Buy & Sale?

Clem Kadiddlehopper

Clem Kadiddlehopper

knife guy
Joined
Sep 4, 2012
Messages
7,114
Are you one of those folks that buys a knife, just to resale it a few days later?

I see this all the time ---- (Just got this knife, but it's too nice to carry so I'm selling it.)

??

I know guys like to buy knives and check them out and then turn around and sale it.

It's really none of my business what one does - but there's has to be a better way?

What do you do to check out new knives?
 
I do this from time to time, "catch & release" I call it. It's mainly due to the fact I don't have a decent knife shop anywhere close to me where I can get my hands on a knife to try it. A knife can look really great in the pictures but just not feel right in the hand.
 
Never.

ill buy a knife I want or need, use em to the point of no return. I also customize the terrible bevels companies usually offer with a high polish stone.

I give away my knives before selling.


I will never buy a high end knife without handling it beforehand, unless its chris reeve or masamoto. Though I have received a damaged chris before (used, so I take blame for that).
 
I do a lot of research, reading, picture viewing before I buy a knife frfom a brand I am not familiar with. I've done a couple catch and releases before. My local gun shops don't have much other than Benchmade, Boker, Mtech, and some Kershaw knives.
 
I'm a picky SOB. 9 times out of 10 the knife either isn't exactly what I expected from pics or YouTube videos or another knife shows up on my radar and I sell to increase my funds. It's nice to hear people say they give away knives they don't like however my knife budget doesn't allow for that. Well, I guess I could, but I'd be getting A LOT less knives if I did. I have no one in my day-to-day life who would appreciate the kind of knives I buy anyways.
 
It always seems like this happens to me... I am thinking over a knife and then somebody scoops it out from under me and then I see it for sale a week later for much more.... I guess thats all part of the game.
 
I'm only a little better off. Pretty much have to wait for a fun-show to see anything other than a few very common choices from say, Spy-Made, or Buck-Shaw. Now, the dealers at the fun-show are just that, not really enthusiasts, so it's a while before a brand new model comes round. For example, there was no Spyderco Domino at the last show, though it's their 2nd flipper, and has high-demand.

So, let's say you order that Domino on it's eye-appeal, and hate the way it feels.....catch-n-release.
Or, you know you like the feel of a knife from prior handling. SO, you buy it. Then you don't care for it 'in-use', or it doesn't replace what you thought it may in your current line-up. Has happened to me with a couple recent ones, LOL.
 
I have a well stocked, although full retail, knife shop within easy driving distance. First is research, then is handling, then to pricing. If I can't handle it then more researching and pricing is done. Handling mid range knives is not that imperative but I rarely get a high end one without handling unless it is from a well known and trusted maker.
 
When I buy sushi knives (or any single bevel), I need them to provide a flat surface (glass top works well) because ive caught a few that were not perfectly straight (extremely important).

Also most people do not how to check for over ground bevels, youd be surprised how many CRKs I had to deny at plaza cutlery (fine knives store).


im considering about selling my yoshihiro yanagi (usually I give away) but this one has been polished nearly daily for 2 years (4000-8000 only) and cuts like a wet dream.
 
Zidfeldts said:
I usually just buy a knife and then keep it forever. I have yet to sell one.
Click to expand...

+ 1

I carry some knives more than others but like to keep all of them. That said my collection is still same by the standards of most members here and has not needed a good "thinning out" yet.
 
Definite catch and release for me; I'm in school and work, with my area having very little to offer in terms of the knives I'm looking for... I usually research pretty extensively before buying, but sometimes the knife just doesn't click with me when I get it...
 
I don't do catch and release, but I only buy slowly, and gift the ones I don't use to deserving friends. Last summer I visited Spyderco in Golden and took the opportunity to handle almost all of their current models that I don't own. This was educational, but mostly confirmed the impressions gleaned from careful online study. Still, there were surprises, like the sheer mass of the Southard's blade (less distal taper than most Spidies), and the awesome size of the Szabo - pictures don't convey the impact like holding it does.
 
It's not often I resell soon after buying, but there's been a couple times where the knife looked perfect until I held it and realized... It just wasn't for me.

Knife stores just don't carry what I want to look at, so I have to risk buying something I've never held in most cases.
 
I had a long post. It got lost somewhere when I tried to post. Just as well.
I have a Very small inventory, but enjoy good craftsmanship, hi-tech newer blade-steels in folders, nice wood and Damascus in fixed blades. I don't ever use them, and turn them over rapidly. Profit motive seldom is intended, and I tend to lose on most buys and sells. I tend to like more "traditional" folders and don't necessarily care for the latest thing on the street. I carry a well-marked (worm-trails) Zaan or large Sebbie every day; the rest is just admiration of nice steel and wood.
 
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I'm guilty, i don't have a decent knife shop around so i do my research and then decide to purchase and if i doesn't meet my expectations off it goes.
Also my tastes are evolving so it gives me a chance to check out numerous knives and then keep the ones that end up in the personal collection... and the ones that don't, hopefully i don't lose much money if at all.
 
There is a fairly large knife store in East Tennessee that I visit a couple times a year. I like to go when I have time to move from display area to display area (usually organized by brand). If they are very busy, it's frustrating sometimes as it is first come first serve and sometimes you have to wait until the two people in front of you are finished with their looking, fondling, and ultimately buying. But I like to handle a particular factory knife first unless I am familiar with the manufacturer. For example, there are gobs of Mora's and i don't really have any experience to choose when looking at a web site.

I haven't sold any knives. I've given away a few. Most of the ones I am not excited about just get placed in a large tub that I keep for that purpose. I go back an look at them from time to time just to see how my interests have changed.

I also attend Blade if I have available funds at the time to make it enjoyable. There used to be gun & knife shows, now they are mostly gun shows.
 
I do as much research as possible before buying. I enjoy researching potential purchases a great deal. As a result I have liked all of my knives, and haven't sold any.They each have their own traits/personalities that I would miss if I were to sell any of them. They afford me with a sense of comfort. I don't just buy them, I adopt them. Of course if one really disappointed me I might have to alter the relationship.
 
Research.... what exactly does that mean? Cost? Materials? Brand? U-tube tests? What people say? But, do you know if you will like it? Ultimately that is the test and whether somebody else here or another forum likes that model is of no serious importance. It's certainly nice to join with others, but other than pats on the back, what have you learned?
 
22-rimfire said:
Research.... what exactly does that mean? Cost? Materials? Brand? U-tube tests? What people say? But, do you know if you will like it? Ultimately that is the test and whether somebody else here or another forum likes that model is of no serious importance. It's certainly nice to join with others, but other than pats on the back, what have you learned?
Click to expand...

For me, research includes all the factors mentioned above, and then some. It helps to know one's own needs and preferences, it helps to understand the tendencies of different makers (I mean what properties they typically emphasize in their models), and it helps to frequent the forums here to get a sense of who prefers what and why. Over time, these factors have allowed me to very accurately assess the suitability (for my tastes and needs) of knives I'd never handled until I bought them.

Of course, handling a knife in the store is preferable if possible, but many of us lack that opportunity where we live.
 
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