Well I could not disagree more!
The issue as I see it is supply and demand. Without either one their would be neither. I also said I am a seller AND collector and of course I am looking at some sort of profit. RMK gets it, dealers get it, why am I not suppose to get it. I would expect the guy that I sell the knife to, also to get some profit. This is what drives us. Nothing gives me more joy to come home from MY REAL JOB, and spend time with my knives. I enjoy providing the public with quality knives at knife shows. Would you suggest that all Randall knives sold be limited to just the dealers. Like I said before, this is America land of opportunity, if people are willing to by Randall knives I am willing to deal in them because I like them and darnit it's fun. I never said I sell on Ebay to make a buck. I think in the history of my Randall knife collecting I have sold one new Randall on ebay and that was a high end #12-8 bear bowie with elephant ivory and fine silver from Doug at precious metals fabrication. And let me see. Oh yea! The customer had no problem bidding on the knife and paying what he decided to pay. He liked it, I liked it, It's America and darnit it's FUN. It's what drives the world, Buying and selling. I don't feel the basics of economics should be discussed any further.
I do not think one has to be an authorized RMK dealer to sell a Randall knife if he is a knife dealer or not. That is where I started. I was not and now I am, thanks RMK. I sold one knife and made some money. Met some fine people, did it again and met some more fine people. I agree, YOU do not expect to pay more for a Randall than what you could get it for from RMK but there is a whole world of people who love to do it. As far as the backyard type sellers I do not know what you mean. If you mean the guys who charge $100 to $150 over current catalog price well then you got me. I guess I am a backyard seller, and you know what so is the guy at the knife show with the table full of Randalls right next to me, Oh, I almost forgot those guys on ebay that sell those Randalls everyday. Oh, and I almost forgot the RMK Dealer that charges me $75 to $95 over current catalog price. You know what? I will gladly pay that fee, one a week if I could. I will tell you why, DEMAND. I have customers waiting for the next knife I have on order from my Randall dealer. I am not going to stop ordering knives and reduce the DEMAND so you can buy your Randall at your reasonable price.
You said " If you are a collector and out for the one-of-a-kind rare knife then get ready to pay. However if you are looking to purchase new production knives you should be able to purchase them at a reasonable price!" I agree, Get ready to pay, because that guy invested a bunch of money himself and the customer is willing to pay extra for that extra special knife. Both parties are happy. As for purchasing Randalls at a reasonable price. What is reasonable? People are happy everyday to pay $100 to $150 over current. If they were not I guess I would not be selling a thing and they would not keep coming back. They Are, there is a demand and I am selling at a reasonable price. You know what? I think you are a closet Randall collector because why would you care so much and take the time to reply with such effort if you allready have your Randall that you got at a reasonable price.
Look all I am saying is that I would not change a thing. Randall has a good thing going and I could only dream of having a company as successful as Randall made. God bless them for making knives that everyone loves and everyone buys almost reguardless of the price and what they did to get there. Also if the price were to go up again I would still buy the knives and so would my customers because they are in demand and it would still be a reasonable price because everyone would still buy them. People who know Randalls, know they are expensive and guys and gals at the shows who see my Randalls, when I have them, maintain a certain respect for the knives and it is easy and comfortable for me to say " That's a Randall Made Knife and there is a 4 to 5 year wait on those right from the factory". As I put it in their hand they say "wow that's a knife". When they ask the price and I tell them, I have just planted the seed, The seed of respect for the Randall knife. As they walk away, the next time they see a Randall they know it's a good investment to get involved in. If it were not then know one would be doing it. BOHICA, I still respect your opinion and thanks for the reply but I am done here. Well except the guys that are going to ask me about the Randall model 1-8's I just got in stock, you know the ones with more than 5 options.

Man! I knew that this was going to happen when I made that post. WHEW! Thanks for your time.

P.S. Selling knives is just what I do for fun. I have a REAL JOB. Plastic Fabrication and CNC Engraving. Stay Cool
Dave Samolis
RKS# 4314

Dave,well said. I am reluctant to get in this discussion,however with my modest collection there is not a piece that I would sell without the right price set by me. I know I have several one of a kind Randalls and if the right price shows ,I'll sell. Nuff said it is called economics 100 controlled by me. I do respect everyones opinion and I learn a bunch on this forum. I pick and choose what I care to collect and sell.
Life is a great dynamic and so are the beautiful Randall collections, Tom #3081

Hello Everyone,
(Just another opinion…worth what you paid for it.)

It humors me to hear people talk about overpriced Randalls…specifically on eBay. Bottom line Folks, if it sold, then it wasn’t overpriced. I have certainly seen my share of RMKs, as have the rest of you, sell at incredible prices on eBay. I say “Good,” these knives are holding value and a good assumption would be is the RMKs I have are increasing in value too. I go to several knife shows a year and I am here to tell you, I have seen some Real Incredible Prices on RMKs at the shows…by some respectable folks. This quoted “overpricing” isn’t just on eBay folks, its everywhere. Personally, I don’t think it is overpricing. I have sold several Randalls on eBay, a couple to friends, and traded a fair share too. I have so much fun buying, selling, trading…and most of all, collecting!!!! I tell people that I buy some, sell some, and keep way too many . Therefore, to continue my hobby, I must sell some. The ones I do sell, I make a profit on. I am here to tell you, that I have never lost a dime on a Randall…and I don’t intend to start now. I don’t have a storefront, I don’t have a website, I DO HAVE EBAY. I don’t give my money away…never have, never will…nor do I expect anyone else to.

To be analogous, Is anyone out there willing to sell me 1000 shares of common stock of their favorite company… say Toyota at a 10% discount? It’s selling around $130 per share. How ‘bout it folks, anyone out there willing to sell 1000 shares to me for $117 a share? NO? Then why would someone expect me to sell a Randall for “below market price”? I have user RMKs…I have some that I will never use...that being said, all of my RMKs are Investments.

I certainly have my fair share of Randalls on order too. Will I keep all of them? Probably not…I’d be fibbing if I said different. However, I currently am trying to get on order every Skinning/Hunting/Outdoorsman knife (including every blade length) on order with Warther’s Ivory and Silverknife’s silver (no worry, these will not be showing up on eBay when I do start receiving them). A lofty goal some would say. The way I calculate it, ordering one every 3 months and assuming the 5 year wait does not change (not probable), I will take delivery on the last knife in 25 years. Does this discourage me? No…absolutely not.

My biggest fear for Randall is that they would succumb to the long wait time and lower their Standard of Quality, sell through Authorized Dealers only…worst of all, sell out to some corporation who wouldn’t give a crap about RMK as we know:(. That would bring a tear to my eye! Harley Davidson hasn’t done it, Randall Made Knives hasn’t done it…but it seems like everyone else has. I’ll wait 5 years, 10 years, 25 years…time is relative. I’ll be putting my next order in February… Model 23 Warther’s Ivory handle, Silver furniture, and all the options RMK will let me have .

Thx, Brian

P.S. Thanks to everyone at RMK…for not changing a thing…most of all the Quality!!!

Hey Bohica,
I can understand your frustration at not being able to purchase a Randall at the published prices in short time. I have felt that way myself. But what I have to ask is what is a reasonable price? To most people, is spending $350 on a knife to begin with reasonable? If you by a Randall at $xxx dollars, then decide to sell it and get $xxx, or even $xxx+x for it was it reasonable? When I bought precious metals years ago, it was always spot +10% to buy, when I sold it was spot -10%. Was it reasonable? It was the going rate, so yeah I thought so. That's what the dealers were doing.
One good thing I have found about dealing with different dealers(backyard?) is that the good ones will trade you back 100%(what you paid them for it) your equity in one knife for trade into another(ivory upgrade, different model?)
As far as you getting your Randall, there may be another option. You could always set up a table at a gun/knife show and wait for one to come by, maybe. When I travel and set up at a show it only costs $300-$500. You might get someone who has passed the vultures at the front of the show(you know the ones, just sitting there waiting for the little old lady who brings in her dead husband's grafather's old Colt revolver, which they will gladly pay her $100 for). They may even make it to your table and will take a factory price for it. I have found that most people who have Randall knives, know what they are, and what they can get for it on ebay.
I expect dealer prices to stay about the same or slightly increase
I have tried to look into the future for what may cause prices to go down. All indications from the supply side is that things will stay the same. Yes, that could change but not very likely. If I remember correclty from research, the shop makes 5.5-6k knives a year?Divided by an ever increasing collector base? As for the demand side of it, unless Randall collectors start to die off in droves, maybe in 20 years..............
Just an opinion,
James

It appears I am alone in my views...

I am in no way putting down the Randall shop. Neither am I putting down the authorized RMK dealers. Back Yard knife dealer is in my opinion someone that does not have a business license, retail store—or overhead. This guy is part of the problems as I see it.

To address the reasonable price issue... I am aware that an RMK is priced reasonable if at priced @ $150 over MSRP (Manufactured Retail Price), because it is one of the finest knives made. In the bigger picture RMK shop has set a price for it's Model # 14 sold in 2006 and most steelers are inflating this price, that is what is an unreasonable price to me! If a knife dealer (non RMK authorized) purchase a knife from an authorized RMK dealer then turns around the next weekend and adds 150.00 USD to the price... what is acceptable about that, nothing-- he's screwing however purchases the knife. This crap about the American way to Buying and Selling... this is your rational to justifies your price increases. If the seller pays 150.00 over current catalog price for a catalog knife and does not see any thing wrong with that then he may turn out to be your best customer ... a fool and his money will soon part. This is why an authorized RMK dealer sellers at catalog price... because that is the agreements the dealer has with the RMK shop. Why because RMK is looking out for it's customers as they should. The price paid is not based of of another knife manufacture or any other knife it is based on the MSRP.

There is not another retail manufacture – that I am aware of – that is so far behind in production and this is almost supported by dave1417... the inability to keep up with the demands of the product means RMK is losing money. The reason I said it was supply not demand is because if the RMK shop production was able to meet the demand then this would no longer topic!

Hey Brian how about when you sell a knife you add $50 not $200 I am not suggestions anyone lose money on an RMK and I am not talking about someone selling the personal collection... I am talking about the guy that buys an RMK with the idea to re-sell it to make money, get real! Point well made know one wants to see RMK give to the long wait time and start stamping crappy knives!

Let me provide a current, true example:

An authorived RMK dealer ... sold a knife to a non-RMK knife dealer (I know personaly)-- a Model # 16 SP1"Special #1 Fighter".

Brand new production... the timeing was right the dealer I know (non RMK) purchased the knife for 400.00 USD cash. He went to a gun show the following weekend and had it on his table for 600.00 USD.

Where is the justice in that for the regular costomer that wants to by his first RMK(?)

PS; I think this model -- Model # 16 SP1"Special #1 Fighter" might be the best knife ever made!

Corbin,now that you have convinced me,I have a Model # 16 SP1"Special #1 Fighter" that I would part with for $1000.00 for you. Of course I would include the $2.00 listing fee,if you purchase it after all, it is "the best knife ever made" to quote my esteemed associate and collector. Tom #3081
PS. Justice and market price are mutually exclusive ideas, then what do I know.

Keep on collecting that is the real fun in this game.

Corbin,

"Reasonable price" is a subjective term. In a free capitalistic society driven by supply and demand it has no meaning. What does have meaning is "market price". No one is going to throw money away so you can pay what you think is a reasonable price. You have to face reality on this one, Dude.

Edited to add:

Most people "earn" their Randall. By that I mean they work a longer period of time to come up with market price money, or they wait in queue or they sit on e-bay hitting the refresh button for hours and days at a time to catch a low buy-it-now price, or they do a lot of networking or they go to a lot of flea markets and shows. The only other alternatives are dumb luck or a benefactor.

I will put it like this... I purchased my first RMK knife (brand new/unused, catalog knife) for a highly inflated price, from a non-RMK knife dealer.

Never again, I will only purchase an RMK @ catalog pricing from RMK directly or from a authorized RMK dealer.

This is the difference's... must have been sleeping during Economics class!