

Considering most of the online buyers are not local, why not draw for something that a true Spyderco fan would love. Prize could be airfare to Colorado for next seconds sale, tent/supplies, $500 to spend at the sale and an exclusive tour with Sal.

[ramblinwreck]

My $400 box has four knives that don’t even add up $250. Not one “premium” knife.

https://postimg.cc/RJVsb3xt

If that's what you got in a $400 box you should call spyderco. Theyll probably make it right.

That is what I got. Absolute BS.

[LeDe]

My $400 box has four knives that don’t even add up $250. Not one “premium” knife.

https://postimg.cc/RJVsb3xt

If that's what you got in a $400 box you should call spyderco. Theyll probably make it right.

That is what I got. Absolute BS.

I dont want to get you hopes too high but you may have got lucky. They'll surely fix and may overdo it.

[LeDe]

Hello,

I respectfully disagree.

For the $250 boxes, there could be debate, though I think the contents value should definititely at least match the price of the box (and a bit more) excluding stickers and the likes.

For the $400, I remember reading about a premium knife which everyone understood as a top of the range Taichung or an exclusive/sprint in an expensive steel. It seems those expectations were not met.

What I am saying is, the rules should be clarified. If Spyderco went for something like:
- Everybody gets a $250 box containing roughly $250 of knives, so that they can clear their inventories.
- But for those who wants to pay $500 for that, they would enter a draw. A few lucky ones get a trio of Taichung like a Paysan, a Stovepipe and a Drunken and a dinner with Sal.
Most people lose out, a few get very lucky and a lot of people start saving cash to enter the next draw.

Now for the part around people not willing to travel, I sincerely cant believe that Spyderco thinking is :"Let's send the knives our real customers did not want at the factory sales, to those who cant be bothered to travel"

The previous online sale was not the smoothest, but there was a lot of knives to be chosen from without trying your luck with the boxes.

Again, not trying to upset anyone, and I can see some people happy about their boxes. It surely can be an exciting way to get knives. i think it is just a matter of Spyderco calibrating expectations.

Best,

I do agree that their description differentiating the two boxes could have been better. One box was not $250 and the other $400 of similar knives. The descs were different giving the impression that the $400 would contain extra premium knives that would not be included in the $250 box. From what I have seen this is not the case. But again the descriptions left a lot of room for interpretation.

I do have to say I have seen some really nice knives included in these boxes which is always a good thing.

I think they'll fix the worst cases and clarify the rules for next time.

All the best for your incoming box.

[Zive]

$250 box:

Paramilitary 2 in 15V
Para 3 in 10V (satin)
UKPK in S110V

I’m happy. Thanks Spyderco for holding this sale.

[Dnwrghtsr]

That’s a very nice box!

[Mushroom]

Hello,

I respectfully disagree.

For the $250 boxes, there could be debate, though I think the contents value should definititely at least match the price of the box (and a bit more) excluding stickers and the likes.

For the $400, I remember reading about a premium knife which everyone understood as a top of the range Taichung or an exclusive/sprint in an expensive steel. It seems those expectations were not met.

What I am saying is, the rules should be clarified. If Spyderco went for something like:
- Everybody gets a $250 box containing roughly $250 of knives, so that they can clear their inventories.
- But for those who wants to pay $500 for that, they would enter a draw. A few lucky ones get a trio of Taichung like a Paysan, a Stovepipe and a Drunken and a dinner with Sal.
Most people lose out, a few get very lucky and a lot of people start saving cash to enter the next draw.

Now for the part around people not willing to travel, I sincerely cant believe that Spyderco thinking is :"Let's send the knives our real customers did not want at the factory sales, to those who cant be bothered to travel"

The previous online sale was not the smoothest, but there was a lot of knives to be chosen from without trying your luck with the boxes.

Again, not trying to upset anyone, and I can see some people happy about their boxes. It surely can be an exciting way to get knives. i think it is just a matter of Spyderco calibrating expectations.

Best,

They’re not offering these mystery boxes just as a means of clearing unsold inventory. They could go back to how they used to do these seconds sales by not hosting any version of it online at all and they would still have no problems selling them year after year.

Keep in mind, they never sell out of seconds. There is always tons of inventory that gets carried over from year to year. That inventory is not all leftover “because customers didn’t want it,” it is leftover because there is so much if it! It’s a large reason why they’re able to offer some online in the first place. They have enough inventory after the traditional sale, so that offering some online doesn’t have much of a negative impact on the inventory available at the next traditional or OpFocus seconds sale.

It almost sounds like you’re suggesting Spyderco should start giving knives away on top of offering unmatched discounts. It sounds like unrealistic expectations. Also, I can already see the backlash of charging $500 to actually gamble too.

The value in the boxes I’ve seen ($250 & $400) has matched their price based on the seconds pricing and most definitely when compared to the potential retail cost. If paying $250 for $248 worth of knives is such a dealbreaker, I would suggest shopping at the traditional sale in person at the SFO instead, to guarantee what you get.

They had a very respectable selection of knives available during this past Red and Black seconds sale, in my opinion. If that selection plus the mystery boxes was unsatisfactory there is always the option of attending their traditional sale in person for the chance to browse the entire inventory of seconds.

My $400 box has four knives that don’t even add up $250. Not one “premium” knife.

https://postimg.cc/RJVsb3xt

If that's what you got in a $400 box you should call spyderco. Theyll probably make it right.

That is what I got. Absolute BS.

I understand the initial frustration but it’s easy to see that it was a simple mistake. Don’t sweat it too hard, Spyderco will make it right. One thing I’ve learned about Spyderco is that they always try to do what is right!

[Fine Swine]

Well, I think a lot of the dissatisfaction with the $400 boxes (aside from ramblinwreck’s, which was obviously a mistake) comes from the initial descriptions of the boxes. It sounded to many of us as if the $400 boxes were both quantitatively and QUALITATIVELY different. That, especially combined with the Instagram post showing the Paysan going in the box, led people to believe that the $400 boxes came with a chance of getting something truly special and “premium.” From what I have seen thus far, that hasn’t been the case. I understand the frustration.

[LeDe]

Hello,

I respectfully disagree.

For the $250 boxes, there could be debate, though I think the contents value should definititely at least match the price of the box (and a bit more) excluding stickers and the likes.

For the $400, I remember reading about a premium knife which everyone understood as a top of the range Taichung or an exclusive/sprint in an expensive steel. It seems those expectations were not met.

What I am saying is, the rules should be clarified. If Spyderco went for something like:
- Everybody gets a $250 box containing roughly $250 of knives, so that they can clear their inventories.
- But for those who wants to pay $500 for that, they would enter a draw. A few lucky ones get a trio of Taichung like a Paysan, a Stovepipe and a Drunken and a dinner with Sal.
Most people lose out, a few get very lucky and a lot of people start saving cash to enter the next draw.

Now for the part around people not willing to travel, I sincerely cant believe that Spyderco thinking is :"Let's send the knives our real customers did not want at the factory sales, to those who cant be bothered to travel"

The previous online sale was not the smoothest, but there was a lot of knives to be chosen from without trying your luck with the boxes.

Again, not trying to upset anyone, and I can see some people happy about their boxes. It surely can be an exciting way to get knives. i think it is just a matter of Spyderco calibrating expectations.

Best,

They’re not offering these mystery boxes just as a means of clearing unsold inventory. They could go back to how they used to do these seconds sales by not hosting any version of it online at all and they would still have no problems selling them year after year.

Keep in mind, they never sell out of seconds. There is always tons of inventory that gets carried over from year to year. That inventory is not all leftover “because customers didn’t want it,” it is leftover because there is so much if it! It’s a large reason why they’re able to offer some online in the first place. They have enough inventory after the traditional sale, so that offering some online doesn’t have much of a negative impact on the inventory available at the next traditional or OpFocus seconds sale.

It almost sounds like you’re suggesting Spyderco should start giving knives away on top of offering unmatched discounts. It sounds like unrealistic expectations. Also, I can already see the backlash of charging $500 to actually gamble too.

The value in the boxes I’ve seen ($250 & $400) has matched their price based on the seconds pricing and most definitely when compared to the potential retail cost. If paying $250 for $248 worth of knives is such a dealbreaker, I would suggest shopping at the traditional sale in person at the SFO instead, to guarantee what you get.

They had a very respectable selection of knives available during this past Red and Black seconds sale, in my opinion. If that selection plus the mystery boxes was unsatisfactory there is always the option of attending their traditional sale in person for the chance to browse the entire inventory of seconds.

Hi Mushroom,

I am not suggesting much about Spyderco intention or needs. The only thing I am suggesting is that I believe they are NOT purposedly choosing to offload "unwanted" knives to naive online gamblers.

Now my description of the situation and proposal for the future sale are exagerated to make my point.

My opinion is that the rules should be clarified so that expectations are on par.

I know those second prices are great and one probably should not be upset for a $2 difference. But I strongly believe that should never happen as the total price should exceed the box price.

If you or anyone has the choice, for the same price, to get what they like or take a 50/50 gamble, what would they choose?
Where there is a risk, there should be a reward. This is called a risk premium.
The reward does not need to be certain but present "on average". Like in gambling, lotteries or financial markets. But those sectors come with a real risk that is "clearly" understood.

Now like WilliamMunny said, for those who "decide" not to attend the factory sale, Spyderco has a bit of leverage and can, through the factory sale, push knives in a way they cant at the factory.
Again, this could be a win-win situation if the box price was more than the contents value.

You suggest shopping directly at the factory as a solution.
First, I have not shopped online as being in Europe makes it more complicated, even online. Factoring the customs, the shipping risk and cost, you need to order a lot to make it worth.
I tried for the previous sale for the best part of the first day, I could not manage to add anything into my basket due to the traffic.
No big deal, thanks to Spyderco for organizing and even more to have listened to the feedbacks.
I could not attend the second one due to work (and related christmas drinks).
I am ok with that and glad that those that can attend benefits from the deals and the atmosphere of the events.
Second, you seem to think everyone that wants can attend in person. Even for someone in the US, the cost and time could be prohibitive. It seems you cannot/do not want to see that. Now try and imagine how this would be for someone in Europe/Asia or anywhere else...
The atmosphere could be fantastic but hardly a good deal price-wise.

I totally understand why Spyderco would choose to sell with a bias towards the OpFocus program.
I can also understand why they would favor locals, though one could argue all customers should be treated the same.
Now if they have the stock to organize those online sales, I'd rather be able to choose knives.
But that is just me, if they clarify the rules and people buy the boxes, then happy days for everyone.

I dont have much stakes into the discussion to be honest just trying to give a rationale opinion. As I said, in the current state, it is not easy for me to order from the US.

A couple of other comments about what you said:
- I can't see where I suggested they give away knives for free.
- Saying that they do not need to offload knives as they could just keep selling them in the factory sale. Then saying they have tons of them that keep being carried over is kinda contradictory.
It feels that as they expand they'll need the continuous support of non locals buyers.

And a final one here:
- Unconditional love does not mean blind support.
One should be able to see flaws of the other and voice it to progress a relationship.
Disclaimer: my wife agrees unless it applies to us.

For what it is worth, I obviously like Spyderco. What I am saying here is not impacting my want for their knives.
I got into it because I wanted to buy the most rustproof knife before I knew that a Salt was a thing. I got a Pacific. Then came back for more a few years later, found this forum, learn more about the company and Sal in particular. And I got into it more.
Spyderco is still a business, they are here to sell as much knives and make money, but they are a good one with I believe sincere good ethos.

I do not pretend to tell them how to run their business. I am just saying these boxes process is imperfect at the moment.

All the best,

[Sharp Guy]

How long did it take to type all that? Give that guy an award. Maybe a $400 Mystery Box?

[Danke]

Oh if only there was some way to spend $400 and get a premium knife in return.

[WilliamMunny]

How long did it take to type all that? Give that guy an award. Maybe a $400 Mystery Box?

chatgtp: write me five paragraphs on: Spyderco, knife, seconds, mystery box, disappointment. And… go.

[WilliamMunny]

Oh if only there was some way to spend $400 and get a premium knife in return.

I always think about it, pay $250 for a mystery box and hope you get a seconds Military 2.

Then remembering a Military 2 brand new first run was $140 this last MAP sale.

[LeDe]

How long did it take to type all that? Give that guy an award. Maybe a $400 Mystery Box?

Actually took even longer than you'd think. I was on child duties all night as well.

This is exactly why i nornally not care about giving opinions online. It is even harder to have a rationale argument than in normal life.

If you cant at the very least imagine why someone could not find those boxes good value, I cant help you.

If you think they are, you can also just keep buying them.

It seems the most important for you and a few though is that everybody agrees with you and no one voices the slightest argument against Spyderco.

I will go back now to my normal life. I'll get back here to read the interesting stuffs and avoid disturbing you guys.

Best,

[Dnwrghtsr]

I think Spyderco is a great company that’s why 90% of my knives are Spyderco. I have twice told the customer that was obviously shorted that he would be taken care of. They fixed the computer issues. They left the price tags on. They choose to put the exact dollar amount of knives in the boxes. That’s their choice. The retail value of the knives is much higher than the sticker price. No one was taken advantage of they did what they promised. But we should not attack the customer that truly did not get what they were promised. On other forums customers ordered one knife and got a different one. Some did not receive all the knives they paid for. That is an issue. I’m confident Spyderco will work to get their shipping issues fixed like they have fixed other issues with the seconds sale.

[Spyderbot_matrix]

Gonna take a couple of days for this post to be approved so, my take will be readable by the day I get my $250 box- this Tuesday

I am not comfortable in trying mystery box anything. I wanted a shot at some premium steel knives. So I took the dip. The first concerning thing is the weight of my box. 1.10 lbs. Not worried about the knives, they could all be frn lightweights. A Manix 2 Rex45 DLC would be welcome with some n690 or n390. Not really bad.

Or I get two knives, one super steel sprint /exclusive and a tenacious. That’s the thrill.

Having said that, a major part of why I took part in this is I felt after the backlash from the last seconds online sale, Spyderco would attempt to make good to the community, and well treat us to some surprises, above and beyond etcetc. I want to be part of that! Company exhibits a passion for the community! Also as the Test group for this new online sale, some incentive to participate again.

The pessimist in me though is having a field day right now, thinking I got a byrd grab bag with bent tips, terrible grinds, and a squeak s110v. I don’t even know if that’s a thing. The price left on is what is bothering most because I’d hate to think I got $300 value out of the $250 spent and it isn’t even knives i’d give a second glance. Transparency notwithstanding, I was already concerned in the $150 uptick for the box that was $250 in the summer, and $100 for the small box.

Vent over, Fingers crossed

[MacLaren]

$400 box, 2.5# in UPS notification

Delica 4 zome green
PM2 Tanto s30v dlc
Caribbean
and the....

PROVINCE

Dude!
You got a Province?
SCORE!!

[Manixguy@1994]

MG2