MAP pricing: Has it affected your buying habits (i.e. buying less, switching brands, etc.)?

Deinos

Deinos

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Feb 7, 2016
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As I was browsing the familiar online retailers for Spydercos (bulk of my meager collection), I was noticing the difference in price due to their move to MAP over the past year or so. It made me wonder if this actually affected my buying habits at all and if similar moves by other brands has affected the enthusiasts here at BF at all. So, there ya go :) Has it?

As to my answer, I am not much of a collector. I just get what I want from retailers and the exchange as I browse and the mood suits me. I have most of what I "need" as far as utility is concerned. So, just pick up what moves me or I find interesting for a new use or different take on that use (be it size, design, steel I haven't tried, etc.). So, overall, I find MAP has not affected me too greatly.
 
It seems that most of the companies that are represented here and many not have gone to a fixed pricing policy. Spyderco, Benchmade, ZT, Emerson, CRK, Hinderer, etc are about the same price regardless of the store you buy from. I'm sure the costs will be higher in some places than others, but there is a lot more control. The cost of many knives has really increased quite a bit in the last few years.
 
A few years ago, Benchmade not only started strictly enforcing MAP, but increased their overall pricing by about 30% IIRC. Its one thing to enforce minimum advertised price but another to also drastically increase prices.

I sold the four Benchmade's I had, and never really looked back.

Just enforcing something that was already in place doesn't bother me. It's not like they are enforcing MSRP. ZT and Spyderco still let stuff be put on sale.
 
I will not buy from a company which tells sellers that they cannot give me a really good price (any price) if they wish :mad:. Thankfully, I already have 7 Spydercos :cool:, but that will be all; I won't touch a Benchmade for reasons stated above (I have one I bought years ago and that's one too many). I know the reasons given, but it just feels wrong to me. :thumbsdown:
 
A way around MAP enforcement is to look for discontinued items from the manufacturer because they usually get discounted.

Another way is to delay purchases of the not so popular Sprint Runs and dealer exclusives since they usually get discounted.
 
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K.O.D. said:
A few years ago, Benchmade not only started strictly enforcing MAP, but increased their overall pricing by about 30% IIRC. Its one thing to enforce minimum advertised price but another to also drastically increase prices.

I sold the four Benchmade's I had, and never really looked back.

Just enforcing something that was already in place doesn't bother me. It's not like they are enforcing MSRP. ZT and Spyderco still let stuff be put on sale.
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This is me, pretty much. I've kept some of my favorites, but with the combination of major price increases and enforcing MAP, Benchmade is pretty much dead to me.

I mean, the 781 would have my name written all over it. It's the right size, the right materials, and the right lock for me to want it, but with the high MSRP and MAP, why would I pay that ridiculous premium when I could get a similar sized knife made of similar materials with better fit and finish from someone like Spyderco or Kizer or whoever for much, much less?

IMO, they're overpriced at all price points they sell in now.
 
benchmade MAP is the only one i have issue with. due to Fit and finish issues and much less materials than the other brands and commanding a higher price than those giving more. not to mention there 2017 offerings are boring and over inflated map pricing for rubber/plastic handles, and tiny little metal liners.

im fine with spyderco map pricing, but would be nice like the old days... im happy to support spyderco's map, its reasonable.
 
I think MAP pricing has reduced my purchases of Spyderco. There are still deals if you're patient and look around. Preowned of course offers a lot of value. I'm not always patient if there's a new release that I want.
 
K.O.D. said:
A few years ago, Benchmade not only started strictly enforcing MAP, but increased their overall pricing by about 30% IIRC. Its one thing to enforce minimum advertised price but another to also drastically increase prices.

I sold the four Benchmade's I had, and never really looked back.

Just enforcing something that was already in place doesn't bother me. It's not like they are enforcing MSRP. ZT and Spyderco still let stuff be put on sale.
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evilgreg said:
This is me, pretty much. I've kept some of my favorites, but with the combination of major price increases and enforcing MAP, Benchmade is pretty much dead to me.

I mean, the 781 would have my name written all over it. It's the right size, the right materials, and the right lock for me to want it, but with the high MSRP and MAP, why would I pay that ridiculous premium when I could get a similar sized knife made of similar materials with better fit and finish from someone like Spyderco or Kizer or whoever for much, much less?

IMO, they're overpriced at all price points they sell in now.
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MAP has definitely affected some knife manufacturers more than others.

MAP has been the norm with Benchmade, Zero Tolerance and Spyderco in subsequent years since around 2013-2014.

In particular, Benchmade has suffered the most. Street prices are up significantly, quality is very inconsistent, discontinued H&K and Ritter, stuck mostly in 154CM & S30V (at elevated prices), bland offerings, etc.

So, I've only been buying variations of the venerable 940. A mild weakness. :)
 
MAP pricing or any other company pricing policy does not influence my purchasing decisions, per se. Price does, though.

If something costs more than I am willing to pay for it, then I don't buy it. If the reason that price is higher than I am willing to pay is because of a MAP policy, then I suppose it affects whether or not I buy a particular company's products more or less often.
 
RamZar said:
So, I've only been buying variations of the venerable 940. A mild weakness. :)
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When I said I kept some of my favorites, that includes a 940 and a 940-1, of course. The 940 series will always be popular with me, I think. I like the blade shape, and they just carry so well for a middle-sized folder.
 
The institution of MAP pricing roughly coincided with my becoming interested in knives from these companies. Consequently, I don't really recall how it impacted pricing. I wouldn't expect there to have been wild variations among dealers, or great "sale" savings, but i could be completely wrong. How have prices (excepting general MRSP increases) changed since the institution of MAP?
 
Personally I think MAP is all in how it's applied. Spyderco did a good job of setting it low enough not to seriously impact consumers while preserving at least some small margin for retailers. And MAP just fixes the minimum advertised price. It doesn't mean they can't sell it to you below that--that would be price-fixing, which is illegal. It just means they can't advertise it lower. If you think a retailer would be willing to sell it for less than MAP to secure your patronage, just write them an email and see if they're willing.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Personally I think MAP is all in how it's applied. Spyderco did a good job of setting it low enough not to seriously impact consumers while preserving at least some small margin for retailers. And MAP just fixes the minimum advertised price. It doesn't mean they can't sell it to you below that--that would be price-fixing, which is illegal. It just means they can't advertise it lower. If you think a retailer would be willing to sell it for less than MAP to secure your patronage, just write them an email and see if they're willing.
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This is a good point and the reason that you often see many online retailers advertising a sale utilizing the "place in cart to reveal price" tactic.

I also agree that Spyderco has done a good job with this. I still purchase their knives as they are still great quality for the dollar spent. I do fine myself purchasing less; however, that is a function of my budget vs. other hobbies, etc. vs. their pricing themselves out of the market for a given product.
 
I second Baryonyx- I think most small retailers would be more than willing to give you a discount if you are a regular customer or are buying multiple knives at a time, you just have to ask.

As far as how map pricing has changed my habits, I'm now looking more toward custom makers. It seems like the price gap over the last few years has decreased to the point that it is hard to justify the purchase of production knife over some of the customs out there.
 
I do have a gripe with Spyderco about some of their pricing. I think it's ridiculous that they are charging ~$200 for knives with VG-10 and S30V when for a lot less I can get a Manix or pm in S110V.
 
K.O.D. said:
I do have a gripe with Spyderco about some of their pricing. I think it's ridiculous that they are charging ~$200 for knives with VG-10 and S30V when for a lot less I can get a Manix or pm in S110V.
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That's a different story. Spyderco folders made in Japan with G-10 are notoriously overpriced. Fortunately, they get discontinued in a couple of years after introduction and get heavily discounted which is when to buy one.
 
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