Auctions and knives

[Bob Irons]

I recently bought several small pocket knives at an auction and I'm wondering whether I should try to repair them or just throw them away (horrible thought - throwing a knife away).

My wife loves auctions (antiquey stuff) and every once in a while the actions we go to have some knives. They run the gamet from really nice knives to really crappy junk knives. The ones I bought last night at auction fall into the crappy category - but not necessarily junk.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone on the forum has any advice about repairing versus throwing away these "treasures" I find at auctions. Last nights finds included a Barlow, an interesting shaped walnut-handled pruning knife and two ordinary pocket knives. All four pocket knives are in bad shape.

If this is the wrong forum, please let me know. I didn't want to put this in the collector category (perhaps the junk collectors category).

Knife nut on a budget.

 

[Kodiak PA]

Bob,
One person's junk is anothers treasure. I have bought some knives on internet auctions and it's either hit or miss. A lot depends on the timing, the reserve and what folks are looking for. A lot of new knives on internet auctions are there to drum up some business for the homepage and there is nothing wrong with that. The other evening I saw a Kershaw Trooper go for only $52! There was no picture and I know this knife goes for $175-$200. The week before I saw another Trooper and this time there was picture and there was a bidding war that left the price around retail. I got a PUMA General (again no picture) for $40 one time and then there was this other time that I kind of over did the bidding and the next thing I knew, I lost a knife at $202. Luckily I lost, I found that the knife can bought for less then $100.

I know that this has nothing to do with your question but I had some thoughts about buying on auctions, particulary the net:
1. Know your product and what it is worth. Why get into a bidding war when you can buy it for a comparable or lesser price on the net unless it's a one of a kind?
2. Set you limit and let the proxy do the rest, if it exceeds your limit, you probably didn't want it anyway.
3. Take your time. If you lose a bid, you probably will find it again later.
4. Look for knives without pictures. I have found that most people will not bid on a knife they can't see and if you know your product you may get a great bargain!
5. Use the search engine in different ways. For example if you enter "Buck Knife" and don't find what you're looking for, try entering a different way. "Buck Lockback". You'll be surprised how often you will find a "hidden" knife. I once got a knife that I know was worth more but the way the seller entered limited the amount of people who saw it.
6. Don't bookmark the last minute sales. It's too easy to impulsively bid on a knife that you may not have wanted.

Sorry about rambling, just some thoughts I had on auctions.

Oh, to sort of throw in $0.02 on repairing knives: If they're potential collector's pieces don't overly clean or sharpen them, it will reduce their value.
Regards,

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~Greg~

 

[JH225]

Sometimes you luck out at auctions.I recently obtained a limited edition Kershaw dagger (1 of 5000)at a local farm type auction for $50...Beautiful piece.Kershaw factory tells me value is b/w $250-350.I haven't bought anything on any web auctions,I'm kind of leery about what the UPS man might be bringing me(ie:JUNK).

 

[Jonathan]

Bob, I would try to find some history on the knife and determine from there if you should do anything to it. As Kodiak said, if it has collector value, any work on it might damage value. Before throwing them out tho, bear in mind, you bought those knives for a reason. Unlike an internet auction, you had the opportunity to view it first hand.

Now for my .02 about internet auctions. I have added a few nice pieces to my colection from internet auctions, but it does help to know the product you are bidding on and its rarity and approximate vlaue before getting involved in a bidding war on it. Some things out there are not worth what is paid for them, then again sometimes you find great deals....first and foremost...Buyer Beware.

Jonathan

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Live every day as if it was your last, for some day it shall be.

 

[Brian C]

In my experience, auctions can be a mixed bag. I found bargains on both a brand new REKAT Fang & a MIB Gerber Silver Knight last year. I also wound up w/ a Leatherman that had seen some very heavy use, not the light use as advertised.

Ask specific questions about the condition of the item in which you are interested and, if the system allows for it (like eBay), check out the seller's rating.

Caveat emptor!



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--+Brian+--