A Poll - Is Pre-Selling At A Knifeshow...??

Is Pre-Selling To Dealers At A Knife Show

  • OK?

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Not OK?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
I accidentally pushed the "OK" button, Geez!.
So Ill mentally subtract 1 from "OK" and put it in "Not OK"
 
Writing as someone that attends shows for the purpose of seeing knives and meeting and talking to makers and representatives of knife companies and not for the purpose of purchasing knives, I have to say that I don't like the practice, but I see where it is a definite boon for the maker. What I am going to have to say is that while I am not against it, I do believe that makers should be required to have some knives on their tables at the beginning of a show.

If I remember correctly, Les Robertson stated that he allows makers to keep the knives he purchases from them at their tables until he leaves the show. I realize that there is a danger of the knives being damaged and that any dealer doing this would be taking a chance, but I think it is a very good practice and would like to see more dealers doing it. That way, attendees would get the chance to see knives right through until just about the end of the show.
 
RWS - I take it you wanted to restrict this to the question of pre-selling to dealers alone? There was much discussion in the other thread about pre-selling to collectors as well.

As an aside I'll throw in the question of degree - a maker pre-selling a few knives to dealers or repeat customers is one thing. An in-demand maker (one who will easily sell his entire inventory) pre-selling his entire table to a single dealer before the doors open is arguably another. The first guy through the door who rushes to that maker's table might be justifiably miffed.

Roger
 
I think it is OK to sell to a dealer before a show provided he does not jack the price up too much.
I don't make all the shows but I buy all the knives I want at the ones I do attend.Also I am not a multi millionaire(although my bride thinks I buy knives like one)
If I want a piece I can generally get what I want.
 
Yeah Roger, I kept it to dealers for the poll. The debate did include pre-sales to others, however my contention was more focused on the deals between the maker and the dealer and, as I said in the other thread, I'm kind of on the fence still over pre-selling between maker and collector leaning toward OK for that type of deal.
 
Pre-selling is pre-selling. Doesn't matter whom you sell it to. Dealer or collector, that is still other knives not going on tables. I fail to see why people are so obsessed with dealers not getting knives early? Dealers are another tool for collectors to use to get knives they want. Dealer or collector, pre-selling to either is the same thing.

JR
 
Jeremy Reynolds said:
Pre-selling is pre-selling. Doesn't matter whom you sell it to. Dealer or collector, that is still other knives not going on tables. I fail to see why people are so obsessed with dealers not getting knives early? Dealers are another tool for collectors to use to get knives they want. Dealer or collector, pre-selling to either is the same thing.

JR
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I made the distinction between the two as I felt there is a difference between "STAR" makers of a knife show pre-selling their knives to dealers at a discount versus a collector who'll pay the retail price from the maker on a pre-sale. Just my opinion.
 
This is America boys, so sell as you will. I personally think to make the "shows" a success the knives should stay on display with the maker till the end of festivities.
 
severtecher said:
.....the knives should stay on display with the maker till the end of festivities....
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I used to think that way too - in fact I insisted on it with the maker. And then one day my generosity came back to bite me on the a**! :(

Never again. I buy it, I take it.
 
Jeremy Reynolds said:
Dealers are another tool for collectors to use to get knives they want.
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Jeremy, I agree with this totally, but you would think that makers could supply dealers with knives at other times. Even though I don't see anything wrong with a maker pre-selling his knives to whomever he wants, I do think that it shouldn't be too hard for him to deliver these knives at times other than during knife shows.
 
Keith, if you keep arguing in this direction you may have to change your vote. :p :D
 
I didn't think much about the subject one way or another until I went to a prestigous knife show in Calif. a few years ago with the hopes of getting a very nice folder from a particular Mastersmith that I knew would have a table there.

Well, I got in the doors with the very first group of fifty, and went straight to the particular makers table only to find that the Mastersmith had brought only 3 knives, two folders and one bowie. The folder that I wanted and the bowie both had a "sold" signs by them. Without great enthusiasm, I bought his remaining folder, and while it was nice, I really bought it just to have a knife in my collection from this great maker.

Upon my return home a few days later, I discovered the folder that I wanted with the "sold" sign next to it, had been "pre-sold" to the large dealer that was hosting the show! I discovered this from seeing the knife on the dealers website for sale for $400 more than the maker had it listed for sale! Now if I wanted to buy it, I'd have to pay their jacked-up price plus $225 in Calif State sales tax!!

So my pesonal opinion now is that pre-sales should not be permitted.

*The opinions expressed above relfect the views of the author; If you have a differing opinion, the author really doesn't give a rat's ass.
 
Doesnt really matter what we want, makers are gonna sell to who they want to sell. I'm not trying to be a smartass, it's just free enterprise. If it causes you to decide not to buy that maker's knives anymore, so be it.
 
lifter4Him said:
Doesnt really matter what we want, makers are gonna sell to who they want to sell. I'm not trying to be a smartass, it's just free enterprise. If it causes you to decide not to buy that maker's knives anymore, so be it.
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I know their are a lot of things about this issue being discussed here.

Personally, I'm thinking more in terms of whether this pre-selling practice is unknowingly harming the future quality of knife shows.

I don't think anyone involved with this practice should be blamed or have it held against them because it has been an accepted industry practice for a long time.
 
RWS said:
Keith, if you keep arguing in this direction you may have to change your vote. :p :D
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I actually didn't vote because I am of two minds about this issue. Though I don't think there is anything wrong with a maker pre-selling his/her knives, I do think that it really isn't neccesary. The maker should be able to sell knives to the dealer at any time through the year.

Dave, I would not decide not to buy knives from a maker based on the fact that he pre-sold knives at a show, but if there were quite a few makers with empty tables it would make me rethink ever going to that show again. One of the big reasons I would go to a knife show would be to see knives, not empty tables. I know that the popular makers are going to be sold out in very short order, so there are going to be empty tables no matter what. I just don't think that should be the case before the show officially opens to the public.
 
Well, in that sense it does hurt shows. At this past Blade there were many makers standing around tables with nothing on them by mid-day Friday.
 
Dave makes an excellent point.

Custom knives are more then the materials envolved. They come from the heart and soul of the maker They are a piece of the maker. If the maker wants to sell them all to a certain person, so be it. If the maker wants to refuse to sell to a person because they prefer Coke over Pepsi, so be it.

People seem to think the maker has to cater to them. That is wrong. If I call a maker to pre-secure, he can tell me to go piss up a wet rope just because I'm from Oklahoma, if that's the way he feels. Do I have to like it? No. But when these objects are a piece of the maker, I will not tell them to whom, when, where, and how many knives they can sell.

JR
 
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