I'm not sure the online sale is an equitable way to do it either. Some people are reporting multiple purchases of 10+ knives and I've been kicked out of an order after putting in my credit card info multiple times. At least standing in line outside I got a chance to buy something.
This is a good point. I made two successful orders for 6 knives total, yet I’ve read of many people who attempted to buy during each drop and couldn’t get through for whatever reasons.
I think a yearlong dump of seconds on the site will be picked clean by the eBay sellers but an annual online sale gets hit with too much traffic too (as we just saw). Maybe a solution would be to continue holding the in person event, then whatever is left over put up online for an online event, but drop everything at once and limit purchases to a total of 5 or so knives (hopefully allowing more people access to inventory).
I added up the MSRPs of all the seconds I bought at one sale and they totalled almost $3800.... The deals are just a bonus.
Obviously if you're a big spender then those bargains add up and justify the travel expenses, etc. And I hadn't considered the social aspect - not often you meet a bunch of knife nuts! So yes I can see why people would make such a pilgrimage.
I think that it was an excellent effort. There will always be people that feel they missed out or were cheated, or...
At the end of the day, they made the most of a bad situation.
I think that the first-rate seconds should be available perpetually online in a seconds section. This would stop the crush of bots and the frantic people endlessly hitting refresh jamming the site during a short duration sale. A notification on the forum when sprints or exclusives are being dropped would be nice for the forumites.
The lesser quality seconds could be reserved for the in-person sale. That way people can inspect the items and determine if they are of value to them based on the "flaws".
People will say that they saved thousands of dollars in person, but that implies they bought A LOT more knives than most of us could afford, and therefor the idea of paying for the trip is not really valid.
If you want it to truly be fair and equitable then have a points option like the military and leo program. Each customer, by mailing address - no PO box (to avoid people easily setting up multiple accounts), has 5-10 "seconds" points (each redeemable for the ability to buy an online knife) they can use each year in the seconds section (no limit at the once yearly in person sale). When the seconds pop, you can decide if you use one of your points now, or wait for the next drop. Points reset at midnight on Dec 31.
This would be the most equitable way to do it and provide the best opportunity to the most people.
Just my $0.02
Edit: This perpetual seconds section would also allow for more detail and perhaps pictures of the "issues" that make each item a second. Still same caveat, Caveat Emptor.
There may be weeks with no drops, and there could be weeks with a bunch, but it would all even out over the course of the year...
Cheers
Erik
Last edited by bobnikon on Tue Dec 08, 2020 11:17 am, edited 3 times in total.
Let’s wait and see the aftermath. The seconds sale usually has lots of wonky bevels, uneven grinds, off center blades, sticky locks and late lockup. I have been to the sale multiple times and wouldn’t buy 2/3 of the knives there but maybe I am just picky.
Knife geeks are a fickle bunch and people are generally difficult to please. I am curious what the feedback over the next couple of weeks will be like?
-Darby
sal wrote:Knife afi's are pretty far out, steel junky's more so, but "edge junky's" are just nuts. :p
SpyderEdgeForever wrote:
Also, do you think a kangaroo would eat a bowl of spagetti with sauce if someone offered it to them?
Let’s wait and see the aftermath. The seconds sale usually has lots of wonky bevels, uneven grinds, off center blades, sticky locks and late lockup. I have been to the sale multiple times and wouldn’t buy 2/3 of the knives there but maybe I am just picky.
Knife geeks are a fickle bunch and people are generally difficult to please. I am curious what the feedback over the next couple of weeks will be like?
I agree. It is way too early to properly assess the outcomes. Most folks are still awaiting their orders, no?
My choice would be in person for 1-2 days and then the leftovers online until they sell out. This leaves the leftovers to the bots! Not to say that some of those buying in person are not in it solely for the profit. It is what it is!
I welcome dialog, as long as it remains cordial, constructive and is conducted in a civilized manner. - Titanic: Blood & Steel
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. - Abraham Lincoln
I used to live near Golden and went to the seconds sale for 3 years. I moved in 2016 and haven't been since, but I keep threatening to go back. I think an online sale is going to bump up the price of seconds in the first place and make them harder to get due to online competition, as well as make it WAY more difficult to get unique and older models since they'd have to be listed individually. Maybe offering a few (PM2, Military, Delica, Endura, a couple of that year's hot releases, and the Elmax and Cruwear mules until they're finally gone) online so people get a taste.
