2023 price increases?

[Scandi Grind]

One thing is for sure: the coming price increases (and insanely high starting prices on some new models) are not sustainable for the average buyer. A breaking point WILL occur where spyderco will start to permanently lose a large chunk of their loyal fans. You can only push people so far before they turn their backs on the company entirely.

I think it is a generally wise thing for Spyderco not to become to involved in a "this is too expensive" debate with customers when the only answer they can basically give is "we have reasons in the background," which is often true. I have some business experience making software and know how things in the background effect what reaches the customer. Otherwise the answer is that Spyderco does not think that it is too expensive for the market, which they legitimately could say, but wouldn't really benefit anyone.

However, I do believe it would be wise for Spyderco to consider that they do have a loyal fan base rooted in user knives that don't need super steels and would rather see more affordable products.

Still they are balancing so many factors that we can't evaluate, and they have employees who need to make a living too. Maybe they could stop printing catalogs, but for all I know those catalogs get people interested and bring in business, so that is their call.
There is a lot that Spyderco has to factor in, and we are never going to agree with every decision they make, nor are we going to be aware of every reason they make them.

But if my opinion is of any relevance, I would rather see more basic steels used to keep prices down, especially in USA made models, than I would see higher end steels in endless sprint runs. Effective for Spyderco as a business, I can't say, just my preference, which I would like to respectfully voice.

These are just my musings, food for thought.

[jwbnyc]

There have been books written about L.L. Bean, which one I’m thinking of at the moment I can’t remember, but one interesting tidbit has to do with the mass mailings of catalogs which that particular company is famous for. Not so many as they used to, but the main thing is they could correlate sales spikes to catalog mailings. Maybe that effect is not as strong as it once was, but at one time it definitely was a thing. I’m willing to bet that it still is to some extent.

Besides, what else are you going to read in The John?

[bearfacedkiller]

In the past year I have only bought one Spyderco at full price. That was the recent 4V ManixXL which had a reasonable price for something unique. Before that it was the Magnacut Mule about 11 months ago. I have disposable income so I will keep buying things I really want but that seems to be happening less often.

I spent $300 on groceries yesterday. I don’t think Hannaford has a forum where they will listen to me complain though. Oh well. Life goes on.

[RamZar]

I think street price increases are inevitable. Best to buy what you want before the end of the year. In 2021, I saw the impending price increases coming so I bought 9 Spyderco knives which I had wanted. So far in 2022 I’ve only bought 2 with possibly one more before the year is out. One has to be more selective and just buy fewer.

[cjk]

...

Besides, what else are you going to read in The John?

Does Readers Digest still exist?

[Ramonade]

I think the extension of the Golden factory is a good start to keep prices where they are at.

[jwbnyc]

...

Besides, what else are you going to read in The John?

Does Readers Digest still exist?

It does!

[James Y]

I think street price increases are inevitable. Best to buy what you want before the end of the year. In 2021, I saw the impending price increases coming so I bought 9 Spyderco knives which I had wanted. So far in 2022 I’ve only bought 2 with possibly one more before the year is out. One has to be more selective and just buy fewer.

The last knife I ordered was my base model Native Chief last year (Dec. 27th), partly because it would have been my late dad's 100th birthday, and also to get it before the impending price increases. That'll be my last knife purchase for quite some time, or perhaps ever. And if it is, that's cool, too.

Jim

[Mystery Flavor]

The sooner many of you stop having blind trust in spyderco the sooner you can have a more open aperture to look at the entire situation with greater honesty. Stop holding this false belief that Sal is your "friend" that can only do good in the world. He's a human like every one else, which means that greed can be a changing factor. "Integrity" also seems to be a changing factor when they have been releasing many models with serious problems that should have never gotten passed quality control. It's almost like the online communities of buyers are the new quality control team. It would appear they have been having their workers rush a lot more in the last 2+ years due to all the problems showing up that didn't use to as often.

And factor in how they have sold 2nd quality knives recently as if they are 1st quality and acted like if you don't like it, just return it for the next sucker to buy. (look back to the recent Serrated Ayoob with the wonky teeth and the incredibly strange way Sal chose to respond to questions about why those made it past quality control, if you aren't clued in. Sal essentially admitted those wonky ones would be considered 2nd's in a roundabout way, yet they were sold as 1st quality. I know ladybug has one of those messed up ones and isn't thrilled. Those kind of things sour customers way more than Spyderco may want to publicly admit.)

Consider the sort of disaster of a reveal program which never meets their time commitments entirely and the company has become a lot less appealing. The Swick5 was revealed in May 2020 and still isn't available. This pisses people off more than whatever benefits the reveal program supposedly solved. You claimed models would be released on time and they aren't. It wasn't like this 10 years ago. It will be interesting to see how this forum may change in the coming years. So many people are saying they are reaching or already have reached their limit with prices. How does spyderco pivot to not permanently hemorrhage many dedicated customers? Or is it too late?

[aicolainen]

As prices increase and budgets gets tighter, most people will focus their funds on their primary needs.
It’s not far fetched to expect the best of times to be behind us, at least if expendable income is the main metric.
Quality of life is determined by a whole lot more than consumption, so hopefully if we can keep the nukes on the ground we’ll just have a rough couple of years getting our expectations calibrated and we can carry on living satisfactory, good lives, just appreciating different aspects of life than we’ve become used to.

I really don’t envy the reality that Spyderco and other makers of non-essentials will be facing in the coming years. Knives are not the only category of items we’ll be buying less of in the future. I really hope they’re able to adapt and ride the storm off in good shape.

[cjk]

I am sure that Spyderco understands folks' concerns. Spyderco is made up of people after all. A pretty great bunch of people as far as I have experienced. All on the same planet. Dealing with a lot of the same stuff.

I went to the knifecenter's website, filtered for Spyderco folding knives in stock, then sorted by price low to high.
I have no particular love nor disdain for the knifecenter, I just know their filters pretty much work.

There were 139 in stock SKUs with a street price under $100. The cheapest Spyderco folding knife is $17.15. There's lots of value there already if one chooses to see it.

I should point out that the upcoming BBB 15V Manix 2 (a real AFI treat probably born out of this here forum) probably will have a street price under $160. That's cheaper than a DLC S30V G-10 Manix 2. It's practically a gift. It could have easily been over $200 and nobody would have batted an eye.

[RamZar]

I liked good old days before January 2016 when Spyderco didn’t have MAP pricing and I could get Spyderco knives at 45%-50% off MSRP with free shipping and no sales tax!

In January 2016 Spyderco instituted MAP pricing where the advertised discounted price could not be less than 40% off MSRP and this became the effective street price. This was to help Spyderco dealers and distributors not consumers. 40% shrunk to 35% in January 2018 and to 30% in January 2020 (effectively increasing the street price for the consumer).

In the meantime, there were annual MSRP increases. In January 2022, street prices on Taiwan models increased by 15%, U.S. models increased by 10% and Japanese models by 5-7%+.

A few years ago more and more dealers started charging sales tax which again increased the price to the consumer.

Fairly soon, an Endura VG-10 & FRN will be $100+ and a ParaMilitary2 will be $200+!

[Crox]

I don't have hard data, but I watch secondary/used knives quite a bit. I'm noticing prices are softening there a bit. Maybe we are approaching an unwillingness or inability to afford some of these discretionary purchases.

On the flip side, this conversation seems to happen every year... and by the end of the year people are rushing to make purchases before the price increase. So it's painful in January but in December its a rush to grab a good deal.

In the end I believe in free market.

[ladybug93]

...

you are saying a lot of stuff that people around here are not going to handle well. i agree with most of it, but i still consider myself a loyal spyderco fan. i do think it's true that people have lifted the company and it's employees up on a high pedestal, and for good reason for the most part. it's easy to forget though that these guys want to live comfortable lives like the rest of us and they're not going to take any hits to make it easier on us. what's ugly is when those hits get passed on to us and we're supposed to take our black eyes as love taps.
the ayoob being one of these instances... i've never seen a company put out obvious flaws, admit to the flaws, and then come out the other side as noble philanthropists. whatever though... it's really not that big a deal to me, or i would've returned the knife and written spyderco off forever. nothing is perfect and it's a good reminder of that. i was never as upset about the knife as i was about the response from the forum and from sal. it is what it is though.
these price hikes every year are just another black eye love tap. i've said it every year i've been here... we're supposed to believe that prices rise automatically for goods in january of each year. if a knife gets more expensive to make in march, is spyderco just taking a hit for nine months while waiting for january so they can raise prices? of course not. that would be a really bad way to run a business.
so every year, this thread comes up again. i think i even started one once. every year i think this is it... i won't be able to buy knives anymore. and every year, spyderco draws me in again with new models i want to try out.

all that to say... i agree with you, but it's not going to do any good to get mad about it. like others have said, we have to vote with our wallets. eventually, it really will be unsustainable. i hope spyderco can weather the storm and figure out something different, because i really do like the company and the products for the most part. i also hope people around here can be more level-headed in their fandom. it doesn't do anyone any good to worship at this alter.

[PeanutButterFan]

All i can say is that i hope the cruwear stretch xl comes out before another price increase

[cabfrank]

Supply costs are increasing, there is inflation, prices are going up most everywhere. It is what it is, as they say. Also, factory expansion isn't cheap, and has to get paid for somehow.

[cabfrank]

I think the comments about not visiting the forum were mostly tongue-in-cheek, in that hearing about more great knives makes us want them, and they might be more expensive. I don't think it was meant literally. As we know, there are enablers among us.

[SRT392HEMI]

I have my sights set on 2, maybe 3 before the end of the year. Wifey usually gets me a Spydie for birthday and Christmas. I'll likely be done for a while after that.

[aicolainen]

Now, to be fair. Some of the price increase comes from increased wages, across the board. I.e. in most cases this includes our own wages.
While, admittedly, I’m nowhere near a 15% increase year over year, Seki prices are pretty much stagnant, relatively, if Ramzar’s numbers are to be trusted. And I have no doubt they are.

[skeeg11]

Impossible to discuss rampant inflation without getting political so I'll have to bite my tongue. Sal & Co are caught in the middle between a rock & a hard spot.