Are regular knives overpriced compared to other items?

[comis]

Perhaps I’m just out of the loop, but it seems to me that it used to be only really established makers (e.g. Sebenza, Randall) who could get away with asking $400 - $500+ for a knife.  Now, it seems like there are lots of knives in that price range, many from makers I’ve never even heard of.

That bit is strange, and I think it is a mixture of emotions and marketing hype all blend into one.  And to be honest, looking at OP's question, what is regular anyway?

I am thinking the industry will probably become more and more polarized, where the 'regular' knives for 'regular' folks will continue to deliver consistent product with good value, Mora, Opinel, SAK, etc(Just to name a few), while the other end of the spectrum will strive to create luxury brand image and capture the very niche market.  Instead of functionality, it all about status quo and self satisfaction.  Just like the $1600 Gucci umbrella that is not waterproofed, I don't think the owners would really care either way.

Nowadays it's a lot about the materials used and general cost of doing business. Even Spyderco's budget range make me look twice since I'm still used to their pricing 10+ years ago.

Too true, and I am sure many are familiar with the term 'butterfly tax', but more and more seems to start asking for that 'premium' regardless.  At least, Spyderco is probably one of the more consistent makers, and I can really appreciate that.

[Aloha]

Gucci umbrella  . 

The knife and gear arena have been creeping in this direction.  COVID pricing, butterfly tax, and any number of things have driven prices higher across the board.  I am glad that we can pick up a great tool tho from makers in a fairly affordable price range. 

If used is not a problem and you are not looking for limited productions then auctions and other placed to buy used tools is still not a bad place to look. 

I should add, a well made tool at say $300 US with a company who has been around and has a good warranty is still not bad.  Victorinox still comes to mind for most any tool they offer.  If we are talking "regular" meaning single bladed folders then Spyderco/Benchmade to me are still worth it. 

These companies maybe charging a lot more these days but I've never had an issue with either brand.  I have an early Mini Griptillian in 440C that shows no signs of stopping. 

The value is in the long term use IMO. 

[dks]

Regular means nothing especially fancy or made through an expensive process or considered an art or artist piece and so on.  Part of regular production, where no considerable new investment is needed to make it.

A piece of sharpened steel, some more pieces of metal for the sides/handles and some screws, that are not containing diamonds.

[aicolainen]

In general, I would say no.
You can get ridiculously good value for money, if you really want to.
Hultafors, Mora, Condor etc. make really good fixed blades that aren’t even made in China.
Ontario, Cold Steel, Manly etc. has good value non-Chinese folders, and if you include the Chinese mfg’s and OEM’s the list gets very crowded.
Some higher end knives, like TRM are really not expensive for what you get, I’d even stick my head out and suggest that even the base version of the Sebenza was becoming pretty good value until the recent price adjustment. Still isn’t terrible, just not as good.
Basically, I don’t think the baseline (or regular) has become more expensive compared to prices in general, but in every price segment, including the baseline, the quality has become better as a result of fierce competition. The curve of diminishing returns will always be there for us to struggle with. Each and everyone must decide for themselves where their sweet spot is on that curve. The fact that today there is more options along the full spectrum of the curve, than it used to, doesn’t mean regular knives are relatively more expensive than before.

I think the boom in knife buyers that buy knives for pocket jewelry, instagram photos, fidget toys and investments has broken the knife market, or at least how we may perceive it. The fact that you can buy really expensive knives with extreme detail work and exotic materials that does nothing to add functionality doesn’t make the regular knives more expensive. These knives gets lots of publicity and may skew our perception, but also our frame of reference, meaning it can lead to some specification creep with regards to what we think we need for our own use as well.

As for the pricing of knives compared to other items, I don’t find it unreasonable, and I highly doubt it’s the path of least resistance if you want to become rich and famous.
Volume, economics of scale and market demographic plays a big part.
Even if you take something as ordinary as a Spyderco Delica, the potential market for that product is minuscule compared to even a more expensive Leatherman. Most modern day homo sapiens simply don’t know what they would need a dedicated folder for, besides getting in trouble with the law in pretty much most of the urbanized world. What’s even worse; it may severely reduce your chance of sending your genes off into the future, as knives seem to no longer attract the opposite sex like it used to. It has even shown to be counterproductive in some studies.. Weird stuff for sure.
Then there is the cost of production, R&D, warranty, marketing, tools and property investments, etc. that has to be spread across the relatively few units you can expect to sell in this market segment.
Some of these cost can of course be mitigated if you ignore or downplay the importance of worker conditions, environment, IP, QC and warranty responsibility. Not knowing who those are, necessarily, some may choose to pay a bit more and buy from actors who are known to emphasize transparency, decency and traceability.