buying a used over the net ?

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banditele

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I have seen some good knife buys on E- bay , but even seeing the pics ; I have a hard time buying sight un seen.
Can you guys give me some input? I know every once in a while that there is a person out there trying to rip someone off, but how about the majority of the time ? It seems to be pretty common these days to buy off the net over E-bay and such
 
I haven't bought over E-bay, I prefer to keep my deals here in BFC or from a trusted online dealer.

True, I'm not going to find many for around the under 50% MSRP e-bay deals, but I have a better idea of what I end up with. Sight unseen is normal for me, as is buying used(good condition, but used).
 
If your buying a knife used..consider it used..and probably of no future collector value..I have bought used knives off of this forum and ebay and never been dissapointed..heck they are used..then I dont have to worry and I continue to use them and keep the new one in the box..

I bought a sebenza used from EricJ. It was exactly what he described..I got a great knife cheap and its in my pocket as a EDC right now.

I bought a BM tsunami from a guy on Rec.Knives once..he told me it was beat to hell but had good life in it..$40 later it was mine..it is also another EDC..

If your worried about the condition of the knife buying used..bite the bullet IMHO and buy a new one..

Ren
 
I have bought a knife or 2 from EBAY sellers. So far, everything has been okay. Sometimes you can get a good deal. But like VW said, I prefer to buy from the forums.
:)



Blades
 
Hi banditele,
First let me say that I've never purchased off of ebay as of yet. Now that's not to say that I won't in the future, if I find a knife that I'm interested in, I just haven't yet.

But I have purchased used knives online. Yes, I haven't been able to actually handle these knives but I have seen pictures of them. If the description and pictures supplied don't give you a warm and fuzzy feeling simply email the seller for further required information and/or pictures. Most sellers are usually more than willing to provide this information upon request.

There are some great deals out there on used knives listed on the internet for the collector to find and take advantage of. I love to find them. It can be as much fun as going to a flea market and coming across a great deal. Actually, it can be even better because while your surfing for deals on the net you're usually in your home and can use your books (and yes the internet too) as references to ensure/confirm that you are getting what you actually think your getting and for a fair price as well.

For example, I recently purchased an "Excellant/Near Mint" Kinfolks Knife & Axe set made between 1925 - 1948 for $75.00 from an online antique dealer. That very same week a very similar set in similar condition sold on ebay for $282.00. The next week a matching axe (only - without the knife) in "good to poor" condition sold for $78.00.

Now did I get a good deal?

Am I happy with this particular online "never handled the knife" purchase?

You bet I am!!:D
Not just for the obvious but because I bought something that I was familiar with, something that I liked, and for a price that I felt was fair for the condition that the dealer was reporting it to be in.
This all added up to a great purchase for me.

Now I'm sure that there are a lot of no good a-holes out there who would lie about what they're selling trying to cheat us but I will not spend more than I'm willing to loose. If I tell myself this before I make this type of purchase than I usually find I'm more than happy with the results.


Also, I mentioned that I do this for used knives but I should clarify this a little more. I will only do this for used knives that are not being produced anymore. If a knife is still in production, or if it is so new that it is readily available, it's not something worth taking chances on in an "unhandled" internet purchase. I figure why bother to risk any investment in a used/new knife that I can, in most cases, find new/un-used for usually not much more. I say not much more but it actually may be a considerable amount more but that can also be the price for piece of mind.
*Note - The exception to this, as VampyreWolf has already pointed out, would be buying here at BFC from a fellow forumite that has favorable feedback.

Hope some of this is what you were looking for.

Happy knife-hunting.....:)

--The Raptor--
 
I've made a couple of buys on e-bay, usually on new in box knives. I much prefer to do my buying here on the forum or from a couple of dealers that I trust. Don't be afraid to buy used items here on the forum. 99% of the guys that are wheeling and dealing knives here are very careful about how they describe and price their stuff. If in doubt, you can always check the guys rep on the GBU before you deal with him. Good luck!!:cool:
 
I have made several purchases from ebay & have learned this: 1. If the picture isn't very detailed or is dark - beware! 2. If only one side of the knife is shown - beware! 3. If the seller doesn't answer any questions you have - beware! 4. If no one else is bidding on that item - ?? 5. What may be 'minor' wear to the seller, may be 'major' destruction to you.
I haven't had any bad dealings on ebay but I try to follow these rules. Happy collecting! :D
 
I have bought well over 100 knives on ebay. There have been a few disappointing knives in terms of condition, but in general, when I carefully checked their description after receiving the knife, I often found that I had overlooked something in my enthusiasm.

Now I am very specific in reviewing the post AND ESPECIALLY the seller's feedback history. Good seller's will guard this feedback like gold (because it can be!).

Great deals and ripoffs abound on ebay (as in the rest of our world).
 
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