Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 5 conversations about:
reswright
3850
Jun 7, 2019
bookmark_border
Agreed, although I apparently only was here for a few weeks worth of the old Massdrop. This is among the worse GUIs i've had to navigate. It makes me look at everything I don't care about first before I get to what I care about.
Drop has neither the infrastructure nor the clout to beat large e-tailers like the Zon or knife superstores like BladeHQ or Knifecenter at the game of discounts and fast shipping. So there's not going to be a competition there so much as a loss. And Drop does not appear to have enough goodwill in its existing customer base to keep them buying here even if there's cheaper prices elsewhere -- how many comments do we get a day on knife drops, pointing out a better deal?
I expect a lot of people would prefer to see the focus head back toward limited runs of excellent designs, made affordable by group participation, but I also understand that there was some unspoken and unshared reason Drop are deciding to get away from that. It might help if they shared it. Otherwise, I'm open to new things so long as there's an actual consumer value to be had in them -- they need to be offering something we can't get elsewhere, or a way we can't get it elsewhere. Otherwise they might as well begin winding down Blades as a focus and as a community -- if that's not indeed what they're already doing, which they might be.
I say that because if they are moving away from drops, and moving TOWARD this, i.e. the sale of small amounts of existing production model knives that can already be had elsewhere, usually for less and/or delivered more quickly, and as a little bonus sometimes they have defects -- then the only surmise I have is that they're planning on moving away from selling knives as part of Drop. Because this is not a business plan so much as it's suicide-by-market-forces.
Hoping that's not it. If so, suggestions for Drop:
1) In terms of brands you aren't repping -- Give Tuya a drop. Give TwoSun a couple of drops. Give Harnds a drop - they aren't bad at all. While you're at it go get something made in Germany. Reach out to Spyderco's UK OEMs and see if you can get something there. Can you get a Case drop? Can you get a Southern Grind drop? Get Condor up in here. Because if you're introducing new stuff to people that's worthwhile and builds loyalty.
2) Work with brand new designers or designers struggling to break in, interspersed with the better known stuff. You're trying to introduce value, they're trying to produce it, we the consumer are trying to find it. Collectors wanna get the early work of someone with a new vision. Create some knives this way, everyone's happy. There's room for everyone to give a little and get a little more in return. No-brainer.
3) Never try to save money on a drop by going with cheaper hardware. NEVER do that again, not even once. Go better. Each and every time. And let people know that's what you're doing. Advertise product sprints made with something a step or two up the ladder of material prestige, even if you're just adding bushings or a deep carry clip or a different thumb stud. Differentiate that way. That way three things aren't happening that kill quality -- you aren't beating up the manufacturer on price, he isn't beating you up on what he lets slip through the process, and you aren't both constantly faced with the same pressure to cut more costs and find more fat to trim. When he sees your number come up he doesn't go 'aw shit, that asshole again'. He goes 'oh it's the dude who likes to make side deals for something a little better and we all make a little more money as a result'. Think he'll be more likely to take the call that way?
Meanwhile chances are much better that your customers will pay the markup you need for your ROI to be acceptable if you're giving them something better than the thing their friend just got. You want some brand loyalty? You won't get it with ad copy. Make sure everyone understands the quality they're buying and how it's a step above the usual, even if it's just a smoother deploy or a distinct look. Give people a reason to pay the price you need and instead of bitching about it the chances are good that they might do some humblebragging about the price. Don't mistake that for negative feedback like you're getting now. It's a whole new ballgame. Roll with it because those people are your sales department in ways your real sales department can't manage to achieve .
Let people who really need something to differentiate themselves from the world they see in front of them, do so with your widget that they love, and then they're in the business of tending it as part of their self image and will do so with a fervor that you can't reliably get your own salespeople to match. This is how you sell to people with money, or people who want to look like they have it; it's also how you sell to people who care about quality and will happily pay a little more to get something a little better. It's how branding used to work before it stopped having anything to do with manufacturing. And people miss it, even if they don't always know they do.
4) If you need items you can sell at your own price instead of chasing market prices, don't make it the main item. Make it the throw in item that people are more likely to go ahead and buy at an ok price along with their main item. A sharpener or a honing oil or a display or microfiber towels or Torx bits or lanyard or whatever. The stuff that people go 'oh yeah I need that too'. People are inherently transactional in these things, if they feel like you are giving them a deal on the main item, they're often a little more willing to show some reciprocity and they'll be a little less fierce with their calculators. People don't mind paying what you need them to pay if you're giving them a real reason to pay it, whether it's quality or convenience. They mind a lot more if you just ask them to pay your margin instead of Amazon's, without giving them that legit reason why. Based on most of what I read in this forum, people feel like there's been some of that going around.
(Edited)
Related Posts
raulqr
Have had my chair for almost five years now. Holding up pretty good. But it needs a set of new wheels right away. Where can I get these?
Mar 27, 2024
Trending Posts in More Community Picks
Graham88
Completely surprised by the lack of blade diversity here on Drop...
I’ve been a collector of Blades since before my teens, and a retailer coming up on 15… or maybe 20 years. Drop has really been kind of an interesting experience for me, because I do occasionally get to see some unusual tech and sometimes EDC items that otherwise I might not have been aware of. And maybe it’s because I have a deep love of cutlery and bladed weapons, but I find myself trolling through the site looking at it what’s available; and it’s just it’s pretty much the same. And the bladed community here is just always confused me.. every single knife is about the same, they’re almost all drop points and although the handle materials change and brands change.. it’s really just the same knife over and over and over again... occasionally you’ll see a tanto or a slight variant; but rarely… and almost never a serrated blade. And I’m just deeply amazed at this diversion of serrated blades. And I’m just surprised there isn’t more of a request for diversity here.... and I...
Mar 12, 2020
JellyDPhoto
Can we get Sony E-Mount or other mirrorless camera options please..
Would be nice to see some Sony E mount full frame cameras on here. I currently shoot with a A99 and they killed the lense path for better or more option lenses and now is all E-Mount. 🤔
Jan 13, 2020
RayF
There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop