All About Pocket Knives

4 minutes after the notifications went out. The site was so slow I couldn't even log in before the reservations closed.

I made it in Tony but all I got was standby on three of them.

I just refuse to play in this game. Artificially created scarcity just rubs me the wrong way.

Amen, brother! I quit some time ago. It doesn't make any kind of business sense to leave hundreds of buyers in the lurch by creating the artificial scarcity you mentioned. Kind of strange.

TwoFlowersLuggage wrote:I just refuse to play in this game. Artificially created scarcity just rubs me the wrong way.

I don't think the early reserve systems create artificial scarcity. It actually allows collector to reserve a knife that he believes will be a collectable at the retail rate. I much prefer this method than the lollyscramble that goes on with Northwoods at KSF. This retailer knows how many knives they are going to receive and let's their customers reserve that number. I don't see how that would create artificial scarcity.

Sorry - I misunderstood what you guys were talking about. I was talking about the size of the production runs from the mfr.

I may be wrong but I think some people are getting the notification sooner than others. Just my 02. I don’t think I could of been on the site any quicker if I tried, still missed out.

Russell

Mine came through at 4:51pm EDT but it may have been a couple of minutes before I saw it. It was very slow getting logged in to the site.

I also got mine at 3:51 Central Time. (same time as Greg)

TwoFlowersLuggage wrote:I just refuse to play in this game. Artificially created scarcity just rubs me the wrong way.

gsmith7158 wrote:I don't think the early reserve systems create artificial scarcity. It actually allows collector to reserve a knife that he believes will be a collectable at the retail rate. I much prefer this method than the lollyscramble that goes on with Northwoods at KSF. This retailer knows how many knives they are going to receive and let's their customers reserve that number. I don't see how that would create artificial scarcity.

I suspect this run of 85s (single-blade spear - massively popular combo) is going to be VERY limited. Which is the kind of artificial scarcity I believe TFL was referring to, and I agree 100%. I'm not reserving a knife because I think it'll be a collectible (the only time this happened for me was with the NF 77 clip Barlow and I had to enter a drawing just for the right to reserve one for that), I reserve one because I want the knife. I was at my desk when the alert hit my phone (and that dovetails with what everyone else is saying time-wise), it took me 4 minutes of sitting and waiting to get logged in, and the reserves were gone

Now if CK is getting short shrift, that's one thing. But I suspect this 85 run is going to turn into yet anther TC/NF77/Whaler style blitzkrieg and at that point we're just awarding knife reservations to people because they have fast internet connections living closest to the dealer's web host.

Sorry to vent, but this was so much more comical than even the TC scrambles we've all seen in recent years that I had to say something.

FYI - email is not a good vehicle for time sensitive communications. Even if a single email is sent to a large group, the receipt of the email by people in the list can vary by a significant time - many minutes, and sometimes much longer. I have seen 20-30 minutes or even hours depending on the settings of the mail servers the email passes though before it gets to you. Text messages aren't much better - I have received text messages hours after they were sent!

I'm not a collector of new knives so I don't have a dog in the fight but simple economics of supply and demand tell me that since the manufacturer set the supply, they should let the consumers set the demand throught a sealed bidding process. That way, if a consumer is willing to pay big for the knife, they get one and nobody gets left out except those with smaller wallets.

bestgear wrote:I'm not a collector of new knives so I don't have a dog in the fight but simple economics of supply and demand tell me that since the manufacturer set the supply, they should let the consumers set the demand throught a sealed bidding process. That way, if a consumer is willing to pay big for the knife, they get one and nobody gets left out except those with smaller wallets.

In this scenario, I suspect speculators would try to buy all of them and then flip them for even higher prices.

I am a little vague as to how GEC handles distribution. I gather that they have a small number of dealers who get all new GEC knives, and then the dealers do what they want? I see talk about speculators buying and flipping new GECs; does that mean that some folks are able to buy large numbers of GECs?

Since virtually all GECs seem to sell rather quickly, maybe the company should just sell direct from factory to consumer. Considering the quantities involved, that would not be a huge operation.

TwoFlowersLuggage wrote:
In this scenario, I suspect speculators would try to buy all of them and then flip them for even higher prices.

Through no fault of the manufacturer, this happens for a big % of sales, by several speculators.

I was asked if I was going to have any LIck Creek Cut Co # 85s. No

Dealers’ GEC knife prices are fixed by GEC. SFO knives’ prices are set by SFO owners.

Are the knives that are offered for early reserve at Collector Knives SFO ?
Or will those knives and same handles be available thru other dealers, such as KSF, when they are released by GEC?
Just curious how that works.

Some of them are SFO's exclusive to CK, some are regular runs available at other dealers and they even offer other brands on early reserve.

It was the slowest I've ever seen his sight. Hate it, as the 85 is a fav of mine.

Quote TFL: "the receipt of the email by people in the list can vary by a significant time - many minutes, and sometimes much longer"
I don't own a smart phone or any mobile device so email to home computer is how i receive knife notifications. I live in a sparsely populated mountainous area. Mountains = more transmission towers needed & sparse population = too few customers to make the cost of towers worth spending on. So my internet/email is slow and i have long thought that emails get to me after others have already received them. Thanks TFL for confirming that delays depending upon transmission 'issues' and distances do occur.
GEC is not purposely creating a scarcity. 'We' are by wanting them. GEC has thankfully decided to limit the number of knives made to that which the work force can produce and maintain the highest standards without having to run night shifts. The owner of GEC has turned away from expanding and making more money for himself in favor of giving his workers a good life style(no shift work and adequate+ holidays) and giving us a reliably top notch pocket knife.
Thank you Bill Howard !
kj