Konosuke news

[JPAU]

From Instagram / Konosuke website - Fan club with membership fee proposed

https://konosuke-sakai.com/index.php/2024/05/24/regarding-how-to-deal-with-customers/

 

[tostadas]

Wow a subscription fee for the mailing list, to have a chance to purchase a kono? lol

 

[Mikeadunne]

wack

 

[Corradobrit1]

The Jknife world gone crazy. First 'collector' grade Jiro petty's, now pay to play Kono's. Just stupid.
Proposed $76 per year fee. After 10 years you could have bought a Kaiju.

 

[More_Gyutos]

This doesn’t seem well thought out. Try a newsletter? Better yet, fix your supply problem for your flagship knife?

 

[dehory]

This doesn’t seem well thought out. Try a newsletter? Better yet, fix your supply problem for your flagship knife?

It appears they think this will actually greatly help with their supply problem…

We’re considering charging membership fees.
This is because we currently respond to a large number of inquiries from customers in various countries on a daily basis, but due to our small team, it becomes necessary for the person in charge to stop working, which has had a major impact on manufacturing.

 

[JPAU]

It appears they think this will actually greatly help with their supply problem…

Alternatively, it could affect the demand problem.

 

[ynot1985]

who ever gets one through this method can now demand a higher reselling price.

Not sure how this solves any of the supply issues.. unless they want to kill demand so that it will equal supply lol

 

[blokey]

Aren’t these what Kramer is doing with the auctions? 200k Kono here we go

 

[OkayMode]

So now you pay to still get mugged off by bots, nice

Perhaps there’s more in it, but surely cranking up the exclusivity further is just a gift to the flippers?

I can already see the membership costs being absorbed into secondary asking prices for example, which will be murky and therefore an easy way for flippers to inflate their asking price.

There are so many other lines knocking out similarly good knives by similar smiths/sharpeners, I just don’t get why people are still going bananas for FM’s!

 

[Rossmore7]

I know it’s been said already but this will likely just drive up the resale value further, there is nothing to address the supply issue at Konosuke’s end.

I also think a massive amount of people will end up joining the paid mailing list regardless of the fee. Seems like a nice convenient new revenue stream for Konosuke.

 

[OnionSlicer]

Might as well go all the way and run this member club through onlyfans.

"Slide into your favorite blacksmith's DMs for a private convo"
"Daily uncensored pics of Kaiju without a handle "

They have enough eager fans to make more money off it than the knives themselves.

 

[Just a DK]

Might as well go all the way and run this member club through onlyfans.

"Slide into your favorite blacksmith's DMs for a private convo"
"Daily uncensored pics of Kaiju without a handle "

They have enough eager fans to make more money off it than the knives themselves.

PM for FM choil shots just 4.99

 

[PeterL]

Maybe I’m just being cynical but does this sort of a set up with an ongoing paid membership encourage Konosuke to not sort out their apparent supply issue instead of fix it. If the scarcity hype goes away then they will then lose a new regular revenue stream - assuming people actually sign up to the membership which I assume they will.

 

[esoo]

$5.99/mth? Rather give it to @BillHanna

When I started here, Konosuke still seemed to have some relevance. Lot's of lines - HD2, GS, MM, FM/FT, YS, Sumiiro, Tetsujin. Drops were somewhat scarce, but product was showing up in stores somewhat consistently. Now we get one or two FM drops every year it seems like? And most of the bread and butter lines (like the HD2/GS+) have become pretty scarce.

IMO, Konosuke has a supply chain problem. Moves like this are just a fact to cover up that they can't get product, for whatever reason.

 

[aaoueee]

Agree with the general sentiment here -- I don't see how this fixes any of the issues. Will be interested in hearing more details, but I don't see myself paying such a fee absent some sort of guarantee about actually being able to purchase a knife I want.

 

[bermuda_chub]

They spent two months thinking about this, and then came up with the most cynical, least effective plan possible. It’s like when the beloved team owner dodders off into the sunset, and the idiot heir decides to introduce new team colors to sell jerseys, and instead pisses off the fan base and screws up the brand.

 

[esoo]

Konosuke built it's reputation on the Fujiyama and it's going to die by the Fujiyama. For those that have come to J-knives later, it's desirable by history, but it's only a matter of time before it loses its relevance by not being able to deliver knives.

And they will make way more money than they should from people not cancelling their subscriptions waiting for Kaiju 2.0 that will never happen.

 

[sumis]

”i want what everyone else wants” … people are sheep …
i sure like FM's, still use my MM regularly, as well as a Sumiiro which I'm really impressed with, etc. but as a brand Konosuke has of course lost a certain kind of appeal with so many people now trying to get their hands on high end stuff.

and today there are other's offering similar products, with better price and availability.

all bands were cooler before they broke into the mainstream (regardless of how well they continue to cut).

i guess Kosuke’s concerns are honest; he wants to continue to proudly put out great stuff. but the brand image has become something else given the demand, and the crowd that now are demanding.
Konosuke can either embrace that or try to pretend like they're still sexy (and unique) in the same way as a decade ago.
seems like Kosuke is trying to do both.

.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Might as well go all the way and run this member club through onlyfans.

"Slide into your favorite blacksmith's DMs for a private convo"
"Daily uncensored pics of Kaiju without a handle "

They have enough eager fans to make more money off it than the knives themselves.

It's Japan so likely censored and pixelated....I will not buy this.

 

[gentiscid]

It's Japan so likely censored and pixelated...

Wrong website lol

 

[M1k3]

We’re considering charging membership fees.
This is because we currently respond to a large number of inquiries from customers in various countries on a daily basis, but due to our small team, it becomes necessary for the person in charge to stop working, which has had a major impact on manufacturing.

I don't know, but maybe, hire someone that's not a craftsperson to answer emails?

 

[Just a DK]

I don't know, but maybe, hire someone that's not a craftsperson to answer emails?

I think hiring in japan is a big deal due to labor laws. Small businesses typically struggle because of this and rely on family… or so im told.

I kinda get why its not that simple

 

[Mikeadunne]

I don't know, but maybe, hire someone that's not a craftsperson to answer emails?

this explanation also makes no sense to me

 

[DitmasPork]

Only way to stop reselling at inflated prices is if Kono engraved the buyer's name on the blade, and tip the knife before shipping..

 

[esoo]

I don't know, but maybe, hire someone that's not a craftsperson to answer emails?

Maybe if they sold enough product, they'd have enough money to hire someone to answer emails.

 

[Just a DK]

Only way to stop reselling at inflated prices is if Kono engraved the buyer's name on the blade, and tip the knife before shipping..

 

[esoo]

Only way to stop reselling at inflated prices is if Kono engraved the buyer's name on the blade, and tip the knife before shipping..

So what you're saying is sell direct and alienate all their retail partners?

 

[Mikeadunne]

their retail partners don't have anything to retail anyways

 

[DitmasPork]

So what you're saying is sell direct and alienate all their retail partners?

It was a joke.