Konosuke Updates

[aporigine]

You had 14 days….

If you look at the post “I’ll put them up in 30 minutes” and the “knife stampede!” post not 5 minutes later, you will grasp my issue.

[komarov]

Haha, yeah. Change "days" to "minutes" and it's a lot more accurate of a statement.
We'll get 'em next time aporigine.

[mauichef]

I can understand the frustration but.......there is no perfect way for Mark to sell these rare knives while being fair to all who would like one. Other companies have tried timed releases, sign ups, lotteries, you name it. They all have problems and someone always feels like they got the short straw. I believe this system is as equitable as any and in most cases actually the most fair and easiest to control. Bottom line is that these are uber rare knives and buyers have to be the ones putting in the effort. You have no idea of the times I woke up in the middle of the night to sit at my computer to snag a Unicorn! It goes with the territory and is actually part of the fun of collecting. Saludos!

[epaulcdaid]

Show some grace. CKTG does the best they can to keep this fair. Mark keep up the good work. Don't listen this BS.

[DLAU25]

Hello! What are the chances that more become available in the coming weeks? Or is the wait likely to be months or years?

[taz575]

Most likely months. Mark and Kosuke post updates on this thread, so make sure to subscribe to it!

[DLAU25]

Thank you, have done!

[Vedrath]

This seemed worthy of gathering feedback about here from those that may not have seen it, certainly interesting what this might look like.

[TheLegalRazor]

It's not clear to me how this would apply to dealers like CKTG. Is there any other way to buy a Konosuke knife than through a dealer?

[socal_rich]

It's not clear to me how this would apply to dealers like CKTG. Is there any other way to buy a Konosuke knife than through a dealer?

This doesn't apply to CKTG. But I've seen other dealers significantly mark up the prices, so I believe that post is aimed at them. I'm grateful that CKTG doesn't engage in that type of practice. Also, I think that post is also directed at flippers, who can be individuals who acquire the knife and then just flip them. And yes, you can buy knives directly from Konosuke at their store in Japan.

[Vedrath]

In their gallery in sakai, as they mention. I would infer that this would entail a registry through all dealers, but that is the curious part, could not then custom orders be placed? Might snowball. Long wait lists would most likely accrue and the managing of them could prove burdensome. The impetus for circumventing the pressures of resellers is admirable and that takes many forms through other smiths/outlets i.e raffles, production slots. Perhaps the registries would be pulled from at random not in order, I'm sure there are interesting conversations being had atm, hence seems like a hot topic for discussion.

[Jeff B]

"...an increasing number of 'people' purchasing our knives for the purpose of resale."

Kosuke seems to clearly be addressing the problem of flipping by end users but I don't see how a "pre-registry" would stop this. Once in the hands of the customer anything can happen. An adequate supply to meet demand is the only way to stop flipping.
The Konosuke HD2 and Masamoto KS are two examples of knives in the past that were being flipped at above retail value when supply was scarce. This stopped after the supply increased to meet demand.

[XexoX]

I don't remember which knife it was, but Mr. Mark had announced that under 10 were coming in (maybe 4 or 5) and someone called and asked if they could buy one at triple Mr. Mark retail price. Mr. Mark and Miss Sue said no. You take your chances like everyone else ordering through the website.

[mauichef]

"...an increasing number of 'people' purchasing our knives for the purpose of resale."

Kosuke seems to clearly be addressing the problem of flipping by end users but I don't see how a "pre-registry" would stop this. Once in the hands of the customer anything can happen. An adequate supply to meet demand is the only way to stop flipping.
The Konosuke HD2 and Masamoto KS are two examples of knives in the past that were being flipped at above retail value when supply was scarce. This stopped after the supply increased to meet demand.

Absolutely Jeff. A pre registration seems futile and is not necessarily any more fair than an open market governed by each dealer..

You know I love the brand but I have sometimes been less that impressed with the availability of their more popular lines! Meanwhile exclusivity comes with problems and high prices.

I've never flipped a Kono...sold a few but never for silly gains. But in the end its commerce and some of us are collectors as well as users.

[ChefKnivesToGo]

The best way to solve this is to increase supply. These, for example, used to be very hot items but once there was plentiful supply they now sell consistently well without the mania. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohd21wa.html

Kosuke is working toward this goal but it’s time consuming to train employees.

[salemj]

It makes a little sense to me. I can imagine there being some frustration if people are showing up in Japan and buying whatever is close to finished. However, that seems very unlikely. Otherwise, perhaps "making them to order" in the sense of a pre-registration where the knife is never posted publicly (but instead sold directly to the buyer via one of their partners behind the scenes) could reduce the frenzy that surrounds releases...and also, in that sense, reduce the amplified desire to buy the knives at elevated prices.

I'm not a researcher in this area, but my very limited knowledge of consumer behaviour is that desire is very strongly amplified by repeated anticipatory practices (advertising, forum talk, reviews, etc.). If you remove these practices, far fewer people may be willing to pay a lot of extra money for resales at random dates and times (some still will, yes, but FAR fewer). Think of it this way: around the time of sale, people are actively looking and offering extra for these knives. But six months after a sale, people are not looking as hard, are more suspicious of "like new" knives that appear out of nowhere, etc. I'm a very calm buyer who is quite controlled, and even I feel a huge ramp-up in desire if I know something I want is going to be released...and I also feel an immediate "bump" in what I am willing to pay for it. That often disappears within days, once I remember all of the wonderful options that exist for the same or lower prices...but it is very hard to be clear-headed about that during an anticipated release of a "whale"!

So, my point is: I can see this working, but only if distributers like Mark assist in the process by making these more "made to order" and not advertising their individual sale...just advertising that you can join a wait list for the full price of the knife (and a full refund when your amplified desire runs out before the knife is available!).

[taz575]

The kaiju and FM sell out stupid fast; most people that want them have a hard time being fast/lucky enough to get one with bot ordering now, even from retailers. People pay higher prices to get one because they are hard to get, and people know this, leading to the inflated secondary market values and more rabid buying frenzies. The wait time is unknown as well, further causing issues.

By doing a pre registry, the manufacturer knows how many they need for that batch (what the demand is), can make them and sell them at the normal prices to the customers. I am guessing they will charge a "preorder" fee (or full price?) to get on the list to keep everyone from just getting on the list and not being serious buyers, or getting on the list just to flip the knives at higher prices. Those who want one, know they can register/pre order and wait and will act less like rabid dogs willing to pay double retail to get one because "who knows when they will be made again".

By doing the pre order/pre registry, the "supply" question is appeased, leading to more patient customers and allowing manufacturers to better gauge the interest so they can order material supplies, know how many people they need to hire/train, etc. The start up isn't cheap, but if I know I have a large order coming in, it's an easier pill to swallow to have pre orders/committed customers than making what I can in a batch and see how many sell and possibly be left with lots of a slow moving, expensive items left waiting for customers, or rushing to get the next batch out when the first ones flew off the shelf because the batch was too small! Konosuke doesn't have much problem with the product sitting around (especially these 2 models), but it's hard to keep quality high with people demanding more and more of the product and not being able to keep up!