How to Win on Knife Drop Day
As the avid knife fan knows, scoring on drop day on highly sought after Exclusive products can be a daunting task. With that in mind, this post is suited for the customer who wants to do everything that they can to increase their chances of being successful during a knife release. We will outline the steps to increase your odds, but first need to set the base assumption that the knife you want has a specific release date and time and that you will be ordering online rather than calling in an order. Phoning in an order on a product release should be used as a last possible resort when the goal is to save time.
To-Do: Days or Weeks Before Release
Create an account on the website you are purchasing from – Saving your address information will cut down a lot of typing once you get to checkout. If you have a different billing and shipping address, make sure you have both saved at the time you are creating your account.
Make sure your information is up to date – If you already have an account setup for the store you are purchasing from, make sure your information is up to date. You’ll save a bunch of time now as opposed to making edits at checkout, or worse yet, having a knife shipped to an address that you are no longer living at.
If you are shopping at a store that has a rewards system don’t wait until you are at checkout with your shiny new knife to realize that you can cash in points. Most systems utilize either a store credit or coupon system, so cash in the night before a drop while you can do it at your leisure. The store credit or coupon isn’t going to expire the next morning so get it taken care of while you have extra time.
Set a calendar reminder on your phone for the release date and time. Make sure to enable reminders 5 or 10 minutes before the release time. You’d be surprised on how many people forget or get busy then regret it later. Keep in mind that you will need to understand Time Zones, choose the correct time zone when setting up your calendar reminder so that you aren’t too early or too late for the drop.
To-Do: Day of Release
Load the site that you will be buying from. Make sure that you are logged in and know where to find the knife.
Decide if you will be using a credit card or PayPal (if available). We recommend using a credit card, regardless of the site you are purchasing from, since Paypal payments are typically slower to process in our experience.
If using Paypal, login to your Paypal account several minutes before the release. Once you get to checkout and choose Paypal, you should still be logged in.
If using a credit card, memorize the expiration and CVV code. Then type your credit card info into notepad or similar program so that you can copy the number. Once you are into the checkout process paste your card number from the previous step and type the expiration and CVV that you memorized to cruise past everyone else at this last stage.
Alternatively, you can utilize credit card storage features found on all major browsers so that your payment information is automatically filled in for you.
If you are unsuccessful in purchasing, sign up for in stock notifications right away. There is always a chance that a customer will call to cancel, or inventory will be added back for many reasons. Don’t lose hope because there is still a chance.
Taking these steps will set you apart from others who just wing it on drop day. Good luck and enjoy the thrill of the chase on drop day!
That was the nicest thing I’ve seen a knife company do. You guys have my business
Unfortunately, I found this after the most recent Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight Red M390 release, but luckily, I had already done most of it. The biggest take away for me was PayPal; I purchased using my phone, and no matter what I did, my payment would not process through PayPal, it just kept timing out. I had figured that using PP would be faster because there’s no need to manually enter credit card info, and that might normally be true, but I guess there was so much site traffic, it just couldn’t process. I had visions of all those pretty red Spyderco’s slipping away, but apparently this exclusive had a decent amount of knives, otherwise I’m sure I would have missed out. Next time, I’m entering my CC info and skipping PayPal altogether!
Every blade has its own soul