How is Amazon able to sell Spydercos $20 cheaper than anywhere else?

[vivi]

I'm likely going to pick up a Street Beat for my next Spyderco. I'm trying to hunt down the micarta version, but in the meantime I was checking different stores for their prices on the lightweight.

All of the online shops I checked were selling it for $107 and change.

Amazon has them listed for $87-90 with free shipping.

How are they able to do this?

On a side note I found a local shop with the Street Bowie on sale for $84. Tempting to go with that instead.

[Extra330SC]

I'm likely going to pick up a Street Beat for my next Spyderco. I'm trying to hunt down the micarta version, but in the meantime I was checking different stores for their prices on the lightweight.

All of the online shops I checked were selling it for $107 and change.

Amazon has them listed for $87-90 with free shipping.

How are they able to do this?

On a side note I found a local shop with the Street Bowie on sale for $84. Tempting to go with that instead.

It's about buying power and volume! Before I grabbed up the Advocate /Chaparral 3 combo I had the Advocate in my cart on Amazon for a week at $225.00! I've seen this on many things from inverter generators to wedding rings...and everything in between.

My family owned auto machine shops and parts stores for years ...so buying only from mom/pop shops was ingrained in my DNA. I fought the large box store and online buying trends for years...even as I saw the small business dying off. Once I got sick that all changed. The ability to buy products (and services ) from online sources like Amazon not only saved my family huge amounts of money, But most importantly because of my illness, Time as well. I still don't go to the Walmart (don't know why I feel this way) but I use the Internet for most of my buying needs. ..even though I have no social media presence.


James

I buy most of my knives from smaller shops like Knives Plus, DLT, Knifeworks, etc...but I haven't had any issues with fakes /clones when I do use amazon for blades.

[Tucson Tom]

They lose a little on each sale, but make up for it in quantity.

[crow2071]

Spyderco has enforced MAP on their products. (Except for discontinued items). Kinda odd that Amazon gets away with this.

[Crazy Canuck]

You do have to do your research though... I find a lot of Spydercos are around $20 cheaper, but you also see them more expensive occasionally. I've had good luck in the past buying off Amazon, but have gone other places to find a better deal. Recently received a Para 3, G10 Native 5, and should have a Manix 2 BL landing tomorrow. Convenience and cost were hard to beat. But when looking for my fluted CF Native 5 I went to a local shop.

[vivi]

Spyderco has enforced MAP on their products. (Except for discontinued items). Kinda odd that Amazon gets away with this.

That's why I ask.

I understand discounts for selling greater volume, but I don't see how that works with MAP.

[Daveho]

That’s what amazon do-
Get manufactures dependant on their platform with their buying power and then undercut other retailers.
Will any manufacturers stand up and stop them from doing it?
No, because that risks their bottom line.

[ABX2011]

I think Daveho nailed it.

[Slash]

Why is the sky blue...

[bearfacedkiller]

They move a lot of volume and they do whatever they want. Who is gonna stop them? Nobody wants to lose that distribution channel.

What is sad is that MAP is supposed to level the playing field for the little guys but as long as Amazon doesn’t follow it they are just crushing all the little guys. The end result is the complete opposite of the goal.

Everyone loves Amazon but when they are the only ones left we will suffer. They will be in complete control.

[Crazy Canuck]

Just adding a bit more context, in case my previous post sounded like I supported undercutting MAP, etc - which I do not.

I do a lot of research before purchasing, and as I'm in Canada, my options are a bit limited in where I can purchase. I look at US sites like BladeHQ, KC, DLT, etc and look at what they're selling for in USD. Then enter that price in Google and convert from USD to CAD. Then I look at my go-to retailers in Canada. What I find, is a lot of retailers up here are selling for quite a bit over that price. Even Amazon is selling higher than those prices usually. Probably has to do with import, etc, but a lot of the time the differences are quite dramatic. At that point, I don't feel bad about shopping at Amazon.

Example - Police 4... In CAD, Amazon has the same price as KC after conversion. W&W is $16 more. I can pay the $12 for next day shipping and still come in less than that price before paying for shipping. My local go-to is usually $10-15 more than W&W, but I don't mind that difference, as sometimes I enjoy the experience of going to the store, chatting with the staff, looking at knives in person that I usually only see through the screen.

[The Deacon]

Several possibilities. Amazon could be buying the Street Beat directly from Spyderco and ignoring MAP figuring Spyderco would be unwilling to stop selling to them. Amazon could have decided not to carry that model anymore. I believe MAP rules allow dealers to discount items the dealer is "closing out" more heavily. Amazon could be buying the Street Beat exclusively from a Spyderco distributor. I'm not sure if/how MAP rules apply in such cases. Amazon could be buying from "another" source and the knives could be less expensive because they're counterfeit. Would not be the first time that's happened. My guess would be that it's either the first or the last of those, but that's just a guess.

[curlyhairedboy]

Amazon is definitely not above predatory pricing to drive competitors out of business.

[boamedt]

Never bought one off amazon. I was always kinda worried i would get something else in the box. Like a shady return amazon never bothered to look at. That being said my local stores dont carry spyderco. Only benchmades, a few gerbers, and some kershaws. I have bought a few knives(over priced) at the local store, but have to get my spyderco's all sight unseen/ fondled online. I really wish i could fondle them b4 i buy

[SpyderEdgeForever]

The problem is, how do you confirm that the Spyderco you get from Amazon is a genuine and not a counterfeit? It seems better to get one from reputable retailers such as Knife Center or Blade HQ, who you know are not going to be selling you a counterfeit.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Never bought one off amazon. I was always kinda worried i would get something else in the box. Like a shady return amazon never bothered to look at. That being said my local stores dont carry spyderco. Only benchmades, a few gerbers, and some kershaws. I have bought a few knives(over priced) at the local store, but have to get my spyderco's all sight unseen/ fondled online. I really wish i could fondle them b4 i buy

This is a very good point.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Several possibilities. Amazon could be buying the Street Beat directly from Spyderco and ignoring MAP figuring Spyderco would be unwilling to stop selling to them. Amazon could have decided not to carry that model anymore. I believe MAP rules allow dealers to discount items the dealer is "closing out" more heavily. Amazon could be buying the Street Beat exclusively from a Spyderco distributor. I'm not sure if/how MAP rules apply in such cases. Amazon could be buying from "another" source and the knives could be less expensive because they're counterfeit. Would not be the first time that's happened. My guess would be that it's either the first or the last of those, but that's just a guess.

Those are good points, Deacon. Here is also something I wondered about: Does Amazon.com have a team of purchase-experts who determine which knife brands and lines they purchase for resale, and actually look into quality and other factors, or is it done in a much more massive-type of way, like they just go and purchase large batches of whatever knives are out there?

[Tucson Tom]

Never bought one off amazon. I was always kinda worried i would get something else in the box. Like a shady return amazon never bothered to look at. That being said my local stores dont carry spyderco. Only benchmades, a few gerbers, and some kershaws. I have bought a few knives(over priced) at the local store, but have to get my spyderco's all sight unseen/ fondled online. I really wish i could fondle them b4 i buy

This is a very good point.

I had exactly this happen. But Amazon accepted the return immediately with no hassle whatsoever, so all I lost was time. Since then I buy from KC or BHQ or another of our favorite sellers. Most of the time anyway. Amazon was (and still is!) selling the Street Bowie for $86, free Prime shipping. The same knife is $107 at BHQ right now. So there is that $20 difference again. I don't know why, but I don't expect issues with that knife being a counterfeit and that price was too good to resist (nice knife by the way). BHQ would ship that knife for free since it is over $99, but I'm still paying an extra $20.

[500Nitro]

People will not be happy when Amazon has knocked out all the traditional Bricks and Mortar shops.

I have an account but don't think I've ever ordered from them.

And probably won't.

[zhyla]

People will not be happy when Amazon has knocked out all the traditional Bricks and Mortar shops.

Amazon didn’t kill B&M, online retailers like BladeHQ, Knife Center, etc killed them. And the knife world is way too big for a local shop to be of much use now even if you want to pay ridiculous prices. Can you imagine asking a shop clerk if he had any new PM2 sprints?

I’m a little confused why only some of the Spydercos on Amazon are cheaper than elsewhere. Are some vendors on Amazon not obeying MAP and others are? Sometimes it’s hard to tell who exactly is selling these things — Amazon is a marketplace and not everything you buy is sold and shipped from an Amazon warehouse.

If Amazon is selling these things direct then it may be they haven’t agreed to MAP and Spyderco ships them products anyway. It’s hard to turn away big orders if you’re a business trying to sell things, right?