I understand that Randall is changing their ordering policy, and will allow only one knife to be ordered every 3 months. How do you all think this will effect knife values?

How do you all think this will effect knife values?
Marketing 101:

Increased demand + lowered supply = higher value.

Hopefully this will help reduce the tremendous backlog.

Hi Joe,

That's a really good question. I've been thinking about it and I've come to the conclusion that it's really too hard to predict with any degree of confidence. Tom makes a good point about supply and demand, but I think the prices that Randalls have been commanding on e-bay months before this change in order policy has to be taken into consideration. Fairly frequently I go back through the completed Randall auctions and I am continually surprised how much above list these knives are going for. A year or two ago you could expect to see a 20-30% premium. More recently you frequently see a 50-100% premium over list, especially if it's a popular model or has an upgraded sheath. There is no doubt that collecting Randalls is getting more popular and more new e-bay names are showing up as winning bidders. However, I think there are finite limits to how much a new knife can appreciate in a relatively short period of time and wondering if we've already hit some sort of a plateau. Perhaps the change in order policy will at least help to stabilize todays prices. Anyway, it's a great subject to kibbitz about.

Best,

Ron

Tom,

The question is, how will this affect suppy and demand at the collectors level. The variables seem to me to be multiple. Supply overall would seem to be the same. The shop isn't increasing output, but availability will change. Once the backlog is cleared I think you can expect wait times to drop. If that happens are people more likely to be willing to wait for a shop ordered knife and not be willing to pay the premiums demanded on Ebay? If you are able to order a knife and get it in a more reasonable time, at catalogue price, are you more likely to use it, and not just fondle it? If you can only order three knives a year, will the overall orders drop? The people making money reselling may not find it worth their time if they can only buy three a year. As Ron points out The Internet has drastically increased demand for these knives, people are buying them now, who didn't know what they were 5 years ago, that trend can be expected to continue. So, to sum it all up, I'm confused.

Ron,

I see that your collection of old worn out Randalls has been growing.:)


Regards,

Joe

Hi all!

Ron and Joe raise some pretty good points on this one.

I have to admit that predicting what the effects will be, of the now very limited "shop" ordering capabilities will be on the future value of the after market value of new RMK is a tricky one at best.

However, I have consulted a well known psychic and it appears that the... :p

Seriously, I have given this matter some thought, (yeah, I know the process is scary in itself), and I really think that we are venturing into unknown waters.

Of certain things we can be relatively sure:

Randall will continue to produce approximately 150 knives a week, or roughly, 7,500 per year.

There is no doubt as Ron and Joe have said that the Internet has spiked interest in these knives exponentially, and there is good reason to believe that the demand will continue to increase.

In the last few years a good number of Randalls have taken a trip from the shop to a regular buyer (12 per year) and from there straight onto to eBay or some other market place. This is also the case with knives ordered from authorized dealers.

The new policy of four knives per year will force the demand onto the dealers, but this will still result in the same number of knives just being divided up differently. Confused? I know I am.

So all to say that the chances are good that the prices for new aftermarket Randalls will remain high, and as demand continues to grow, will probably increase.

But then again, as Joe says there may be fewer "purveyors" who bother to order three or four knives a year, and so the majority of knives will go straight to collectors for the catalogue price.

This raises the question of whether dealers will now impose limits on how many Randalls a customer can order. Policies may differ amongst the dealers, just to add to the confusion.

Hmmm... I'm getting a headache...

Well, look at it this way, your Randalls are amazing knives, and one should appreciate them for what they are, and not necessarily their present or future monetary value. :bow

Oh yes, and two other things which I have always believed:

One should only collect things one has a passion for, and one shouldn't expect to get one's money back. (If one does, it's a bonus!)

Also, something is only worth what somebody is willing to pay for it at any given moment of time.

Now when it comes to those old, beat up Randalls that guys like Ron collect, the future looks bleak... :lol

I'm glad I cleared this matter up for you all... :rolleyes:

Cheers!

Moosehead

Venturing into muddy waters by posting a reply on this topic. Well , I would guess that if supply on ebay dimishes due to the restrictions imposed by the Randall Co., demand will grow on ebay and prices would go up.. on ebay that is.. the "quick fix" purchasing market that it has become. But I would imagine that
the best deals would still be had from authorized Randall dealers. There is always a premium attached to
"buy now" markets, when the product is not readily available. The tricky part is the "stock market trader"
approach that some purveyors sell Randalls. This has made many Randalls overpriced in my opinion.
The vintage Randall market (BoBlademarket) I believe will not change and will continue to grow as it has in astronomical ways, due to the historical aspect of such (junkboblade:rolleyes: ) knives. I think it is a good move on Randall's part, and one that I imagine serves a number of purposes. 1. to not exceed production capability and compromise quality, 2. To keep the Randall Co. from turning into a full blown production knife Co., 3. To hinder non Randall dealer status private purveyors from taking advantage of the Randall product, and creating an overpriced secondary market. And finally, protecting Bo Randall's legacy in keeping Randall knives the Co. the way Bo designed it to be. After all, the way Randall are made, and have been made, is the foundation of the Randall knife reputation of quality. So, I'm all for it, even if we have to wait longer, or get fewer at a time. The best things in life are worth waiting for!

:bow :bow

I'll have to agreee with the other posters here. I too feel it's a "good thing" and my respect for the Randall shop has risen another notch. It's not every day that a company opts for quality of quantity at the risk of profit.

Randall knives are what they are today because of their quality.

As for the impact on price, I would think that it would, at least, not drop the prices. But, as Moosehead said: One should only collect things one has a passion for, and one shouldn't expect to get one's money back. (If one does, it's a bonus!)

Also, something is only worth what somebody is willing to pay for it at any given moment of time.

Hi all!



One should only collect things one has a passion for, and one shouldn't expect to get one's money back. (If one does, it's a bonus!)


Moosehead

Just a little respectful disagreement. I buy stuff I like. I buy Remington 700's, but, I don't collect 'em. I use them. I like Randalls. I buy them, I use them, but I also collect them. If the value wasn't there, I'd still own quite a few, but not nearly as many as I own now.
You have to collect stuff you like, but, when you start collecting, value becomes a varible.

One should only collect things one has a passion for, and one shouldn't expect to get one's money back. (If one does, it's a bonus!)
Moosehead
I respectfully agree 100%!!!

I'll have to go with Pepe on this and respectfully disagree.

Collecting fridge magnets for the fun and passion with no expectation of increased value is one thing, but paying the price that some Randalls command and not having an expectation of getting your money back is another.

Mitchell and Joe, I respect your opinions, but I think you both have misunderstood what I was trying to say.

I fully agree that when collecting "expensive" items, one naturally hopes they will not only retain their value (i.e.the price one paid), but will even realize a gain when the item is eventually sold. Often these expectations do come true, but in many instances (due to all kinds of variables) this is not the case.

For example, an impossible to find Bugs Bunny 1936 fridge magnet, with the even rarer reversed polarity was purchased in 1999 for $16,750 on eBay by an enthusiastic Bugs collector. :eek:

Unfortunately last year, when his self-propelled lawnmower ran amok and rolled right over his neighbour's rare Tibetan purple-tailed rabbit, the buyer was forced to sell his treasured collection of fridge magnets. The law suit almost bankrupted the poor fellow. :(

The result of the sale was very disappointing as the Bugs Bunny fridge magnet market had collapsed, after a daffy period of speculation that had driven prices to dizzying heights. :p

That's why I view collecting as a hobby which brings me pleasure, knowledge, and satisfaction. Any monetary considerations I might have are important, but secondary.

By the way, I never leave my lawnmower running unattended...:lol

Cheers!

David

P.S. Please check out my Bugs Bunny fridge magnet auctions on Ebay! :D

David...... you are seriously.....not right:yield:

Did you hit your head hard..... or just often.:bump: :bump: :bump: :bump: :bump: :bump:

Moosie, If the guy had known enough to sell the Bugs magnet in the proper hemisphere, It would have retained it's reverse polarity and probably retained its value better.

(and, NO, you danged sho ain't right!!)